How Do You Bend Acrylic Sheets

Set up plastic or acrylic sheet in a simple bending jig.

How do you bend acrylic sheets.

Bending acrylic with a strip heater 1. Deforming acrylic with a convection oven. 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. Gather the materials that you need in order to bend a piece of acrylic with a strip heater.

If you have a toaster oven set it to about 200º and leave the door slightly ajar. Once it is at the required angle use a bending fixture to hold the sheeting in place. Professionals who bend acrylate regularly or bend acrylic sheet do so with the aid of a. Once heated it will bend easily.

If the area to bend is on an outer curve or bend or if you want to create a tighter corner try using a frying pan on low heat to hold the plastic area to bend. Place the part of the acrylic to be bent just above the open door wait for it to soften enough and then bend it to the angle desired. Once the acrylic has cooled and firmed you can remove the fixture. Leave the acrylic in a cool dry area for several minutes to cool.

In the absence of a filament you can also use a blow dryer an adjustable paint. Clamps we like using quick release bar clips but you can use anything that will hold your scrap strip wood in place as. The reason this works is because acrylic plastic actually melts at 405 f. Mark the location of the fold on the.

In the case of a sharp edged design remember to bend it with the cut edge on the outside. Calculate the dimensions of your craft or enclosure if necessary. Acrylic bending with a blow dryer. To bend acrylic sheet you will need.

Scrap wood you. 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. If you don t have a toaster oven you can carefully use a heat gun to heat the acrylic.