Glue resistant thermoformed plastics

March 24, 2010 6:37 PM

If I want to cover a mold I'm using in a vacuum bag veneer press with a thin sheet of thermo-formed plastic, what type of plastic would be best for wood glue resistance and clean up?

ABS and Styrene seem to be the most commonly used, but are there other options that might be better for this application?

posted by machaus to sports, hobbies, & recreation (6 answers total)

We use waxed Kraft paper over anything we don't want glue to stick to, but we don't use the vacuum bag too often in our shop, so we certainly aren't the experts.
posted by hydrophonic at 7:41 PM on March 24, 2010

The question is confusing to me, and I have experience with both vacuum veneering and vac-formed plastics. They are two different processes which I don't think of as being compatible with each other. Can you be more specific about what you want to do?
posted by jon1270 at 3:40 AM on March 25, 2010

BTW, if all you're trying to do is make the surface of your mold glue-proof then clear packing tape will do. It's not terribly durable, but it will work fine in the short term.
posted by jon1270 at 5:54 AM on March 25, 2010

yeah, I'm looking for a durable solution for mass production. basically, I want the molds to last and be easy to cleanup. vacuum forming a sheet of plastic over the mold has the advantage of speed and permanence.
posted by machaus at 9:00 AM on March 25, 2010

Okay, I'm confused too. Are you vacuum forming over a mold while it's in the vacuum bag? Out of the vacuum bag while the glue is still wet? I wouldn't combine wet glue and a vacuum former. Dry wood glue in a vacuum former shouldn't be a problem.

I haven't vacuum-formed ABS, but styrene and PETG work well. If the PETG comes with a peel-away protective film, you can even leave that on while you vacuum form. As long as you don't overheat it, you can peel it off afterwards.
posted by hydrophonic at 10:24 AM on March 25, 2010

no, no no, I'm vacuum forming a mold to protect it from glue when it is later used in a vacuum bag.
posted by machaus at 8:36 PM on March 25, 2010