Formech DT-508 User manual

Getting Started
To begin look behind the machine and flip the power switch to turn the machine on
Once the touch screen turns on you must turn on the heater coils by pressing the far left
button showing on the screen (Blue Square) to make it greyed out like the middle button
After the heaters are turned on press the middle button (Green Square)
On the next menu press the hand button
This will open up the screen below where most things will be done from

Heating the Machine
From this screen you should press on the Settings Icon to open the settings menu
From the settings menu you can set the temperature of the machine by selecting the
active power percent setting (Red Square)
oThis setting is the level of power the heater puts out when the top is pulled out
oEnter in the number you want the power to be set to then press the ENT button
After you set the active temperature percentage you should set the passive power
setting (Orange Square)
oThis setting is the level of power the heater puts out when the top is pushed
back
After you have your heat power percentages set you need to activate the heating zones
by pressing each zone on the screen (Green Square)
oYou can tell it is turned on when the heat power percentage shows up in the
zone
oWhen using the reducing windows only turn on the zones needed to head in
those windows
Half reducer use only zones 1 and 2
Quarter reducer use only zone 1
No reducer use all zones
Once you have turned on the zones you need press the back button (Purple Square) to
go back to the Main Screen

Placing Material in Formech
Using Reducing Window
Before you vacuum form your part measure it to see if you need to use the reducing
window (either half window or quarter window)
oIf your part is smaller than 9x10 inches use the quarter reducer, if it is smaller
than 18x10 use the half reducer
oBecause the regular size material is 18x20 inches you can cut a full size piece into
four pieces to use in the quarter reducer or in two pieces for the half reducer
oWhen inserting the reducing window follow the steps below

Using Without Reducing Window
1. First you must place the part you want to vacuum
form to in the bed by pulling the lever on the side of
the machine towards you until it locks into place
2. Now make sure that clamp frame is raised and place
your material onto the machine covering the open
square completely
3. Lower the clamp frame and close the locks on the
handles closest to you to secure the material to the
vacuum former
4. Pull the heater over the material by grabbing the
blue handle and pulling it towards you
5. Wait for the material to heat up to the right
temperature
a. Watch the material, at first it will warp in
different areas then when it is finally ready to
be formed it will uniformly droop at the center
by about an inch and a half
6. Once the material is ready push the heater top to
the back of the machine and you are ready to
vacuum the material

Vacuuming and Removing the Material
1. Once you know the material is hot enough to vacuum form all you have to
do is pull the lever
a. NOTE: if the part you are trying to vacuum form is large then you
should turn on the vacuum before fully engaging the lever, if it is
small then you should lock the lever before turning the vacuum on
2. When you are ready turn the vacuum on you must press the “vacuum on”
icon (Blue Square)
3. Leave the vacuum on until the part has cooled then press the “vacuum on”
icon again to turn it off and press and hold the “inflate” icon (Red Square)
to try and push the material off of your part
4. Now you can unlock the clamp frame, lift it up, and remove your material
and part then turn the machine off
Tips and Tricks
When vacuum forming on to a part with sharp angled pockets and or a female cavity it is
best to take a 1/64” drill bit and drill holes into the corners of the part so that the
material can suction down into the corner
If a piece of material was a fail but is not too tall you can re-heat it and use it again
instead of throwing it out
A razor blade or box cutter is the best way to cut out a part
Make sure you have sufficient draft on your edges, at least 5 degrees off of 90 so that
you will be able to remove your part. If the part has edges that are 90 degrees or less off
of the ground your part will be trapped in the mold
A part that has angles less than 90 degrees on the corners can lead to webbing
Place multiple parts at least 2” apart to prevent webbing/ bridging