.60 Styrene?

[dkap01]

I let my plastic sag about 3 - 3 1/2" Also I use a heat gun to help soften the plastic around the edges were the heating element doesn't reach.. That way the plastic is heated evenly all the way to the edge. Because if the plastic is only soft in the middle, then it wont form right giving you a messed up case.

[Skyone]

Hmmm, I never melt the plastic more than 2 inches, mine turn out fine.

[Turbo Tax 1.0]

but dkaps arent "fine" they are perfect

[A.J. Franzman]

an inch or two eh i dont think thats enough i usually let it down 3 or 4 and it doesnt seem loose enough? i think i need to build a new vac form table

Sounds like you have a problem with weak vacuum - do a leak check. Also, some plastics (like ABS) when heated slowly like you're supposed to, will droop a bit (or sometimes just get a little wavy), then tighten up again, then sag a second time. When using ABS, be sure you wait until the second time the plastic comes down, or you will have a lot of trouble forming! If you're using electric radiant heat and the plastic sags too fast, try holding it further from the heat source somehow.

Also, the amount of droop depends on how big your sheet is to begin with. I have a mini table with 2-stage vacuum that takes 12 inch squares, and I use the kitchen oven for heating. I don't need more than about 1 1/2 to 2 inches of droop to get good detail.

[A.J. Franzman]

Has anyone tried to make case out .60 styrene, and if so how well did it work?

I know a lot of threads recommend .80 but I'm having a really hard time finding any of that for sale in th UK.

Anyway thanks in advance

Since nobody really helped you yet, 0.080 inch is almost exactly 2.0 mm (0.2 cm). You should not have much trouble finding that thickness.

[Turbo Tax 1.0]

thanks for the help A.J i think it may be my crap table though, you see ive been heating the plastic in the oven then basically running to my table. i thgink im just gonna build a table from that haloween fear sight

[A.J. Franzman]

thanks for the help A.J i think it may be my crap table though, you see ive been heating the plastic in the oven then basically running to my table. i thgink im just gonna build a table from that haloween fear sight

Put the former as close as you can physically get it to the oven and still have enough room to work, a sheet of plastic moving through the air cools very rapidly! (I put my table right in front of where the open oven door ends, and still sometimes have a little trouble.)

You might also try building your own oven from an electric griddle or wok, so you can use it in your workspace instead of the kitchen. Be sure to preheat any oven before putting the plastic in, and if it's a gas kitchen oven, put a cookie sheet on the bottom rack to help even out the heat. (An old cookie sheet under the plastic holder frame is good idea, in case the plastic falls, so you don't have it burned onto the racks.)