Q&A for How to Easily Mold Acrylic Plastic Sheets

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  • Question
    Is there another method that can be used to bend acrylic?
    Abraham Schwartz is a handyman and the owner of Fixin’ To Do, a home improvement service in Austin, Texas. Abraham specializes in both small to medium residential and commercial sized jobs, ranging from TV mounting to furniture assembly to home automation setup. Prior to starting Fixin’ To Do, Abraham worked for over 10 years as a handyman for third party services and had a lifetime of learning how to improve houses. He holds both his TSBPE Plumbing Examiners and Electrical Apprentice (TX) Licenses. In 2018 and 2019, Fixin’ To do was rated as a Top Pro by Thumbtack.
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    Expert Answer
    It depends on the thickness of the acrylic and the key is to warm it up slowly. If you do it in any cold environment, it is more likely to crack. It's a matter of trial and error and being patient with it. Start with a blow dryer at a medium setting to soften it and then once it gets soft enough to where it's pliable, gently bend it.
  • Question
    Are there any health/safety precautions to be taken? Is it safe to just put the plastic in the oven?
    Community Answer
    In most cases yes, but if you're using a kind of plastic that either has a very low combustion temperature, or gives off nasty fumes when heated, then I would suggest using an air mask to protect yourself. Look online to see whether this sort of thing would happen with your specific type of plastic. This will not happen for acrylic sheets, as they are safe to mold.
  • Question
    If my mold is made of plastic, will it melt or get stuck in the plastic that I'm molding?
    Yonaton Chanowitz
    Community Answer
    Depending on what type of plastic it is, it probably will stick to it. You can put parchment paper sheets between the mold to avoid this, but the heat from the thermoplastic may warp the mold.
  • Question
    I am using an aluminum mold and followed the steps in the article. However, I have small air bubbles on the surface. How do I correct this?
    Community Answer
    The aluminum got too hot and began to burn the plastic, or the oven was too hot. Either way, the bubbles can be sanded or flame polished.
  • Question
    How do I bend 19mm plastic?
    Community Answer
    Make a fixture with Heater Road and put a plain sheet on it. As it get hot, put it in a wooden mold(make a as your requirement), and press it on press. As the part temperature gets normal, open that wooden case and make some correction via the grind machine.
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