Acta Materialia Transylvanica 4/2. (2021) 75–78. DOI: Hungarian: https://doi.org/10.33923/amt-2021-02-03 English: https://doi.org/10.33924/amt-2021-02-03 Design and Implementation of a Vacuum Forming Machine Botond-Antal BIrTOn, 1 Attila GErGEly 2 1 University of Sapientia EMTE, Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences, Târgu Mureș, Mechanical engineering profle, IV th grade, Târgu Mureș, Romania, birtonboty4@gmail.com 2 University of Sapientia EMTE, Faculty of Technical and Human Sciences, Târgu Mureș, Department of Mechanical engineering, Târgu Mureș, Romania, agergely@ms.sapientia.ro Abstract The purpose of this work is to present the design of a laboratory scale vacuum forming machine, which can be used for the processing of thermoplastic sheets. The designed machine can process an A4 format plastic sheet. An important consideration in the design process was to follow a cost-effective approach. The vacuum forming instrument is made for educational purposes in the framework of a fnal project for the Polymer Technology laboratory of the Department of Mechanical Engineering of the Sapientia EMTE University in Târgu Mureș. The structure and the operation of the machine is similar to that found in the industry. How- ever, the cost of production is signifcantly lower. The main components of the machine include the frame, heater, vacuum pump and the clamping device. Keywords: vacuum forming, thermoplastics, design, processing plastics. 1. Introduction Vacuum formed plastic were frst used as an appearance and marketing tool, when the tech- nology was developed from molding, and vacu- um casting technologies in the 1940s and 1950s. The frst device, which was patented in 1950, was used to make screen covers, and then, using vari- ous methods and solutions, a fnal vacuum form- ing machine for plastic sheet was patented in 1964. All of the vacuum forming machines started from an old concept, according to which, in any molding or casting procedure, the excess trapped air was removed by applying a vacuum. remov- ing the trapped air from the casting tools has a very important role in all kinds of forming and casting technologies, because it can induce weak points in the workpiece, therefore its strength will no longer ft the design requirements and it can crack or break. To eliminate this problem a vacuum is applied so that any trapped or excess air can be removed, thereby ensuring a perfect and even mold flling [1]. The technology was further improved by fxing the plastic sheet to a frame, and then heating it before molding. As a result of the heating, the plastic sheet softens, enters a shapeable state, and can thus be formed more easily. The heat-assisted vacuum forming machine was patented on Au- gust 27, 1968 [2]. Vacuum forming technology is one of the oldest and most common methods for thermoplastic processing. nowadays, vacuum formed plastic products can be found almost everywhere. Ex- amples of such products can be simple packaging, toy cars and their packaging, prototype, etc. [3]. As a simple defnition, vacuum forming is a forming process in which a thermoplastic sheet with a given thickness is heated to a temperature at which it can be properly formed, and then stretched to a shape with a given geometry and size while applying a vacuum. With the help of the vacuum, the sheet perfectly aligns to the tool, and then, with the help of cooling, it permanent- ly preserves its shape. Once the workpiece has cooled sufciently and hardened, it is safely re- moved while paying attention not to damage its surface or change its shape. The workpiece is then subjected to post processing, where the ex- cess material is removed [4, 5]. The most commonly used plastics for vacuum forming are the HIPS (high impact polystyrene), PVC (polyvinyl chloride), ABS (acrylonitrile buta- diene styrene), PP (polypropylene), PC (polycar- bonate) [5].