Vacuum former kits

[stitchdup]

I've been looking off and on for a reasonable vac former to do window glass with. I've seen kits to assemble your own and was wondering if anybody has one or experience with them. I've seen them in a4, a5 and a3 sizes but i havent seen any reviews for them. The prices seem to start around 40/50 quid for the a5 up to 150 for the a3 which seems like a deal if they work. I've only used a vac former once before in school so dont really have experience using them.

[peteski]

If you only need to make small items (like windscreens) then you could get one of the dental machines dentists use to heat-form mouthpieces and tooth aligners.  Those are fully self contained machines with the heating element and vacuum motor in a fairly compact unit.  Micro-Mark used to sell one of those units (not sure if they still do), and they should also be available on amazon or eBay.  Since they are made for dental trade, they should be decent quality and reliable.  You will  likely have to cut your own plastic sheets to fit the unit's frame.

Look for ones with rectangular (not round) frames.  Do an internet search for "dental vacuum forming machine". You may find one for less than $100US

Edited May 3, 2023 by peteski

[stitchdup]

7 minutes ago, peteski said:

If you only need to make small items (like windscreens) then you could get one of the dental machines dentists use to heat-form mouthpieces and tooth aligners.  Those are fully self contained machines with the heating element and vacuum motor in a fairly compact unit.  Micro-Mark used to sell one of those units (not sure if they still do), and they should also be available on amazon or eBay.  Since they are made for dental trade, they should be decent quality and reliable.  You will  likely have to cut your own plastic sheets to fit the unit's frame.

Look for ones with rectangular (not round) frames.  Do an internet search for "dental vacuum forming machine". You may find one for less than $100US

I'm in scotland, the cheapest dental formers are 150 and have to come from china. The former i was looking at is like a slot it together thing. it comes flat packed and looks to be about 10x10x10 inch assembled. Its the cost that has me looking at these formers. I wouldn't be using it that often so it doesn't need to be anything fancy or complicated. My half a'd attempts with a george forman grille were less than satisfactory, lol

[peteski]

I suggested this one because it is a compact all-in-one unit. Nice and easy to use for small items.  Anything but complicated. And yes, they are Chinese made (but what isn't nowadays)? They must be decent quality since (most?) dentists will not put up with crappy equipment. I'm pretty sure that you can find them locally on amazon or eBay.  If you buy them from those sites, who cares where they are shipped from? I buy items on those sites and yes, they come from China.  No big deal.

I suspect the one you describing will need a source of vacuum and heat. I have no experience with that one.

[stitchdup]

I have no cares where it ships from, my worry with the dental versions is they all seem to run 220volt mains and its 240 volt over here so thats my reason for not choosing them. I just dont want to cause fire in my home and I'm pretty wary when it comes to electric items having lost a kitchen previously to an electical fire caused by a mini compressor.

[peteski]

Ok, you do have a point.  It would probably be ok, but why take a chance. 

But then I suspect that some dental suppliers in Scotland sell those machines too. Maybe they sell 240V versions?

[Rick L]

If concerned about cost, you can Google many videos on building your own. You’ll find multiple heat and vacuum sources that would fit your budget. If you don’t have the resources to build a simple box, a handy man could easily put one together for you for a reasonable price.