Good Thinking

Mayku Multiplier puts pressure-forming tech on makers' desktops

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The Mayku Multiplier with its forming platform open, revealing a freshly made template mold within
Mayku
A keyboard manufactured using the Mayku Multiplier
Mayku
The Mayku Multiplier is Wi-Fi-equipped, for over-the-air firmware updates
Mayku
The Mayku Multiplier, all closed up
Mayku
The Mayku Multiplier with its forming platform open, revealing a freshly made template mold within
Mayku
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3D printers may allow individuals or small companies to produce prototypes, but the machines aren't really suited to mass production. That's where the Mayku Multiplier is intended to come in – it's billed as being the world's first desktop pressure former.

Users start by loading a sheet of heat-moldable material into the Multiplier, after which they place the item to be copied on its forming platform, located beneath the material. Once activated, the machine then heats the material to soften it, while also subjecting it to four atmospheres of air pressure. This causes the material to be pressed onto the item, precisely conforming to its shape and size. It captures the object's surface topography down to a resolution of 3 microns.

When the now-molded material is subsequently removed from the Multiplier and allowed to cool, it can be used as a mold to manufacture batches of the original item – that mold could be filled with pourable substances like concrete, resin or even chocolate. That said, the molded material could also be a finished product, such as a product casing, packaging or a custom-shaped tray.

A keyboard manufactured using the Mayku Multiplier
Mayku

The whole process reportedly takes about four minutes, and only requires the machine to be plugged into a standard electrical outlet – the Multiplier utilizes its own 1,200-watt heaters, compressor and stainless steel air tanks.

Mayku plans on providing sheets of material such as PETG (polyethylene terephthalate glycol), HIPS (high impact polystyrene), LDPE (low-density polyethylene) and EVA (ethylene-vinyl acetate), although third-party sheets can also be used – as long as they're between 0.25 and 8 mm thick. The machine's forming platform can accommodate items measuring up to 160 mm (6.3 in) tall and 400 mm (15.7 in ) wide.

The Mayku Multiplier will be available for preorder via the company website starting in October, and will initially sell for an "early bird" price of US$1,999. You can see it in use, in the following video.

Source: Mayku

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8 comments
RJB
I don't see how this can work.
If the object has nooks and crannies or angles the object will be trapped inside the molding. The vacuum former has the same drawbacks.
clay
pressure is more powerful than vacuum (this one is 4x atm.. vacuum is 1x). Certainly this one has higher resolution. That said, the master needs to be durable enough to stand up to that kind of pressure.
WB1200
@RJB Did you watch the video? The material is flexible so you can remove objects with a negative draft.
fred
Wouldn't a rubber molding compound work just as well, last longer and have more fidelity, especially if you have undercuts, protrusions or a lower section that is thinner than the upper section??? I t looks like a larger version of the VacuForm toy that we had in 1963.
Lindsey Roke
Some of the vacuum-formers we used at work for spitting out frig liners had pressure boxes.
HoppyHopkins
Let me know when they can mold and form sheets of UHMDPE also known as Ultra High Molecular Density Poly Ethylene to make multiple curved objects up to 1" (25.4mm) X 11" (279mm) X 14" (356mm) in solid forms. That material is tough enough for dump truck beds and ballistic armor, slick enough to use as bearings and highly resistant to chemical action. Ideal for structural components and load bearing applications. The other stuff is good for making molds and lost wax type casting patterns i guess, but direct application would be useful
Nelson Hyde Chick
Two grand for this kind of capability isn't bad.
ljaques
Ah, fond old memories. I had a genuine Mattel Vac-u-Form as a kid. This pressure former might work better for detail at 4 atmos. I'm guessing they'll make their money by supplying the buyers with material sheets. Find your niche and you could probably make a decent living off one of these.