Video: How to bend methacrylate for classic arcade control panel (By Mikonos)

[Mikonos]

Video-tutorial: How to bend  methacrylate for classic arcade control panel (By Mikonos)

Hi!

This a perfect methacrylate curve and tecnique for get it!

I hope it was useful!

.

..

[youtube]http://es.youtube.com/watch?v=NGdFX5FHshw[/youtube]


Regards

[slasherman]

Is this some type of plexiglas ?

[patrickl]

It's the name of the material that plexiglas is made from.

[leapinlew]

It's the name of the material that plexiglas is made from.

Really? Cause it sounds like something I would get arrested for having in my possession.


Looks good - does it create any stress in the material that is visible?

[ark_ader]

Wow that was very informative.   

I can see you need to get the heat across that sheet to make the bend equally, and that was always the hard part.  In school we studied plastics, but even having some knowledge on the subject, it was hard shaping it to mend to a control panel and was doomed to failure.  You can easily snap certain plastics by adding unforeseen stress.

Thank you very much for the video, as it has given insight and will help with current and future projects. 

If you have any other videos on molding, please share them with us.   

Great Job!   

[cmoses]

What is the thickness on that sheet?

[Mikonos]

Thanks, guys!

If you have any other videos on molding, please share them with us.

In two week I will show you something cool! Lol

What is the thickness on that sheet?

The thickness are 2 mm, but I did it with 5 and 7 mm.


Look at this, it is a recent work, methacrylate has 5 mm:





Regards

[Grasshopper]

Thanks for posting that. It appears to be easier to bend acrylic than I expected. This technique opens up all sorts of possibilities.

I think this thread ought to to stickied.

[patrickl]

I tried exactly the same once and I got nowhere. Guess I wasn't patient enough.

[Mikonos]

I think this thread ought to to stickied.

It will be a honor!


Regards

[slasherman]

Thanks for the info...but I guess it's not a regular hair dryer you use......is it a dryer which one usually use on glue ?

[Ed_McCarron]

Heat gun.  You can bend polycarbonate (Lexan) the same way, but be careful - too hot and the moisture in the sheet flashes to steam and bubbles the material.

[slasherman]

Heat gun.  You can bend polycarbonate (Lexan) the same way, but be careful - too hot and the moisture in the sheet flashes to steam and bubbles the material.

okey thanks for the info

[StefanK]

Looks like how I did mine. I tried with 2 hairdriers at first but that wasnt enough. 1 heatgun could do the trick with no problems though.


And here is how I did the metal underneath )



And a bad picture of it in place.

[ratzz]

Looks good, but what about that internal angle?

It doesn't look tight enough for a 90degere corner. Could you score out a 'V' shape in the internal angle (pre-heating) to make a sharp internal corner?

I would like to maybe try this, but I have no experience with the material so I'm not sure about cutting with a blade.

 

[Joey Butafuko]

I'm really enjoying your video's Mikonos 

The other one drilling the holes is great too.

[OnezerO]

Man, thanx for the post and especially for the video Mikonos.  I wish I had seen this several months ago when I was going thru the agony of bending my plexiglass.

After a couple a few frustrating attempts I finally achieved an acceptable bend.  However, the plexi I bent is 31" in length and getting an even amount of heat across that width so that it can bend evenly was tough.

Hopefully, I will be posting my completed project soon.

[SavannahLion]

Heat gun.  You can bend polycarbonate (Lexan) the same way, but be careful - too hot and the moisture in the sheet flashes to steam and bubbles the material.

I wish someone told me that before I ruined a piece doing that. I haven't tried again with Poly (went to a different choice instead) but I since learned that you need to "bake" the Poly before bending. From what I can gather, an oven set to the lowest temperature and the door slightly open (akin to making beef jerky) is supposed to draw moisture out of the plastic.

Since I have a really tough time making beef jerky in my own oven, I haven't bothered to attempt the same with poly.

[pinballwizard79]

LOL @ LEW

It's the name of the material that plexiglas is made from.

Really? Cause it sounds like something I would get arrested for having in my possession.

[Ed_McCarron]

Heat gun.  You can bend polycarbonate (Lexan) the same way, but be careful - too hot and the moisture in the sheet flashes to steam and bubbles the material.

I wish someone told me that before I ruined a piece doing that. I haven't tried again with Poly (went to a different choice instead) but I since learned that you need to "bake" the Poly before bending. From what I can gather, an oven set to the lowest temperature and the door slightly open (akin to making beef jerky) is supposed to draw moisture out of the plastic.

Since I have a really tough time making beef jerky in my own oven, I haven't bothered to attempt the same with poly.

I've tried it.  The oven never controls the temp tight enough.  I baked a piece at 150 deg and it bubbled while still in the oven.  Plus, it stinks up the kitchen and annoys anyone else who uses the oven.

Just take your time, and keep the heat gun moving.

EDit:  And by take your time, it took me 2 hours to bend a 18" wide piece 45 degrees over a form, heating from both sides with one gun.

[Mikonos]

To move the heat gun is the "key" and the "shot distance".

It was my tool:






Regards