“I finally built my vacuum former after looking at builds and collecting parts for years. If I ever build another one, this outlines everything I need and the tricks I learned along the way. To buy a vacuum former like this, I would have spent over $5,000. I spent a LOT less. This is an all in one unit. I used heating elements from toasters ovens, and I did not upgrade the circuit breaker or voltage. The heaters are mounted at the top, and a lift arm raises the steel frame and holds it in place while the plastic heats. The lift arms lower the frames onto the platen/object and I flip a switch to activate the vacuum, sucking the plastic onto the object. This set up uses a single tank and a vacuum pump. Originally I was going to rely on an oven and a shop vac, but decided to build something nicer. I started in Google Sketchup, designing for an 18x24 bed.”