DIY Vacuum Former - SCOPES Digital Fabrication

Lesson Details

Age Ranges
Standards
Fab-Safety.2, Fab-Fabrication.2, Fab-Design.2
Author
Additional Contributors

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Author

Studio 5
Studio 5
K-12 teacher
In line with the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology’s Digital Youth Strategy, STUDIO 5 is mainly aimed at nurturing youth as digital learners by sharpening their 21st century learning skills, as they develop in an all-pervasive digital environment. In… Read More

Summary

In this session students will make a simulation using the high temperature of summer at the desert in a manufacturing technology called Vacuum Forming. When there is a lack of electricity resources.

Also, Students can use electric source to operate the machine.

Students will build a Vacuum forming machines using a pre-laser cut wood kit.

 

What You'll Need

  1. MDF wood, 8mm, 6mm
  2. Heating elements (30 cm length)
  3. Laser cutter.
  4. Glue Guns
  5. Hot Glue sticks
  6. Single electric wires.
  7. Wood Sticks(8 mm, 35 cm)
  8. Plastic sheets.
  9. Gloves.
  10. Scissors.
  11. Paper tape
  12. Fast curing Glue(Super Glue)
  13. Vacuum cleaning machine
  14. Power extensions.
  15. Electric Cord

 

The Instructions

Main Box Assembly

In this step students will assemble the main box of the machine .

1- Bottom Plate

2- Connect bottom to left

3- Connect right side

4- Attach Vacuum Inlet Plate

5- Attach Down plate

 

Gluing Main Box

In this Step, Students will glue the sides of the main box to the bottom. they will use hot glue and super glue.

 

1- Glue the Vacuum Area with Hot Glue.

2- Glue the Heating Area with Super Glue

Vacuum Chamber Assembly

In this step students will assemble and close the Vacuum Chamber.

 

1- Attach the Vacuum plate to the box on the top of the vacuum area.

2- Add hot glue to the angles of the vacuum plate.

joint Mechanism

In this Step the joint mechanism, the joint plate and the wood stick will be attached to the machine.

 

1- Prepare the Joints

2- Attach joints to the sides with glue

3- Align edges as in picture 3

4- Do for the other side.

 

 

 

5- Attach joint holder to the side joints using the sticks.

 

Electrical System

In this step students will assemble the electrical System and attach it to the machine.

1- connect one side of each heating element using electrical wire.

 

 

2- Insert the heating elements in the side holes m attach them with another wire from the other side. Connect the positive and negative wires of the cord to the both sides of the heating elements. Add the 3d printed protections to the sides.

 

 

Operating

Students will test and operate the machine

1- Attach plastic sheet to the holder using paper tape.

 

 

 

2- Connect the cord to electricity, and prepare the vacuum cleaner.

 

 

 

1- Attach the vacuum former, Flip the plastic sheet to the heating chamber and wait until became flexible, put your pattern at the top of the middle of the vacuum plate. turn on the vacuum cleaner and flip and press the sheet over the pattern. Wait few seconds and remove.

Standards

  • (Fab-Safety.2): I can operate equipment in a Fab Lab following safety protocols.
  • (Fab-Fabrication.2): I can develop workflows across four or more of the following: modeling softwares, programming environments, fabrication machines, electronic components, material choices, or assembly operations.
  • (Fab-Design.2): I can participate in design reviews with prepared presentation materials as well as give and receive feedback from peers.

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