‘DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF VACCUM FORMING MACHINE & DIE’

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‘DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF VACCUM FORMING MACHINE

& DIE’
1
Awari Mahesh Prakash, 2Pachpute Santosh Mahadeo, 3Navale Ganesh Vitthal, 4Deshmukh Ramchandra
Ramesh , 5Gunjal Pramod Ashok
1,2,3,4,5
Department of Mechanical Engineering, SGOI Collage, Belhe, Pune, Maharashtra
Email: 1Maheshawari18@gmail.com, 2smpachpute@gmail.com, 3ganpatnavale@gmail.com,
4
ramchandra.desh@gmail.com, 5pramodgunjal1@gmail.com

Abstract : Vacuum-forming or thermoforming is one of the
most common methods for processing plastic materials.
Vacuum-formed products are prevalent in our daily lives.
The process involves heating a plastic sheet until soft and
then draping it over a mould. A vacuum is applied sucking
the sheet onto the moulds can be rapid prototype models,
thereby shortening the mould fabrication time. Using
prototypes for the moulds makes it economically feasible to
produce low quantities of large parts and to operate
medium size production runs. More sophisticated machines
and moulds are used for the continuous automated
production of high volume items like yogurt pots and
disposable mould. The sheet is then removed from the
mould. In its advanced form, the vacuum-forming process
utilizes sophisticated pneumatic, hydraulic and heat
controls thus enabling higher production speeds and more
detailed vacuum-formed applications.
Vacuum-forming offers several processing advantages over
other forming processes. Low forming pressures are used,
which enables comparatively low cost tooling. And, since
the process requires only low pressures cups and
packaging. Unlike other thermoplastic forming processes,
where powder or resin are the starting point, vacuum-
forming uses extruded plastic sheet. A secondary process
may be required to trim the formed sheet to attain the
finished product. The trimmed waste can be re-ground and
recycled.
Technology, specifically the introduction of the process
technology, is expected to revolutionize vacuum-forming
production and to bring with it additional benefits
including, labor-cost savings, a shortening of product
development time and new design developments.
Key Words : Die, Mould, Plastic sheet, Vacuum forming,
etc.
I. INTRODUCTION
The word ―plastic‖ means substances which have
plasticity, and accordingly anything that is formed in a
soft state and used in a solid state can be called a plastic.
Therefore, the origin of plastic forming can be traced
back to the processing methods of natural high polymers
such as lacquer, shellac, amber, horns, tusks,
tortoiseshell, as well as inorganic substances such as
clay, glass, and metals. Because the natural high
polymer materials are not uniform in quality and lack
mass productivity in many cases, from early times it has
been demanded in particular to process them easily and
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Issue on International Journal on Theoretical and Applied Research in Mechanical Engineering (IJTARME) V-5 No.1
ISSN (Print): 2319-3182, For National Conference on Advances in Design and Thermal Engineering (NCADTE-2016)
G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering & Management, Chass, Ahmedanagar, Maharashtra 17th to 18th February 2016
into better quality and to substitute artificial materials
for natural high polymers. Celluloid, synthetic rubber,
ebonite, and rayon are these artificial materials.
All basic methods using pressing machines, rolling
machines and extrusion machines had already existed
since early days. The development and prevalence of
plastic forming as shown today can be ascribed to the
characteristics of materials, prices, and good
processability arising from the uniformity of artificial
materials and, in addition, their mass producability and
allowance for cost reduction. An industry does not
develop until there are demands and supply for the
demands.
1.Thermoforming:
Vacuum-forming is a technique to shape a variety of
plastics using a mould. The process begins by fixing a
sheet of plastic of uniform thickness onto a sturdy frame
inside a vacuum chamber. The frame is heated and
slowly moved toward the mould until the frame touches
the bottom of the chamber and the soft plastic is draped
over the mould. vacuum-forming is an industrial
technique used for batch production or mass production.
This process enables thermoplastics to be formed into
complicated shapes such as packaging, storage trays and
seed trays.
Thermoforming is widely used in manufacturing
industries to produce large and labour-intensive
products. Compared to other manufacturing techniques,
thermoforming is an extremely efficient process that is
suitable for high-efficiency mass production.Vacuum
Forming Vacuum forming produces a part that is
seamless, strong, durable, light weight and available in a
variety of finishes. Vacuum formed parts are used in
thousands of applications. Vacuum formed parts are
single component parts that come out of the vacuum
forming process as the actual product or a substantial
part of the finished product. These are enclosures or
housings that are often replacements for sheet metal or
fiberglass that need to be light but durable and have
good strength relative to weight. Thermoforming is a
plastic manufacturing process in which the
thermoplastic sheets are formed with the application of
heat and pressure in a mould. The thermoplastic sheet is
held horizontally over a mould surface and clamped
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 ‘DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF VACCUM FORMING MACHINE & DIE’
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with a holding device. The sheet is heated up to (2) The best thing to do is start with simple parts using
predetermined temperature using a heating element simple techniques and progress to more complicated
called heater. The thermostat is used to maintain the parts using more complex technique.
temperature of the heater. When the temperature
becomes substantially high in the mould, the III.METHODOLOGY OF SOLUTION
temperature is controlled by adjusting the heater and
providing the cooling air. The thermoplastic sheet
softens with the application of heat and is pressed into or
stretched over the mould surface by application of air
pressure or by any other means. The softened sheet
conforms to the mould shape and it is held in place until
it cools. The mould cavity is opened and the
thermoformed part is released. Some of the plastic
materials require air cooling in order to make those rigid
quickly, because plastic materials have low thermal
conductivity. The excess material is then trimmed out
from the formed part. Excess material can be reground,
mixed with unused plastic, and again reformed into
thermoplastic sheets. Thin sheet (up to 1.5 mm) and Fig.1: Schematic implementation
thick sheet (about 3 mm) can be formed easily.
Thermoforming set-up usually consists of the clamping IV. PRINCIPLE OF VACUUM FORMING
unit, heaters, mould, and air cooling system. The moulds
should be cleaned after every cycle, as materials in the
mould can cause the change in the shape of the finished
goods. There are mainly three different types of
thermoforming process depending upon the pressure
required i.e. vacuum forming, pressure forming and
matched die forming.
II.LITERATURE REVIEW
Fig.2: Principal of Vacuum forming vacuum forming
After initial experiments, a lot of researchers tried a lot
of modifications on the vacuum forming process to In this process, the vacuum pressure is used to form the
increase its performance. It is found from the previous heated thermoplastic sheet into the desired shape. The
scientist's record so each designing the tools for part thermoplastic sheet is placed on the mould surface and
drawing involves a lot of trial and error procedure. fixed with the help of clamping unit. The sheet is heated
until it is softens and thereafter vacuum needs to be
N.Cappetti, L.Garofalo:
applied quickly. A surge tank is used to quickly pull the
This paper present the ,identified the basic parameters of air out between the mould cavity and the sheet. When
SPF process that is the thickness of blank, the strain rate the vacuum is created, the sheet conforms to the shape
and the processing temperature, were chosen three of the mould cavity. The formed part is cooled and then
different values for each of them. For each combination ejected from the mould cavity. The schematic of vacuum
of parameters and using finite element software, a forming process is shown in fig.
forming simulation of a sample part was made.
Important parameters as thickness reduction, stress
distribution, time/working pressure curve are calculated
and evaluated.[1]
P.R.Vispute, D.S.Chaudhari, Swapnil Kulkarni:
This paper present the work shall focus on the
parameters for designing the die casting die while
securing crucial inputs from the `flow simulation‘ for Fig.3: Vacuum forming.
the casting. The analysis would highlight the problem The Heater System
areas in the geometry and the probable locations where
the process defect is likely to occur.[2] Ceramic heaters are possibly the most common amongst
vacuum forming machines. They consist of coiled
OBJECTIVE resistance wire elements set in moulded china clay.
(1) Thermoforming is the process of taking a flat sheet Available in round, square or rectangular shapes, they
of plastic and changing it into a contoured shape. can be flat (for maximum proximity) or curved (to
provide a parabolic reflector which radiates more
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Issue on International Journal on Theoretical and Applied Research in Mechanical Engineering (IJTARME) V-5 No.1
ISSN (Print): 2319-3182, For National Conference on Advances in Design and Thermal Engineering (NCADTE-2016)
G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering & Management, Chass, Ahmedanagar, Maharashtra 17th to 18th February 2016
21
 ‘DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF VACCUM FORMING MACHINE & DIE’
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effectively). The main advantage of ceramics is that they 1. Heating Material roll feed Scrap collection
radiate long wavelength heat which is readily absorbed
2. Vacuum forming.
by TP‘s. They can run at very high power outputs but
the normal level for high performance vacuum forming 3. Punching Product collection.
is around 22.25 kw/sqm (2 kw/sqft). Their only
drawback is their high thermal mass, which means they V. WORKING VACUUM FORMING
take some time (10 – 15 minutes) to warm up and are PROCESS
slow to respond to energy regulation adjustments.
Heat Zones
Heaters are arranged in a reflective hood in groups or
clusters which can be controlled independently. This
allows the operator to control the distribution of heat
over the sheet which is useful, particularly for complex
moulds (eg. fridge linings). To determine what each
individual heat setting should be, a grid is drawn on a
sheet corresponding to the pattern of heat zones. A
forming is taken and where there is excess thinning, heat
output is reduced. Equally, heat output increased in
zones where definition is poor.
The Platen System
Lifting the platen is an important part of the process as it Fig,4: Working of Vacuum Forming Process
needs to be done promptly and as quickly as possible so
(1)The sheet is clamped in place on a heat proof air-tight
that forming takes place before the sheet begins to cool
and go rigid. On smaller machines it is done manually seal. (2)The heater system moves under or over the
with alever. Bigger machines need pneumatic, hydraulic sheet, or vice versa, and begins heating.
or other mechanical systems because they have bigger,
heavier moulds and bigger, thicker sheets which offer (3)Once the sheet has reached it‘s thermoforming
more resistance. temperature the vacuum pump is energized.
The Vacuum System (4)The heater moves back to it‘s resting position or the
Vacuum pumps, appropriate to the size of sheet being sheet moves from the heating position to the moulding
formed and the volume of air being evacuated position. (5)The mould, mounted on a moving platen,
(approximately -0.83 bar [25 in Hg]) should be an moves up into the sheet which drapes over it.
integral part of the machine. The type of pump is
important because most TP‘s give off vapour when they (6)Once the platen reaches the top of it‘s stroke, the
are heated which can corrode the delicate components space between the underside of the sheet and the upper
found in some pump units, leading to reduced
surface of the mould forms an air-tight pocket connected
performance and ultimately failure. possible because
they will put stress into the corners of a mould if they to the vacuum pump, which then pumps air from
are done for too long once the material is rigid. between the two.
Oven (7)This removes air which is preventing atmospheric
Materials can be dried by placing them in a fan assisted pressure from pushing the sheet down over the mould.
oven at 40°C (70°F) below the start of their
(8 )As the sheet cools it contracts, gripping the mould.
thermoforming temperature range for about 1-2 hours
per mm of thickness. Acrylic and times will vary from Hence the next step is to reverse the airflow, using air
batch to batch – depending on how much moisture has pressure to force the forming off the mould and prevent
been absorbed due to the conditions that the material has it sticking, this step has become known as the ‗blow
been stored in. cycle‘. Blow cycles are short - just long enough for the
Hot Box forming to release from the mould and immediately
Alternatively, you can construct a simple hot box using followed by another vacuum cycle.
plywood and a low power heater such as a greenhouse
(9)Vacuum/blow cycling continues until the sheet is
heater or even light bulbs. If sheets are stored in the hot
box then (as long as they‘ve been in there for more than rigid once more. At this time, the vacuum is switched off
a day or so) they will always be ready to use. or the mould lowered and the forming is released from
the clamp.
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Issue on International Journal on Theoretical and Applied Research in Mechanical Engineering (IJTARME) V-5 No.1
ISSN (Print): 2319-3182, For National Conference on Advances in Design and Thermal Engineering (NCADTE-2016)
G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering & Management, Chass, Ahmedanagar, Maharashtra 17th to 18th February 2016
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 ‘DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF VACCUM FORMING MACHINE & DIE’
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VI. CALCULATION k = Coefficient ( for aluminium alloy =0.25 grade) T =

0.5 mm

C = 0.5 + 0.25 = 1 mm
Clearance between material and Die, C = 1 mm.
Draw Force
Draw Force can be calculated by empirical relation, P
=[2(Li+Bi)*t+S{(Lo+bo/Li+Bi)-C}]
Where,
P = Draw Force in N.
Li = Final part length in mm=300 mm Bi = Final part
width in mm= 300 mm Lo = Blank length in mm=250
mm Bo = Blank width in mm= 250 mm
t = Thickness of Metal in mm = 0.5 mm
Fig.5: Assembly of Die
S = Shear strength of Metal in N/mm2 = 40 N/mm2 C =
The specs along with the drawing for this component are Constant (Take 0.6 to 0.7)
given below:
We know that,
Component Name –alluminium alloy Thickness – 0,5
+/- 0.03 mm P = [2(Li+Bi)*t+S{(Lo+bo/Li+Bi)-C}]
Developed Blank Length (L0) & Blank Width L0 = = [2(300+300)*40+40{(424.24+1050/300+30
square (3002+3002) = 424.24 mm 0)-0.7}]

B0 = 300+300+40+300+40 = 1.27 KN

= 980 +75mm (as draw bead) Factor of safety should be taken as 15%
= 1050 mm Therefore,

Draw Ratio Draw Force (P) = (1.2*103) / 1.15= 1.1043 KN

The draw ratio expresses the relationship between the Die Block Dimension -
beginning surface area of the unformed sheet which Die block Dimension -300 mm X 300 mm Thickness for
covers the opening of a feature, and the ending surface die should 40 to 50 mm (Take 40 mm)
area of the interior of the feature once formed. A 3 to 1
ratio is generally a maximum draw ratio. Avoid multiple Blank Holding Force -
tall features too close to each other. Generally, the Blank Holding Force (H.F.) is always 25 % of Draw
distance between two features, like ribs or cooling vents, Force,
needs to be no less than 2x the material thickness.
Therefore ,B.H.F. can be calculated as,
At this component, the Draw Ratio = H /d
Blank Holding Force (B.H.F.) = 30 % of Draw Force
= 40 /300 = 0.1333
= 30 % *1.27*103
The draw is simple & may require only one stage for
completion because 0.133 is less than 0.75 = 1.65 KN Material for Blank Holder should be used.
Material& die clearance. Calculation of PVC material
Calculation formula for finding out the clearance To Calculate Forming Stress
between the Die and material clearance for the deep n
Drawing process. σf = kε
C= T+ k ( 10 T) where,
Where, ε = is maximum strain during deformation process n= is
C = Clearance strain hardening exponent(0.1)
T = Material Thickness σ = forming stress
σf = 30*40.1
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Issue on International Journal on Theoretical and Applied Research in Mechanical Engineering (IJTARME) V-5 No.1
ISSN (Print): 2319-3182, For National Conference on Advances in Design and Thermal Engineering (NCADTE-2016)
G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering & Management, Chass, Ahmedanagar, Maharashtra 17th to 18th February 2016
23
 ‘DESIGN & DEVELOPMENT OF VACCUM FORMING MACHINE & DIE’
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________

= 34.46 N/mm2 VIII. CONCLUSION

2
Forming Stress = 34.46 N/mm
Normal Stress = Force/Area
34.46 = Force / (250*250 )
= 2.153*106 N
Force = 2.153*106 N
Normal Pressure = Force / Area
= 2.153*106 / (250*250 Normal Pressure = 3.45 Bar
VII. APPLICATION & ADVANTAGES
Applications
(1)Lift truck enclosures.
(2)Enclosures for medical diagnostic equipment.
(3)Railcar interior trim parts and seating components.
(4)Engine covers for construction equipment. (5)Fascias
for outdoor kiosks and ATM applications.
(6)It uses food packaging, automotive parts, trays,
building products and aircraft windscreens.
(7) gauge parts are used as cosmetic surfaces on
permanent structures such as trucks, medical equipment,
material handling equipment, electrical and electronic
equipment, spas and shower enclosures, vehicle door
and dash panels, refrigerator liners, utility vehicle beds,
and plastic pallets. (8)Thin gauge parts are primarily
used to package or contain a food item, disposable cups,
containers, lids, blisters and clamshells.
Advantages
(1)Extremely adaptive to design requirement. (2)Rapid
prototype development.
(3)Low initial setup costs. (4)Low production costs.
(5)Less thermal stresses than injection moulding and
compression moulding.
(6)Good dimensional stability.
As explained before, the energy saving technology in a
plastic forming process can be divided into two aspects.
The first is the technology for reducing the electric
power used for heaters of the plastic heating process and
the second is the technology to improve the quality and
yield of products thereby increasing the production
quantity of the first class goods. The technological
improvement in the latter especially brings about a
greater energy saving.
Considerations to be given in the actual forming site
(1)Maintenance / servicing of the production facilities
and peripheral equipment.
(2)Improvement activities for plastic forming methods
and conditions.
(3)Increase in plastic forming speed; pay attention to the
cooling conditions of metal mould and the product
unloading speed.
(4)Yield improving activities.
REFERENCES
[1] Plastic Forming process‖ (Volume 38 Issue 2
February 2011 )
[2] Ertugrul Selcuk Erdogan1 – Olcay
Eksi2,―Prediction of Wall Thickness
Distribution in Simple Thermoforming Moulds‖
(Received for review: 2013-10-04 Received
revised form: 2014-01-10)
[3] P. R. Vispute, D. S. Chaudhari, Swapnil Kulkarni,
―Utilizing flow simulation in the design phase
of a die casting die to optimize design parameters
while validating through experimentation during
trials.‖ (Volume 1 Issue 8, pg: 263-269)
[4] Sachin Ramdas Jadhav, Sunil Hiraman More,
Swapnil S. Kulkarni, ―Die design for formed
component using inputs from fea for determining
the most suited values for the design/ process
parameter.
[5] N. Cappetti a, L.Garofalo a, A. Naddeo a, M.
Nastasia b, A. Pellegrino,―A method for setting
variables in Super

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___________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Special Issue on International Journal on Theoretical and Applied Research in Mechanical Engineering (IJTARME) V-5 No.1
ISSN (Print): 2319-3182, For National Conference on Advances in Design and Thermal Engineering (NCADTE-2016)
G.H. Raisoni College of Engineering & Management, Chass, Ahmedanagar, Maharashtra 17th to 18th February 2016
24