Bend Radius Acrylic Sheet

To calculate the minimum bend radius of curvature multiply the thickness of the sheet to be used by 330.

Bend radius acrylic sheet.

Tighter radii may result in crazing or cracking of the coating. Bending shaping plastic with hot air gun heat gun. Ideal for perspex acrylic plexiglass polycarbonate. Since plexiglas acrylic sheet is an excellent insulator the surface.

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. Cold forming plexiglas sheet can be cold formed bent at room temperature in a smooth arc and held to a radius by forcing the material into a curved channel support. Since plexiglas acrylic sheet is opaque to most wavelengths in the infrared spectrum the surface exposed to the heater absorbs almost all the energy. Mark your plexiglas sheet along the line where you want to bend it.

The recommended radius of curvature should be a value greater than 180 times the thickness of the sheet for plexiglas g sheet and 300 times the thickness for plexiglas mc sheet see table below. The freight for 1 2 x 48 x 96 sheet of gray acrylic is 90 00 sometimes there is a 65 00 pallet charge. In the image above the values are all in inches but the principle often holds even if the units are in mm. This radius is applied in all cold bending procedures.

Never heat acrylic sheet in a kitchen oven. This is the completed form you will use to bend your acrylic sheet. The freight on a 1 2 x 48 x 96 sheet of clear acrylic is 0 0. Then aim a heat gun at the point on the acrylic you want to bend.

Cold forming is possible. Screw the boards together through the second board straight into the base board placing a screw every 6 inches. Once you go past a 48 x 96 sheet costs can skyrocket. Preparing hot air gun w.

Set up plastic or acrylic sheet in a simple bending jig. Minimum cold forming radius sheet thickness x 100. Line bending or thermoforming a brasion resistant acrylic sheet is not recommended. Tutorial for how to.

Acrylic sheet for better energy efficiency. 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. As the acrylic heats up move the heat gun from side to side and steadily push on it with a piece of scrap wood to help it bend. Ensure good ventilation because heated acrylic creates mildly toxic fumes.