Vacuum Forming

Vacuum forming is a process that takes a pattern, whether hand-made or CNC machined, and creates a thin plastic skin in its likeness. The acrylic, PVC or other plastic is fixed in a frame and heated in our oven until it becomes soft enough to drape over the pattern. A vacuum is applied which sucks the malleable plastic to the form of the pattern where it cools and sets, retaining the shape of the pattern.

The process is often used in packaging, but we often find ourselves gluing two forms together in order to create hollow vessels such as bottles. When designing for vacuum forming remember that the forming needs to be able to be released from the pattern, so undercuts should be avoided.