Class: 4.022 - Design Studio II

Materials: 24''x 24'' PETG plastic sheets, pegboard, wood pegs, floss 

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Physics fabricator used thermoforming to transform two dimensional plastic sheets into three dimensional structures using a variety of different deformation materials and methods. 

The way that thermoforming typically works, a sheet of plastic is heated until it is malleable, an object is raised from under into the plastic, and a vacuum is turned on, which pulls down on the plastic until it is molded to the shape of the object. 

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The Method: 

My group and I used the thermoformer as a tool to heat the plastic until it is so soft that it sags in the center. We would then experiment with the melted plastic and mold it in different ways by putting different weights in different places on the plastic, blowing puffs of air under the plastic to lift it up or pull it down, and arranging objects under the plastic for it to sag onto without turning on the vacuum or raising the platform.