Bending cut acrylic

[tory 0]

Has anyone cut strips of acrylic (48"x15") and then bend in half to apply vinyl and make a tent display out of it? If so, how do you heat them up to bend and keep them uniform in appearance. OR do you know where to obtain such? Thanks

[tservice 3]

most local acrylic shops can bend it for you.

[tory 0]

Thanks Tservice, I called a local shop today and they are supposed to call back w a quote. I only know of one plastics place so was hoping to get an idea of what to expect for pricing. There has to be more than one in the Metro area but that is all I came up with so far.

[midwaste 4]

You should be able to get a pretty good result by heating it up with a heat gun and bending it over SLOWLY.  What I have done before is clamp it in between two boards and heat and bend till it lays on the other board.

Heat it slowly and evenly, or you will get bubbles that will form in the heated area.  Other than that, its pretty straightforward.

[tory 0]

Thanks Midwaste, if I don't like the quote might just have to do it myself. I have a heatgun, hopefully the fumes won't kill me  :- And thx for the "slowly tips, wondered how it was done w/o bubbling and discoloring.

[midwaste 4]

It wont put off any fumes that you can smell.  If it does, its on fire, and you should put it out...

[bulldogtees 0]

If your talking about non breakable material (lexan) , you can do it yourself if you have a couple of tools.(heat gun & a scoring knife, witch you can get blades from most hardware stores to fit a utility knife) They are mostly used to cut or scribe plexi or formica, and lexan. Im assuming your talking about making a triangle , without the bottom. The way to do this is have your material cut down to the size you want(48 x 15), then find the center,(24) mark with pen top & bottom...Use a straightedge to score , or scratch it a little more than half way through. (do not cut too deep!!) Once its kinda flexable, heat it up (only over your score) Be careful not to get it too hot as it will melt ( its plastic) Leaning it over the edge of a table while heating will let you know how hot you can get it. To make a tent shape ,you may need to score out more than just a single line,so it will bend to the shape your wanting. Once its at the angle you want stop heating & hold it in place till it cools,about 1-2 mins. Depending on the thicknes of your lexan you could use a table saw to score it if its over 3/8 in. hope this helps   Norm

[tory 0]

Note to self, any flames ..... we have a fire extinguish immediately lol

Thanks Norm, that helps a lot. Very clear detailed instructions. That is exactly what I need, a triangle shape. They are 1/8" thick and appear to be white acrylic. Could be plexi?? They want a cheaper material so I assumed it to be acrylic. You mention to score at the bend sight although the previous stands did not appear to have a score at the bend? Is it possible that at 1/8" it wouldn't need to be scored?

[bulldogtees 0]

If you want a square ,or straight corner,Its best to score it . since its 1/8 in it should only take a couple of swipes.  Its easier this way. If it is plexi.. be sure not to force it while bending because it will break! Slow low heat will get you there.

[tory 0]

Thanks greatly appreciated!

[bulldogtees 0]

:(

[tory 0]

What would you guys charge for something like this? The acrylic place just said they would cut it for $36 something/ pc @20 pcs. Seemed very hi to me? Not to mention I would still have to charge vinyl and labor for both sides. Looks like I might just have to learn to bend them as described. Any ideas on pricing this?

[bulldogtees 0]

Check out SIGNS +BANNERS website. After reading all this post, I started thinking thats alot of work  to do for a triangle sign. Seems to me you could buy premade blanks cheaper than putting all that hard work into it. ( If you could get the plexi at a low price & didnt mind spending your personal time building it then maybe you could make a few bucks at it)... but thier sign blanks start around $40 in Quanties , I dont know how many your making, but you posted $ 36 something @ 20 pcs, $40 per pcs would be easier & look more pro.  Im not trying to steer you another way, but I think if your gonna spend that much $$ , let someone else build the sign & just do the lettering. The hard part for me is always justifing the cost to the customer, If I feel bad about it Ill tell them this is what it costs me & show them the web site or catalogue. I think its always better to be honest with them than to be vague. Theres lots of suppliers out there, The hard part is finding someone to fit your need & cost basis.

[tory 0]

Thanks Bulldog, that is exactly what I've been doing is deciding which way to go with this and trying to find a vendor that had what I needed and at the right price. Well yesterday the rep called me back and said she could do Sintra for only 12.95/ pc @25 pcs. That seems more in line w what the client was looking for. I've never dealt w Sintra and can only assume it will hold up since she stated it is better than plexi/acrylic for chipping/cracking. I googled it and seems it has problems outdoors and in large apps but neither applies in this situation. Soooo has anyone dealt w Sintra in the past and were you happy w the results?