DIY Vacuum Former

This Saturday I will be trying to make a small Vacuum Former for heat forming plastic sheets. Vacuum Forming is a fast and easy way to copy 3D printed parts, provide a smooth plastic shell for finished products or to make your own Storm Trooper helmet.ST-armor

This will be my first time actually building one of these machines, but they are relatively easy and I have done similar stuff with heat forming acrylic using a toaster oven and home vacuum cleaner. The design will be loosely based on this Instructables tutorial.

For this build I will be using mostly reclaimed wood, two old toasters, and a small shop vacuum. I will be drawing up plans for the laser cutter and in the end I hope to publish a DIY guide to show others how to make a scalable version.