Heat bending acrylic sheets

[AndersK]

Anyone have a good way to heat bend a 3mm acrylic sheet, 450 mm wide, 90° with a 50mm radius ?

Done a few attempts now around a pipe and it's just like bending a steel rod or similar without support. It first bends in a small rad leaving a gap before it follows the pipe.
Thought doing it slowly and with enough heat would do it but not.

 

[waddycall]

Looks like you need to heat up a bigger area before bending.

 

[tom2207]

maybe try heating the pipe too ,,,, sort of preheat incase the plastic is cooling as soon as it touches the pipe.

 

[brightspark]

as above heat the pipe and use a hot air gun as well

 

[Barking Mat]

Very interesting, following thead.

What heat source are you using ?

 

[The_Yellow_Ardvark]

Years ago, I tried.
As said, we heated the pipe, used a defussers on a paint stripper.

But could not get a decent bend. I amw atching this with added interest.

 

[AndersK]

I'm using a heat gun to heat, everything in place so pipe got heat to.
Heated until I could see it starting to drop from gravity before putting any pressure to it.
Maybe heat up both pieces separately then clamp closer to start of radius then heat more. Piece is scrap now but big enough to try a bend at other end. Let's see what more bright ideas comes up and I'll make another go tomorrow.

 

[Barking Mat]

As this is vaguely relevant....

There's a company just up the road who specialise in this.

They specialise in thermoforming plastic / acrylic sheet.

Since Covid they can't employ enough people.

No idea more than that.

 

[Onoff]

At school, 45 years ago, we had something made from an old electric fire and sheets of asbestos. The bend line was a slot in the asbestos.

 

[AndersK]

There's a company just up the road who specialise in this.

A bit far from me

At school, 45 years ago

About as long as I did it last time to

 

[James1979]

What about a toaster? Hold it over the slots till it’s warm.

 

[AKN]

At school, 45 years ago, we had something made from an old electric fire and sheets of asbestos. The bend line was a slot in the asbestos.

We had something similar but it was a radiant wall mounted bathroom heater, I remember it still had the pull cord switch!!

 

[Onoff]

Could you.....clamp the acrylic horizontally on a jig. Put the whole lot in a domestic oven. Heat to around 160degC, sheet folds itself around the R50 former.

?

 

[willie.macleod]

Too much localised heat with the heat gun, need to use a strip heater - most effective one is something like this - https://www.screwfix.com/p/mh-10-1-wall-mounted-quartz-heater-600-1200w/1238p

Your local secondary school will probably have a strip heater if you know anyone there.

 

[ukracer]

As this is vaguely relevant....

There's a company just up the road who specialise in this.

They specialise in thermoforming plastic / acrylic sheet.

Since Covid they can't employ enough people.

No idea more than that.

We had a place near us but it burnt down

 

[Barking Mat]

I'm surprised we've not been inundated with YouTube vids frankly.

Obviously there's a technique to doing it.

But I've no idea, except slow general heat.

The jobs near me all require experience in thermo forming, guess it all a question of....

More knowledge.

 

[Barking Mat]

I can't watch this, too late, voice too irritating, but might help....

Don't know what time it is in Sweden, but too late here.

Best wishes.

 

[mike 109444]

Think you will need to heat both sides of sheet and have a weight (angle iron?) on the end to pull the sheet round evenly.
As the outer of the bend has to "stretch" so the inner has to "compress" so will need to soft enough of this to happen.

 

[Barking Mat]

Infrared emitteur.

Is that a posh toaster ?

 

[northwest]

Is that a posh toaster ?

Yes!