Rob Keeble
Member
- Messages
- 12,633
- Location
- GTA Ontario Canada
I have a couple of projects i want to do that involves vacuum forming some trays.
Finally got hold of a suitable sheet (4x8) of the correct plastic and now been researching how to make a unit. So if anyone comes across some great ideas please post here.
Here is one that i found that goes all the way even down to making the element part.
http://blindsquirrelprops.com/supplies-vacuum-forming-machine/
If you interested in model making check out the rest of the guys website, he makes some amazing models and takes commissions and now has a backlog of 18 months work.
When it comes to people wondering where 3D plastic printing will be used, well if you look at some of what this guy makes i imagine he could sure make use of one in his future.
For me i want to make tool trays shaped specifically to the tool so each tool in a draw has its own place. I know there is foam one can get but it don't appeal to me to have foam trays cut out and i don't want wooden trays with parallel dividers.
Once setup vacuum forming is a piece of cake and if you layout your tools as they would be in the draw boom and you got a tray in one go.
My real need is for a business project that is justifying the effort. Searched hi and low to find exactly what i am looking for in off the shelf storage and nothing available to my required size so i am going to make my own.
Was going to outsource the project which i believe in but the price to get going was horrific and some small businesses did not even want to reply. There are days i wonder just how some do any business when they forget everything starts at some point as a requirement for 1. I started with a batch of 20 to 100 and still got no sensible bites when these people did decide to reply, so i reluctantly decided to diy and on the bright side will use the same equipment to make tool trays for my woodworking and mechanical tools.
Once you have any exposure to the concepts of "lean" manufacturing its hard not to subscribe to Glenns point of having dedicated places for each item. That fastcap video should have proved that point to any skeptics.
Finally got hold of a suitable sheet (4x8) of the correct plastic and now been researching how to make a unit. So if anyone comes across some great ideas please post here.
Here is one that i found that goes all the way even down to making the element part.
http://blindsquirrelprops.com/supplies-vacuum-forming-machine/
If you interested in model making check out the rest of the guys website, he makes some amazing models and takes commissions and now has a backlog of 18 months work.
When it comes to people wondering where 3D plastic printing will be used, well if you look at some of what this guy makes i imagine he could sure make use of one in his future.
For me i want to make tool trays shaped specifically to the tool so each tool in a draw has its own place. I know there is foam one can get but it don't appeal to me to have foam trays cut out and i don't want wooden trays with parallel dividers.
Once setup vacuum forming is a piece of cake and if you layout your tools as they would be in the draw boom and you got a tray in one go.
My real need is for a business project that is justifying the effort. Searched hi and low to find exactly what i am looking for in off the shelf storage and nothing available to my required size so i am going to make my own.
Was going to outsource the project which i believe in but the price to get going was horrific and some small businesses did not even want to reply. There are days i wonder just how some do any business when they forget everything starts at some point as a requirement for 1. I started with a batch of 20 to 100 and still got no sensible bites when these people did decide to reply, so i reluctantly decided to diy and on the bright side will use the same equipment to make tool trays for my woodworking and mechanical tools.
Once you have any exposure to the concepts of "lean" manufacturing its hard not to subscribe to Glenns point of having dedicated places for each item. That fastcap video should have proved that point to any skeptics.