Lazertran Techniques
To apply full colour images to vacuum forming plastics using Lazertran
Almost every college has a vacuum forming machine tucked away somewhere. They are fine but until now, except for screen printing, there was no way to put high quality images on the vacuum forming plastic.
- Print your image on the shiny side of a sheet of Lazertran using a colour photocopier
- Soak off the transfer and apply to the vacuum forming plastic sheet. Expel all air bubbles and excess moisture with a rubber squeegee
- Allow to dry ( if not dry the gum will boil and the steam will blow holes through the image)
- Put in vacuum former and heat gradually until the plastic reaches the desired softness
- Form the plastic
Below are 3 stills from a digital short using 15 different masks for the dancer running through a host of emotional expressions. Masks and film by Gabrielle Kelly. Nottingham Trent University School of Art UK
Problems
If you get bubbles then slow down the rate the plastic is heated by sliding or lifting the heater away. Areas around the edge of the form may be not as well fused as the Centrex because less heat is applied there.
