MACHINE PRESS PROTOTYPE BUILT FROM COMPOSITE DOOR OFF CUTS FOR MAKING EXPERIMENTAL DIY SIPS PANELS

 As it's not practical to ship expanded foam as it taks up more volume, and the supply of composite door panels off cuts is limited, I decided to combine the 2 & make a protoype machine using a frame & silver foil.

A similar, previous experiment with  expanding foam , Frame & grp sheet / window is HERE ( Mk 1 & 2 DIY SIPS Framed Panel with GRP Skin & Built in Window )

This was the cheapest way i could think of for making a basic panel. TO protect the oustside of the panel from the wind / rain. a metal or grp sheet can be attached or glued with foam from the start.

If a green house wall  type shelter is required for growing veg, a wider frame can be used & shelves attached to hold plant pots. a grp sheet with removable fixing can then ba attached to the outside

Basic fisrt attempt at a prototype Diy Sips (structual insulated panel) machine. It's using grp skin foam core  composite door off cuts as hinged holding panels

A Composite door edge off cut frame (2.1m long)  with 45degree off cut plastic corner braces is placed on top of  machine.

A plastic sheet & foil sheet would normally be placed underneath, But this pic is to show frame make up

Close up of frame construction , Corner braces screwed with collated dry wall screws

Corners glued & screwed with a 70-8mm 5 torx swcrew & 55mm drywall screw
 

Plastic sheet placed on base to protect from foam leakage

Silver foil placed on top

 Frame placed, then  expanding foam sprayed in . For this experiment, I used 6 x foam cannisters, an expensive way of doing it (£18), but I am not in production yet, so not buying foam in bulk yet

 Foil is then plaed on top with shinier side on outside

 place plastic sheet on top of foil

Close top panel of machine press

6 cans of foam used (could of used 7-8, but was not sure of voume) temp was cold, so did not expand as much as hoped

Put heavy items to weigh top panel down, to counteract foam expansion pressure