Vacuum Forming Sheet for xTool WonderPress
Vacuum forming makes the shell; you decide what goes in it. PETG clear, white HIPS and TPU flex sheet for the xTool WonderPress 3D Form Module — plus the 3D sublimation film, which is a separate transfer workflow on the same module rather than a forming sheet.
Three Sheet Plastics, Three Different Answers
PETG comes off crystal-clear and rigid, so it suits blister packs, covers and display enclosures where the part is meant to be seen through. White HIPS is opaque and takes sanding, paint and glue without fuss, which is why model makers reach for it first. TPU stays flexible and food-safe after forming, and releases a cast part more cleanly than either of the other two.
One machine, one process. The sheet you load decides what the finished part can actually do.
Most Makers Buy Sheet to Make a Casting Mould
The formed sheet is often not the finished piece. You pull the softened sheet over a master, lift the cooled shell off it, then cast into that shell — resin, plaster, candle wax, chocolate, ice. That is why demoulding behaviour matters more than headline strength: a flexible TPU shell peels off a cured resin blank, while a rigid PETG shell can fight you on the way out.
Form the shell once, cast from it many times. It is the cheapest route from one laser-cut master to a repeatable product.
Thickness Decides Detail or Strength
0.02 in (0.5 mm) sheet heats fast and, in xTool’s own comparison, captures the sharpest fine detail, though the finished shell is thinner and can feel softer or more brittle. 0.04 in (1.0 mm) takes longer to soften and gives real structural strength, at the cost of the most extreme fine detail. xTool does not publish a numeric accuracy figure for either, so treat “fine detail” as relative between the two.
Starting out, 1.0 mm TPU for moulds and 0.5 mm PETG for clear parts covers most of what you will try first.
Pick Your Sheet
Three forming films plus a transfer film, and they are not interchangeable — clarity, paintability, flexibility, and a printed transfer that is not formed at all.
What Decides Whether the Pull Succeeds
Four things, and three of them are the master rather than the plastic.
What Makers Cast in a Formed Shell
The shell is a means to an end. These are the four things it usually ends up holding.
Explore the Materials Lab
Vacuum Forming Guides & Ideas
The machine, and two ways makers use what comes off it.
What Is the xTool WonderPress? 3D Auto Heat Press Explained (2026)
What is the xTool WonderPress? A full guide to xTool’s modular 3D auto heat press: its five workflows, specs, price, what you can make, and how to use it.
8 Free Resin Coaster Ideas
8 real, verified resin & epoxy coaster projects from the Atomm library — free SVG/DXF files to preview, edit, and cut for DIY resin coasters.
40 Free Candle Holder Ideas (Laser-Cut Tealight, Votive & Centerpiece Designs)
40 free laser-cut candle holder ideas from the maker community — tealight and votive holders, pillar and taper stands, 3D centerpieces, seasonal and personalized designs.