Best Way To Bend Plastic Sheet

First experiment with a few scraps to get the time and heat right.

Best way to bend plastic sheet. Ensure good ventilation because heated acrylic creates mildly toxic fumes. Secure the sheet in place by using clamps on both ends. Overheating will melt the plastic. Position the plastic sheet so that the area you will bend is between two flat flame retardant surfaces like saw horses.

This is the completed form you will use to bend your acrylic sheet. Screw the boards together through the second board straight into the base board placing a screw every 6 inches. Mark your plexiglas sheet along the line where you want to bend it. Heating is a slow process in order to make sure that you get a straight bend in the acrylic.

Slip the kevlar on and position the assebly on your choice of straight surfaces energize place plastic on element and wait till bercomes taffy like and make your bend. Principally using a heat gun to bend a polycarbonate sheet is the same as hot line bending. Use long thin 1 inch or so in width test strips to practice your technique and learn how your particular heat source affects your chosen thickness of plastic. Start at the wool setting and slowly increase the iron temperature until the plastic feels warm.

To set up your plastic or acrylic sheet to bend simple curves for your miniature and model projects you need to first remove the protective covering from the material you wish to bend. Make your pressure on the acrylic as even as possible while you push. Put on cotton safety gloves. The foil will not stick as long as the plastic does not melt completely.

Mark the location where you want to bend your plastic sheet using a permanent marker to make a light tic at either edge of the line. Both using hot water and using a hair dryer are the best options as you need something to stay hot as you heat your plastic. 01 15 2012 08 39 am 7. Use the spare piece of flat scrap wood to push the acrylic back and down while you aim the heat gun at the acrylic.

You can see this in the video below. Only that the operator is now forced to move the heat gun constantly along the bend line and flip over the polycarbonate sheet to ensure both sides get heated.