Digital Fabrication and Craft

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FINAL POST

Here is the final post of my constructed vacuum forming table. Note, the only functioning aspect of the machine is the heating element, which cuts out just when the plastic is starting to become flexible, but as a proof of concept this has been more than successful!

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Vacuum Forming Preparation

Below are the first stages of sketches in the production of a custom vacuum forming machine. The design is based heavily off of the vacuum forming machine created by James Bruton at XRobots.co.uk, but modified for my own use. More photos will follow as the final assembly comes together.

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Futura Coathook

Designed using Rhino 5 with the build file being put together with MakerBot Desktop. Design used the typeface Futura-Bold to create the form of the word “coat.”

After refining the design with sketches, there were worries about the “C” not being able to withstand the weight of a coat. Because of this, I made sure to use the bold weight of Futura to ensure that there was more thickness to the letterform, and to further ensure the stability, I made sure to use 40% infill. This helped to make the hook stronger, but contributed to a 4 hour build time.

The blue color is on account of the available filament in the studio, but I had intentions to prime and paint the coathook to a more desirable color as well as to smooth out the finish to avoid the “banding” that is common with 3D printed objects.

Please see the thingiverse link here:

https://www.thingiverse.com/thing:2109681