By the way, these are on eBay all day long for around $150 shipped. Search for "vacuum forming machine"...

or just click here: http://shop.ebay.com/?_from=R40&_trk...All-Categories

Ok... HOLD ON, before you jump on buying one of these machines!!

I have been vacuum molding with these types of machines for 10+ years. I originally got the idea one day when I picked my wife up from work. She was managing an orthodontic office and I arrived a little early, during my wandering around the office I happened to notice one of these machines and asked my wife what it was. She explained they use it for vacuum forming retainers. Instantly all sorts of molding ideas popped into my head. I borrowed the machine a few times to make some custom parts for myself but found several limitations with the machine.
The biggest issue I came across was the poor clamping of the sheet holder. The machine had a very similar clamping frame to the one pictured below. The frame only provided about 1/4" of clamping around the perimeter of the plastic sheet. If I tried to mold anything with more than about 3/8" depth to it, the plastic would pull out of the frame creating a vacuum leak and poor part molding. Another annoyance was the sheet frame would not stay put when slid up for heating, you had to stand there and hold the frame until the sheet was ready for forming.
Frustrated with these results, I built my own machine on a 2' x 4' platform using the basic concepts of these small dental forming machines. I have used it for years with fantastic results.
I still desired a small unit for fabricating small parts as the dental style machines are very quick and easy to operate. After spending several months researching these machines, I found one that provided a clamping frame adequate for producing parts with some depth to them.
The machine you see pictured is manufactured by a company called Raintree Essix. It is the only unit I could find, at least at the time, that was quality made and had an adequate framework for clamping the plastic sheets. Raintree also sells the plastic sheets in precut squares, in various thickness. This makes forming a breeze as you just pull a sheet out of the box, peel off the protective coating and slip it in the machine. HOWEVER.... The Essix machine is not cheap. I believe I paid 399.00 for the unit pictured, I have yet to see this machine pop up on ebay but they may from time to time?
I dont suggest you bother with the cheap ones on ebay.... they are most likely going to be more headaches than they are worth unless you can modify the sheet frame to provide more clamping surface. If you can find an Essix machine, this is the unit to have. I do have access to essix products so if you want a machine, contact me and I can help you aquire one.
If you just need simple parts molded, I can do them for free if you supply the mold.
I will explain how I do the molds tomorrow.

The limitations of these are endless with a little imagination!

Todd

Nice machine

You're right. It looks similar to your machine but it's definitely not that same one. Thanks for the advice Todd.

Todd,

i appreciate you sending them out so quickly but unfortunately they won't work on the Flash. by the time you trim enough of the tip tank off that they match in diameter they would make the tank look odd with such a blunt short tip, it would look like a baby bottle nipple.

What I did on mine was cut off the tip tank at the point where the diameter matched the landing lights I wanted to use (they were some of the pre-made Flugmodelbaugh units that Todd sells - 40mm in diameter, I think...) Then I used that tip piece as a mold to pull my own lenses. I don't have a vacuum forming machine of my own, so I used the "push the mold on the end of a stick through the hot plexiglass sitting on a board with a hole in it" method of molding them. They came out great as far as shape was concerned, but they got a bit thin and were flimsy, so I took two of them and laminated them together with thinnked West System epoxy between them (its very clear) and that worked well.

I imagine that Todd could pull a good set of lenses if someone sent him a tip-tank end to use as a mold...

Bob

that's the thing, I'm not willing to cut my tank without having a matching lens in hand. i may make a mold off my tip and then make a plug and send that plug to Todd.

Chicken!

I still have my two tips here and I can send them to Todd if he can make a lens from them...

Bob

he said above he could, and i know I'd be thankful if you sent them to him.

Oh and chicken? yeah, i don't have the lights to fit the tips and as you may know, Todd's stock is low and nothing is on the site so who knows how long it would be before i could get them, i won't cripple my Flash in the meantime.

Bob,
Send me the tips, I'll mold them up

Hey Todd,

How do you make your plugs, and does the plastic come in green and red? Also is this OK for smaller parts (like the lenses for my 1:9 YA F-16? What other things do you pull with this little machine? You mentioned that you have a home made one. Could you please post a picture or 2?

Tim

When and if you do mold a set, I would also buy a set from you ....along with lights if they are back in stock.

Good thread guys. Departing a little from the topic of lenses, what are you using for lights and what are you powering them with? Electrodynamics vs. Details4scale? Is there a preference out there? I'm looking at a project that has a couple landing lights, tip lights, a couple position lights, and some flashing beacons.

3 watt luxeon emitters and the Beacon Evo2 controllers that Todd sells when they are in stock

Todd, I will buy a set of lenses for flash too. whats the status? I will be putting superbright LED's on front and back of wing tips, and a red / green on the outside of the tank. Im not sure what else Im putting on, I would like to put one in the nose, but.... the canopy wire is there and not easily accessible.., so Im still thinking... the nose door wont work because (KC3660 said the reasons above) heat..

Im going to use a relay switch off the receiver to turn them on and off, but using a 3 cell lipo to power because they are 12v already.. I have seen a bandit with this setup and it was nice late in the afternoon..

For scale lighting, I use Andy Low's controllers/lights. It runs on 5volts or two A123's. two lipo's is too much volts for them, but 2 A123's (1100's) is good. 3ounce pack...

I second that.. I am almost done with mine and would love to Add lights to it.

Still waiting for someone to send me tips to make the lenses from. Bob Klenke was supposed to send me a set but haven't seen them as of yet....