Mold and drawing

I'm looking à Guy who could help me to drawing à winsdreen bubble , mold for a helicopter canopy 2 seats.
I would like a STEP file for réalisé the mold in carbon and bubble in acrylique of 315 Lama canopy
Thank you
Regards
Yves

1 Answer

If you do get the step file for the canopy, there are three ways to accomplish your objective.
1- Cristal clear with no plastic/tool contact bubble. The bubble shape will not be accurate, but the attached clamping frame will be. Built a vacuum box that takes the length, width and "clearing" depth. Heat up the acrylic sheet and drape form with vacuum control valves. Frame and secure the canopy/bubble with bendable aluminum by means of screws or rivets. Route/cut out the doors and use the leftovers secured with a frame and hinges.
2 - Not as clear but accurate per step file. Build a wood mold and drape form heated plastic over the shape with the plastic overlapping the final canopy dimension. Route/cut out the excessive overlapped plastic and the use the same final process as per option one.
3- Not as clear, but better than the 2nd option, accurate, more control of the outcome due to smaller molds. Build small wood molds for every individual section of the canopy and secure it with a strong aluminum frame.
A few details, polycarbonate is stronger than acrylic but more expensive, and harder to form. Before venturing into a very expensive full-size model, I recommend doing a smaller scale prototype version and work out your challenges. When using molds, the plastic surface makes contact does losing its clarity. There are ways to polish/flame the surface for better results. Do some search on the internet on how to. Also, search on the internet for "drape molding bubble".
It is a very challenging project. Good luck