Bending Acrylic

How to bend Acrylic/ Perspex: The best way to bend acrylic is to use a strip heater with an element running between two watercooled tubes, preferably made from stainless steel. These tubes should be adjustable so that the gap between the two tubes can be increased or decreased depending upon the thickness of material that you are bending. For example 3mm acrylic the gap should be set to 12mm, for 6mm material the gap should be set to 18mm, for 8mm material the gap should be set to 24mm - 26mm etc.. Rule of thumb is generally 3 times the thickness of material equals the gap between tubes.

When bending Polycarbonate it is essential that your sheet is free from moisture, which will in turn will prevent bubbles from appearing in the material. If bubbles do appear it is generally due to leaving material upon the strip heater for too long, or the heat is set to high. Polycarbonate generally is bent whilst the material is hot but not as pliable as Acrylic. If using this method it will help reduce chances of bubbling.

Polishing Acrylic, can be done in a couple of ways first is to buzz the edges so that a smooth surface is created removing the coarser saw marks and then using a buff to give that glass edge fininsh. Or you can flame polish the acrylic using Hydrogen and Oxygen setup which delivers a far superior finish which is not unlike that of glass. In some instances small pieces of acrylic can be bent using a hot air gun and forming them over a piece of tube.

Another way to bend acrylic is by use of an electric oven. Once the acrylic is heated in oven if you lift a corner and it springs back instantly not slowly the acrylic is ready for forming. Usually depending upon what shape you require you may have a mold made. For a simple curve use a bit of sheetmetal and adjust it into place till you get required curve and place felt on top of it. Place the acrylic on felt and place another piece of felt on top and use weights that put even pressure on felt to hold acrlyic into place. Leave to cool. When handling the acrylic make sure you take out of the oven wearing gloves and only touching the edges of acrylic with palms facing each other or you will get cold spots.

Happy Bending.