PAGES

Tuesday 25 October 2011

The process of Vacuum Forming - The ultimate 'Made to Measure' Garment

Vacuum forming, is a simplified version of thermoforming, whereby a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto or into a single-surface mould  and held against the mold by applying vacuum between the mold surface and the sheet. The vacuum forming process can be used to make most product packaging, speaker casings, and even car dashboards. Here I have used it to create a replica of the female form. When turned into a garment and worn, this breast plate would be the epitome of made to measure tailoring supposing your body shape was used for the mould. Could this be the future of made to measure?


casting the original mould from a mannequin using plaster/bandage strips


 refining the shape adding plaster of paris to the surface



 cutting off unnecessary edges to allow it to fit into the vacuum form
sanding down the surface, filling any cracks to create an even finish and filling in the mould with more plaster of paris to add weight
 the pressure of the vacuum form and weight of the plastic i used crushed my plaster mould

 this was the plastic bust that resulted, you can see where the neck has caved in and the surface has bubbled from too much heat
 thats where it ended up
 plaster bust #2
finished result

Alex McCloud-Gibson

No comments:

Post a Comment