Dental Vacuum Former

[yh70]

has anyone bought and used this type of Dental Vacuum Former to forum windshields on a models ? if so is it worth the money ?  pro's & cons please.

[64SS350]

I'm not sure where you are located, (US or abroad) but this has a European style plug, which aren't necessarily expensive to buy, but ...Also check the voltage, I traded for one on here very similar and it was set up the same with 220 volt. 

I didn't have time nor desire to run extra wiring for it, so I just sold mine.

[Mike 1017]

Karl is right about the plug. The one that Micro-Mark sells looks like the one pictured here. I can't give you an opinion I don't have one.

Good Luck

Mike

Compact Vacuum Forming Machine – Micro-Mark (micromark.com)

[peteski]

Yes,they will work well, but the size of the vacuum frame is fairly small. They can be purchased in 110V AC version.  They are available from Micro-Mark (for rather steep price), dental supplies vendor, amazon or eBay.  I believe that Rio Grande tools (jeweler's supplier) also carries them.  You will also likely have to cut your own plastic sheets because material that comes with it is not really useful for windshields.

[yh70]

7 hours ago, 64SS350 said:

I'm not sure where you are located, (US or abroad) but this has a European style plug, which aren't necessarily expensive to buy, but ...Also check the voltage, I traded for one on here very similar and it was set up the same with 220 volt. 

I didn't have time nor desire to run extra wiring for it, so I just sold mine.

that was just a picture i picked off the net. im here in the US and no i did not know they came 220 & 110 volt. i went back and looked at the one im thinking on buying on Amazon and its 110 volt's. thanks for the tip Karl.

[yh70]

42 minutes ago, peteski said:

Yes,they will work well, but the size of the vacuum frame is fairly small. They can be purchased in 110V AC version.  They are available from Micro-Mark (for rather steep price), dental supplies vendor, amazon or eBay.  I believe that Rio Grande tools (jeweler's supplier) also carries them.  You will also likely have to cut your own plastic sheets because material that comes with it is not really useful for windshields.

i went back and looked at the one on amazon & its 110 volt's..$103.00 is the cheapest one i found with free shipping. the frame (110 x110mm) is just right for all the 3D models i been building that comes with no clear windshield just the one printed in resin to make it from. thanks for the tip Peter

[robdebie]

We bought one with a small group from our club, and have it's been doing rounds since then. The thing is clunky, but I would say it works well enough. The chrome ball knob needs to be in exactly one position, in my experience - I think the photo shows the correct one. And I never use the (what I think is) ball bearing holder, the first metal-colored thing from the bottom. Leaving it off gives you a flatter and slighter larger area to work with.

Rob

[Mark]

5 hours ago, peteski said:

Yes,they will work well, but the size of the vacuum frame is fairly small. They can be purchased in 110V AC version.  They are available from Micro-Mark (for rather steep price), dental supplies vendor, amazon or eBay.  I believe that Rio Grande tools (jeweler's supplier) also carries them.  You will also likely have to cut your own plastic sheets because material that comes with it is not really useful for windshields.

The one I bought didn't include any material, nor did any of the ones I compared it with when shopping for mine.

Sheet styrene can be had in 4' X 8' sheets if you have a plastics supply company near enough to you.  A nice sharp cutter and a good metal yardstick, and you're good to go.

Lots of YouTube videos dealing with the dental machines, with tips on how to make the most of them.

[peteski]

Very good.  BTW, clear styrene is not the optimal material for model windows.  PET or PETG (like Vivak) are a better choice.

[robdebie]

PET-G will develop steam bubbles if heated too long. Here are samples with and without. Made on the very dental machine you're asking about.

Rob

[yh70]

4 hours ago, robdebie said:

PET-G will develop steam bubbles if heated too long. Here are samples with and without. Made on the very dental machine you're asking about.

Rob

what thickness of the PET-G should i get ?

[robdebie]

10 hours ago, yh70 said:

what thickness of the PET-G should i get ?

I bought 0.5 and 1.0 mm (0.020" & 0.040"), and use both. It depends mostly on the size of the object to be vacformed, and the 'feel' of the vacformed part.

Rob

[yh70]

2 hours ago, robdebie said:

I bought 0.5 and 1.0 mm (0.020" & 0.040"), and use both. It depends mostly on the size of the object to be vacformed, and the 'feel' of the vacformed part.

Rob

thanks Rob

[MeatMan]

I bought one but haven't used it in a practical sense. Did a couple of test prints but I need to create a buck for the project. The one I had couldn't take the heat.

[robdebie]

20 minutes ago, MeatMan said:

I bought one but haven't used it in a practical sense. Did a couple of test prints but I need to create a buck for the project. The one I had couldn't take the heat.

Good point, you need a buck / master / plug. And that means more work.

Here are two of mine. The first is for an A-12 Avenger, the resulting canopies are shown above. The second is for a Bede 5 homebuilt. I want to pull a negative mold from this master, because a piece vacformed straight over this master would be oversized. The model is so small that an oversized canopy would not work. I'm busy experimenting to laminate a glassfiber shell over it.

Rob