Our company would like to set up a Vacuum Forming prototype line. 
Vacuum forming is meant to be the process which is demonstrated on
this webpage: http://homepages.enterprise.net/caistorg/p_vacuum.html

1. We would like to purchase a milling machine which can seamlessly
produce plastic moulds from Solidworks or another CAD software.

2. We would like to purchase a Vacuum forming machine which can
accommodate low volume production with a fast tooling change.

3. Material used will be antistatic for use in
electronics. Aproximately 50mils thick.

4. Product to be produced will be anti-static trays for electronic
components. Maximum size 24"x24"x5".

5. CNC routing will be required to trim the vacuum formed package.

6. Moulds will be produced on a daily basis for immediate use.


Please 

1. recommend a milling machine/CAD system and supplier.
2. recommend the proper material and supplier.
3. recommend a vacuum forming machine and supplier.
4. recommend a CNC machine and supplier.
5. recommend a consultant who can design the process, layout, train
the workers and set the machines up.
6. I would prefer that all suppliers and especially the consultant be
in the San Francisco Bay area. Suppliers outside the US cannot be
used.

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 19 Apr 2004 14:32 PDT

Hello kolsen -

Would you mind if we alter the question a little?  I think it makes
the most sense for me to provide you with info on specific
consultant(s) that can verifiably supply you with a turnkey solution
(for all your sub questions).  A consultant would then make the
suggestions as to what equipment to buy and where to buy it.  There
are several different brands of machinery to do this work, and so
training and setup will vary accordingly.  It makes the most sense for
the consultant working on the job to suggest the equipment he can best
work with.  Does that make sense?

Thanks,

jbf777

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Request for Question Clarification by jbf777-ga on 19 Apr 2004 14:58 PDT

I have in fact found the perfect man for this job, located just
outside San Franciso.  He has set up entire factories and knows the
ins and outs of this sort of thing.  He would provide you with an
entire manufacturing line, including equipment suggestions, setup,
training, etc.  He also has extensive contacts for local suppliers. 
Would you like me to supply you with his information as an answer?

kolsen -

Thank you for your question.  If you choose to rate this answer,
please ask for any clarification you may require prior to doing so. 
Thank you.


Carl Fivecoat is a consultant, one hour outside San Francisco, who I
have confirmed will not only design the process, layout, train the
workers and set the machines up as you request, but also suggest the
exact equipment for your needs.  He has set-up entire plastics
facilities from scratch, and has an extensive local network of
contacts.

Carl Fivecoat
(408) 268-7173

I've also conferred with a company called Manex (www.manex.com /
858-205-9300), who may also be able to provide solutions. But I would
highly suggest calling Mr. Fivecoat first.

Both of these points of contact should be able to source the proper
equipment for this project, and I recommend consulting first with one
of them.  Pursuant to your question, however, I have found some
suppliers myself, as well.  Feel free to use these as a potential
starting point when consulting with Mr. Fivecoat (or Manex).

For raw materials, I talked with Ken Delmar at Conductive Plastics,
who recommends and can supply a high or low density polyethylene (HDPE
or LDPE) with an antistatic resin additive (rendering a "conductive
plastic"):

Conductive Plastics
http://www.conductiveplastics.com
Contact: Ken Delmar
245 Crum Creek Rd.  
Media, PA 19063 
Toll Free: 800-755-9850 
Fax: 610-565-5174  



For machining/CNC supply, Kent Industrial of Tustin, California,
"established in 1979, has a long history in the machine tools
industry, with over 13,000 sets of machines sold in the United
States."  They can potentially supply an off-the-shelf or custom
solution.

Kent Industrial
Contact: Bill Young
1231 Edinger Ave., Tustin, CA 92780
Telephone 714-258-8526 or Toll Free at 1-800-KENT-USA
FAX 714-258-8530

I spoke with Bill Young, who mentions their model TWH-960 Machining
Center or model E800 CNC engraver (recommended) as a possible
mould-producing solution.  To supplement Solidworks (which you can
order through Oakland-based Hawkridge Systems, 510-482-6110), Mr.
Young recommends Mastercam by CNC Software (http://www.mastercam.com),
a reseller of which can be found at this link:
http://www.mastercam.com/ResellerLocator/us.asp.

There are other software options that SolidWorks deems as "certified
gold," which offer better integration with SolidWorks.  See this link
for a list:
  
http://www.solidworks.com/pages/partners/partnerGoldList.html



For a vacuum forming machinery supplier, I spoke with Lawrence at
Hannan Products, who recommends their model 420C (30x26):

http://www.hannanpak.com/archive/420C.htm

It handles a wide variety of materials with a fast tooling change:

Hannan Products Corporation
http://www.hannanpak.com/
220 North Smith Avenue
Corona, CA 92880-1740 
1 (800) 954-4266

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Additional links:

Visit www.thomasregister.com for more potential suppliers. 


Possible consultant:

MUE Corporation
7960-T Convoy Ct.
San Diego,  CA 92111-1212
USA
Tel: 800-MUE-CORP
Fax: 858-576-7263
http://www.muecorp.com



Search strategy:
called various companies
(Thomas Register starting point)