Acrylic Sheet Heat Forming

In the vacuum forming machine the sheet is heated until it becomes pliable while being held in place by the clamping frame.

Acrylic sheet heat forming.

Preparing hot air gun w. When they come into contact with the heat source there is likely to be an explosion. Once soft mold them into any shape you desire. These gases are potentially explosive if allowed to collect in an unventilated area.

Bending shaping plastic with hot air gun heat gun. 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. Wear gloves as you do this to avoid burning your hands. This article uses a sheet about 1 4 thick so all times are about 10 to 15 minutes per step.

Ideal for perspex acrylic plexiglass polycarbonate. Set up plastic or acrylic sheet in a simple bending jig. Since plexiglas acrylic sheet is an excellent insulator the surface exposed to the heater may overheat before the rest of the sheet is hot enough for forming. Temperatures can be off as much as 75 f 42 c possibly allowing the acrylic to overheat.

Acrylic sheets give off highly flammable fumes when decomposed overheating. Tutorial for how to. The process is straightforward. This is one way i heat form acrylic glass.

Turn the sheet of acrylic over on the heating element every 30 60 seconds in order to avoid damaging it. I have used this technique for years with sizes up to 16 inches in diameter. Work on a smooth glass surface as the heated plastic won t stick to glass. Most kitchen ovens do not have accurate temperature control.

Set the sheet of acrylic across the rests on the strip heater and turn it on. Lower molecular weight acrylic forms more easily and with great detail but is more sensitive to differential heating. And because air is not forcibly circulated in a standard kitchen oven the fumes will accumulate. Acrylic sheet is opaque to most wavelengths in the infrared spectrum the surface exposed to the heater absorbs almost all the energy.

Upon cooling they will be strong and permanent. Be sure that the marked line is above the heating element. At this point the pliable polycarbonate sheet is lowered onto the mold. It has tiny vacuum holes to facilitate the vacuum pump which sucks out the air between the mold and the sheet.

You can see my other artwork at http. The only major variable that can affect the forming process is the thickness of the plastic sheet. For thicker sheets it will take longer and for thinner sheets it will take less time. Modify the timing as necessary.

Just heat the sheets above 150 degrees f for 2 3 minutes until they turn from translucent to clear using a heat gun.