Vinyl plastisol Mold

[Chop33]

I need some help and perhaps some guidance. I need a tube preferably made out of Vinyl Plastisol. The tube needs to be 7" ID x 10' long. I cannot find a manufacturer that makes a tube this big. So, it appears I may need to make a mold to make it myself. Is this possible for a layman to accomplish and if so how what resources can I tap into to learn how to make a mold for a tube of this size?

 

[Compositepro]

Dip or rotational molding are used. The liquid plastisol will gel is a few seconds at 350F but may require several minutes to fully cure. Curing means that solid PVC particle absorb the liquid plasticizer and swell and fuse together. A mold is generally preheated to 400 to 500F and the heat soaking into the plastisol gels it. In dip coating the length of time of the dip and rate of withdrawal controls coating thickness. You could also make a matched metal mold.

You can also make a tube by welding the seems of a flat sheet.

 

[MikeHalloran]

You don't mold plastisol in the usual sense, you dip a core and then strip it.

So all you need is a metal round (or closed tube) 7" OD x 10' long, and a really big tub of plastisol.



Mike Halloran
Pembroke Pines, FL, USA

 

[unclesyd]

I don't think this can be done on a one off project.
could you comeback with the end use of the tube or what you are trying to accomplish with the vinyl coating.

If we knew the end use there are a couple of possible alternatives.

 

[patprimmer]

Mike's idea is good except it may be quite difficult to strip a 10' tube off a steel core.

It might be quite expensive to set up a core and tank and oven big enough for your project unless you wish to make quite a few parts.

Like unclesyd says, there may be alternatives if we knew the end use details.

Regards
Pat
See FAQ731-376 for tips on use of eng-tips by professional engineers &

http://eng-tips.com/market.cfm

for site rules