How to bend plexiglass with different bending methods? How to properly bend acrylic glass yourself at home How to bend acrylic glass at home.

The use of materials from various building groups in the arrangement of housing is caused by the desire of consumers to recreate a unique interior in their own home with minimal investment. That is why recently such type of material as plexiglass has been increasingly used. However, quite often it becomes necessary to bend it, and we would like to talk in more detail about how to bend plexiglass on our own.

The benefits of organic glass

To begin with, it should be noted that Plexiglas is a sheet material (with a high degree of transparency), made on the basis of various polymers. It is thanks to the presence of artificial components in the composition of this material that it has received a lot of advantages in comparison with traditional glass.

So, for example, plexiglass does not break (resistant to mechanical stress), is easily processed (plexiglass is easy to cut, drill), can take the required shape (bends). It is thanks to all of the above advantages that the scope of application of plexiglass is constantly growing. After all, it is used when carrying out finishing work (decorations, frames), when zoning space (partitions), to complement furniture elements (shelves, racks, etc.).

Sometimes organic glass needs bending, so let's look at how to make it at home in the most optimal way.

Preparatory operations

In order to ensure high-quality bending of plexiglass, the first step is to perform a series of preparatory work. Namely:

Clean the plexiglass from any contaminants and foreign objects (the transport film should be removed). The quality of subsequent work depends on the performance of this procedure, and if you do not clean everything properly, then in the process of bending, irregularities, defects (air bubbles), etc. may appear on the sheet surface. deviations.
Dry the plexiglass with high quality, leaving it for a couple of hours at room temperature.
Prepare a template (for example, made of cardboard or plywood) for easy bending control.

Plexiglass bending options

Several methods are currently used to produce bending of organic sheeting.

Bending with an industrial hair dryer

It is the simplest and safest option for processing organic glass at home. After all, all that is needed for this is an ordinary building hair dryer and a flat plane. The bending technology itself, in this case, assumes the following:

The sheet material is laid on a flat surface and the place of the intended bend is marked with a construction pencil;
With the help of a hair dryer, the bend is evenly heated along the entire length to a temperature of + 80⁰С;
Bending of the sheet is smoothly performed through a right angle of the surface (for example, a table).

And it should be remembered that when working with relatively thin materials (up to 5mm thickness), the sheet should be heated from the side opposite to the bending direction. Whereas for thicker products, double-sided heating is justified.

By the way, in order to keep the bending radius as small as possible, it is recommended to limit the heating area.

How to bend plexiglass

For this, even before the moment of warming up, in all places that do not need heating, cover the plexiglass with a heat insulator. Thus forming only a small open area for heating the material.

In order for the plexiglass not to unbend, it should be fixed in this position until it cools completely.

Boil bend

It is applicable for working with small-sized elements, and assumes their complete immersion in a container with water. Then the liquid is brought to a boil (over low heat) and a piece of material is removed.

To exclude burns, all subsequent work should be carried out in special gloves.

And the element is simply bent by hand through any right angle of the tabletop or stool.

How to bend plexiglass with nichrome

Given the physical properties of nichrome wire (heating when passing an electric current), it can also be used to bend plexiglass. This is done as follows:

Nichrome wire is stretched under the plane of the plexiglass (at a distance of 5 mm from it);
An electric current is passed through the nichrome by connecting the leads to a step-down transformer;
As the nichrome heats up, the plexiglass will begin to bend on its own under the influence of its own weight.

The main thing in this case is to exclude direct contact of nichrome and plexiglass, as well as to ensure the accuracy of the location of the heater (in a given place).

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Disposal or recycling of glass at home.

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A lot of half-liter glass jars have accumulated at home. Throwing them away is, in the first place, a pity, and secondly, it is dangerous and harmful to the environment. Therefore, an interesting idea came to my mind - to try to somehow melt the glass and play with glassmaking. As I understand it, glass in jars is SiO2, which needs a non-acidic temperature in order for it to melt. But at home it is unlikely that it will be possible to heat anything by more than 300º - 400º.
In general, I think in this direction and I am ready to hear your thoughts.

I once played in the country, temperatures are needed up to 1000 and above.
In addition, glass is amorphous, it will not become liquid 🙂 (at the temperatures and additives available to you, for sure). It softens smoothly and becomes like a thick gum / gum - viscous, sticky, and terribly out of control 🙂
It was funny to soak a stick and pull a long 2-meter "snot", which quickly cooled down, cracked and crumbled from internal stress.

In general, it's fun to play around, but you won't get anything sensible.

Find where these banks are accepted, and hand them over, receiving 3 kopecks and a feeling of moral satisfaction for the contribution to the preservation of nature.

Sergio
> and secondly, it is dangerous and harmful to the environment.
what?

bseg
10,000 years, but no one will be cut off about him! And the seagull will nest in it!

Dig a deep hole in the yard and throw the cans into it. Put a note in each one. A projectile into the future. In 3 thousand years, according to your notes, they will judge the current history, so be impartial.

Al
> Well, like a plastic "eco-friendly" cup will lie without decomposing,
> 10,000 years
Exactly? Who checked?

Al
> Well, like a plastic "eco-friendly" cup will lie without decomposing,
> 10,000 years, but no one will be cut off about it! And the seagull will nest in it!
Well, I was trying to use polyethylene and plastic in the form of materials for external coatings in contact with the environment. after 5 years nothing remains of them, crumbles into dust. where did the numbers 200 years and more come from is a big mystery to me. And glass is generally megaecological. Fused sand. In natural conditions, glass turns into sand and turns from temperature extremes, after 10 years.

bseg
> where did the numbers of 200 years and more come from is a big mystery to me.
And where did the assumption that there is no life on Mars come from? Who even decided that there was magma in the center of the earth?

0iStalker
> So that they do not preserve cucumbers? Give it away somehow
> summer residents / gardeners.
+1

Pages: 123Next "

/ Forum/ Flame / General

The topic is in the archive.

Sergio
> decent half-liter glass jars.

So as not to preserve cucumbers in them? Give it away for free to some summer residents / gardeners.

Sergio
> Disposal or recycling of glass at home.
>
Garbage dumps recycle glass.
Transparent, green, red. - the fight is sorted.
The factories accept everything.
You can not take it in a variety, but in a bunch, but it will be cheaper.

Here somewhere there is a topic about landfills.
I wrote there what goes for processing.
Glass, iron, plastic, paper, wood.
Little remains in landfills.

This is big business!
You are given good to the landfill for the bids.
Your slaves sort for pennies and jail.
The factories take out everything themselves and pay offshore to your personal account.
There are a lot of such dirty Oligarchs.

If you set up a sorting and processing plant, then it is not profitable.
you have to pay taxes to support the staff, to repair equipment.

And slaves in a landfill are a freebie for the landfill owner.

Sergio
> try to somehow melt the glass and play with glassmaking.
Sign up for a glassblowing course.
read the tolmutes on this case.
Very interesting However!

Get into a glass factory.
Complete this path in 2-3 years.
It is useful and educational.

Decent wages at the Christmas tree decorations factory.
And an advanced glassblower gets more than a coder.

How to bend glass at home

This is a real skill of the past centuries of mankind.

Ren
> Dig a deep hole in your yard and throw the cans in there. Put a note in each one.
> A projectile into the future. In 3 thousand years, according to your notes, they will judge the current
> stories, so be impartial.
It is efficient. As notes, you can use the printouts of Morphia's posts and selected topics from the "Science" section. Sergio
> half liter glass jars. It is a pity to throw them away in the first place, and secondly -
> dangerous and harmful to the environment.

Harmful to the environment to shit past the mother of the planet into space. Not good.
And to throw out silicon from nature taken into nature is complete nonsense.

Sergio
> which needs a non-acidic temperature in order for it to melt.
I smelted in a stove, but in this stove I smelted zinc, aluminum, I burned copper. but nothing was poured out (except zinc, it is relatively low-melting) it is very difficult to make a crucible that will withstand it, and when taken out of the furnace, aluminum began to boil strangely, probably burned in air, did not pour it into the mold, but did drops.
I melted a jar of vitamin from brown glass, it stretched out into a snot and then fell into the oven. I could not get it back, I think pouring it into the form is not realistic, it needs to be more liquid, except perhaps to press it. I did not try to blow, there is nothing.
I think the melting point (although this is more likely not melting but softening) is somewhere between 500-600 degrees

bseg
> Glass naturally turns into sand and turns from temperature extremes,
> 10 years from now.
I think many times more. We once had a warehouse of bottles on the street, for about 10 years it lay in the rain with snow, I don’t remember the sand there, but some of them were broken.

Synthetic materials are increasingly entering our life - these are various plastics, fibers, transparent polymers. These include plexiglass. In interior decoration and furniture production, the use of plexiglass is quite common. However, with the help of this material, you can give a zest not only to the interior, plexiglass is widely used in the manufacture of interesting items and souvenirs with your own hands, such as decorative frames for photographs, transparent cases for speakers and much more.

The use of artificial glass in everyday life is explained by a number of its advantages over natural glass.

Plexiglas has a lower density, which means that it is much lighter than silicate glass.
It is less brittle due to its amorphous structure and is easier to work with (eg, drill or cut). The impact resistance of such glass is almost 5 times higher than that of inorganic glass.
Plexiglass is a shatterproof material, so it is safer for household use.
High transparency allows you to transmit up to 99% of ultraviolet radiation.
Plexiglas has increased resistance to atmospheric phenomena, which allows it to be used in a wide range of temperature conditions.
But the most important advantage of such glass is that it can be easily given almost any shape, for example, you can bend plexiglass at home.

What is plexiglass, and why does it have such wonderful properties? Plexiglas is a range of transparent amorphous polymers, consisting of linear or branched macromolecules. This structure makes the plexiglass quite fusible and plastic, which allows it to be used in a home interior (as a decorative tabletop or transparent shelves).

If you decide to use this polymer in the interior as a decorative element, and there is a need to give it a certain shape, this article will tell you how to bend plexiglass at home.

Instruments

Vise or clamp for fixing the sheet.
Sharp saw.
Building hair dryer for heating to the desired temperature.
Blank or form.
Grinding material.

Preparatory work

Before you start bending a large part, try bending a small piece of glass, if you succeed, you can start working.

1. To start working with plexiglass, you need to cut out a part of the required size. To cut organic glass, you can use a clamp to hold the resin sheet firmly in place, and a sharp wood saw. To avoid overheating of the material during cutting, it is recommended to cool the cut with water. Remember to move the glass away from the hard clamps, clamp or vise with a soft cloth.

How to bend plexiglass correctly?

This will protect the plexiglass from scratches.

Attention! Use only sharp blades to cut Plexiglas. The use of blunt blades when cutting leads to melting of the edges of the glass.

If a crack appears on the plexiglass as a result of processing, in order to remove it, you can use a little trick. Moisten the damaged area with highly cooled acetic acid and move the edges of the crack slightly to allow the acid to penetrate deeper. Polish the damaged area. After such processing, the crack will stick together and will not be noticeable.

2. Before you start bending any plexiglass, in order to avoid defects, you need to clean it. To do this, rinse it thoroughly with water and detergent.

Attention! When cleaning plexiglass, do not use abrasive materials, as it is easy to scratch. Use only a soft sponge.

3. After wiping down the glass, let it dry thoroughly (approximately one hour per millimeter of thickness). When the glass is dry, you can start shaping the plexiglass.

Bending plexiglass

Attention! To avoid burns when heating the plexiglass, use heat-insulating gloves or silicone mitts.

Observe the temperature regime depending on the desired result. If you are going to bend glass, you need a temperature of 150 degrees. Plexiglas is melted at a temperature of 170 degrees.

Attention! If you decide to melt the resin and mold something out of it, make sure the mold is clean. An insufficiently clean shape can lead to the appearance of defects on the surface of the product.

There are several heating methods to bend plexiglass. You can use an electric stove. This method is good for shaping glass sheets that are not too thick.

Heating plexiglass with a building hair dryer

Small parts can be "welded" by simply holding them in boiling water for a while. After sufficient heating, use heat resistant gloves to shape the parts to the desired shape.

To work with large sheets, with a greater thickness, it is most convenient to use a construction hairdryer.

Let's take a closer look at how to do this using a hairdryer:

The first thing to remember when bending plexiglass is to bend the material in the opposite direction to the heated side.
If you bend a sheet that is more than 5 millimeters thick, it must be heated alternately on both sides, with the outer corner warming up last.
After making sure that the polymer has reached the required temperature and has become sufficiently plastic, it is necessary to immediately give it the desired shape, without waiting for it to cool, otherwise turbidity may form in the place of the fold, a sign of microcracks in the material. If you do not follow these measures, the glass will simply break at the bend.

Before starting the process of bending the plexiglass with a hair dryer, prepare a shape or template for bending.

This could be a countertop, a piece of pipe, a block of wood, or some other surface that you want to shape the glass. Heat the area you want to bend, and then shape the desired shape. Next, the plexiglass product must be properly cooled. Do not expose the glass to sudden temperature changes, as this can lead to cracking or the formation of other defects. Just leave it to cool at room temperature for a while.

Bending plexiglass according to the pattern

When the part has cooled down enough, process the edges of the product. This can be done both mechanically (using sandpaper) and thermally. For rough processing, you need sandpaper, and for finer sanding, abrasive pastes are used, for example, GOI paste, as well as toothpastes and powders. When machining edges mechanically, remember to cool the glass surface with water.

Your product is ready, now you know how to bend plexiglass at home. We hope that with the help of this article you will be able to decorate your interior with a large number of beautiful and unique decor items.

Video

We bring to your attention a video that shows how to bend plexiglass correctly and what points you need to pay attention to.

The following video illustrates the process of bending transparent plexiglass by heating it with a gas burner.

Increasingly, in carrying out various repairs and construction, an artificial type of glass began to be used. Among the wide variety of such glasses, one of the most popular is plexiglass. Since decorative types of such coatings are used in interior decoration, quite often people also think about the question of how to bend plexiglass at home and give various forms to an ordinary smooth surface.

What is plexiglass?

Plexiglas (organic glass) is a fairly durable artificial material with high transparency. It contains polymers that make this material very durable, and thanks to this, this type of glass does not break.

Plexiglas is most often used for the manufacture of various stained-glass windows in the interior, decorative countertops, shelves, as well as fish aquariums and other containers. In addition, this material can be used to decorate interior doors and even make transparent walls. However, experienced craftsmen use such glass wherever possible.

Rules to be followed when working with organic glass.

how to bend glass at home

In order to give the organic glass shape you need, it must be smoothly bent, but in relation to the main heat source only in the opposite direction.

Bending rules for organic glass

So that various bubbles do not start to stand out on the glass during operation, before starting this process, it is necessary to thoroughly clean it of contaminants. After that, you need to dry the glass very well. It is necessary to bend the plexiglass only after it is completely dry and wiped off. Next, you will need to use special equipment that can heat the glass to 80 degrees Celsius.

It is worth paying attention! Everything must be warmed up for at least one hour based on one millimeter of the applied glass thickness.

To prevent the material from melting, do not use high temperatures for work. And in order to give the shape you need and form any products, about 150 degrees will be enough, but if you want to pour it into special forms, then 170.

In order to warm up plexiglass at home, the area of the entire area that can be affected must be at least three thicknesses of the material used. Moreover, when you use glass with a thickness of 5 mm, then it is possible to expose it to heating only on one side, but when the density is greater, then it is best to do this from both sides.

Please note that the last side of such material should be exactly the one that will protrude from the outer part of the fold.

How to bend organic glass?

The final result will depend on such work. And so that absolutely no internal damage occurs in it, the entire bending process must be smooth and uniform. After you have successfully folded any part of the plexiglass, you need to leave it for several hours until its temperature drops to 60 degrees Celsius.

The most common and ideal equipment for bending plexiglass.

Construction hairdryer

To bend such a fairly dense material yourself at home, you need to use an additional source of heat, thanks to which you can quickly warm up the required area and make a fold. In this case, you need to be extremely careful not to heat the entire glass surface.

Please note that when working with very thin types of glass of this type, you need to cover all free areas with a special material that does not burn at all.

If you decide to use a building hair dryer for work, then before starting work, it is necessary to prepare the base for this glass, that is, what kind of material you will use. Next, you need to turn on your building hair dryer and very carefully warm up the place for bending, and then give the glass the shape you need.

Plexiglass cooking

An equally convenient and reliable way to bend plexiglass is cooking, but only this option is available only when working with small parts of it. Put this material in a saucepan, fill with water and put on slow gas.

The water should begin to boil, then put on gloves on your hands, with a little effort, bend the plexiglass. To do this, you need to use absolutely any right angle, for example, this can serve as a tabletop or a piece of a previously prepared wooden bar. Upon completion of this process, the treated plexiglass can be polished.

Nichrome bending wire

Also at home, you can try to bend plexiglass with nichrome wire. To do this, we fix the required plexiglass sheet at the edge of the table or workbench, directly under which it is necessary to stretch the nichrome wire well along the bend line. Then it is fixed from the sheet at a distance of at least 5 millimeters. To insure against the bending edge of the sheet, you can set an emphasis so as not to allow it to bend more than intended.

Nichrome should be connected to a transformer that regulates the voltage. After the required heating on the wire is reached, the organic glass will gradually begin to bend under its own weight.

It is worth recalling that in the process of heating nichrome, it usually sags a little, which is why the distance to the plexiglass can greatly increase. In order to avoid this, you can make the so-called compensation for its sagging, for example, using a small load. Also, do not help the plexiglass, bend by physical pressure on it. Otherwise, it can lead to incorrect deformation of this material.

If it becomes necessary to bend a certain radius at home, then in this case it is better to use not a nichrome wire, but a simple metal pipe according to the diameter you need. Then, with the help of a soldering lamp, it warms up well to a certain temperature level. After that, a sheet of organic glass is bent along the pipe, thereby repeating its radius. See also: how to glue plexiglass together.

When you need to bend plexiglass plates that are not small in area, before starting processing, the masters of this business advise you to practice a little in advance so that in the future you will not have any difficulties with carrying out such work.

Video: HOW TO FLEX ORGGLASS

How to bend plexiglass at home

Glass is a material that is often used in everyday life, but, unfortunately, it is often breakable, therefore, today it is increasingly being replaced by a new artificial analogue - plexiglass. Plastic glass is a polymer that is not afraid of mechanical damage and, moreover, is very convenient for processing.

Therefore, polymer glass is used in different ways in everyday life, especially when they want to get various shapes from a smooth surface. The most important advantage of artificial glass is the ability to bend. On the one hand, bending glass is not even difficult at all, but on the other hand, you only need to know the principles and techniques of bending.

Plexiglass properties

Plexiglas contains various polymers. It is they who give the glass its strength; polymer glass is even stronger than silicate glass. Plexiglas is a lightweight material, therefore, when it is used in structures, for example, roofs, awnings, solid supports are not required.

In everyday life, polymer glass can be found in a variety of options, just look at the photo with polymer products: aquariums, decorative design elements, shelves, TV stand, coffee table. Artificial glass has excellent transparency, so you can make interior doors and partitions from it. Probably the only drawback of plexiglass is flammability and thermoplasticity, but the latter drawback can be just turned into an advantage, because sometimes artificial glass has to be bent at home.

Flexion rules

It is very easy to bend polymer glass with your own hands, you just need to know the principles that govern the processing of artificial material.

In order to bend the glass correctly, you will have to heat it up, so it is important that the heating area is several times thicker than the material used. For example, if you have a glass of about 6mm, you need to apply heating only on one side, but with a higher density, it is better to use heating from both sides. And the outer side of the product should be heated by the latter.

If you do not have a task to melt the material, and you just plan to change its shape, give a new look to the product, then there is no need to use high temperature. Only to obtain a new shape, for example, for pouring into molds, it will be necessary to heat the polymer glass to 160 degrees.

Sometimes, if the plexiglass is improperly processed, bubbles appear, this is the first sign that the glass has not been cleaned before work. Therefore, before work, clean the glass; you can do this using detergents without abrasive particles. Just do not forget to dry it after that, since only after drying can special equipment be used. In order to prevent damage to the glass, you need to move the fold smoothly and evenly. After you heat up the area, it is better to wait a little until the glass heating temperature drops to 60.

How to bend glass?

On the net today you can find a lot of advice on the correct Plexiglas finish and even look at the guide at. But to organize the information, it is better to first read our instructions. If you want to bend polymer glass at home, then this will require the following tools and equipment.

Necessary equipment and methods of bending

Before working with plexiglass, you need to cut out the finished part or product, its edges. It is better to take bent plexiglass with heat-resistant gloves.

In order to bend glass at home, you need to heat it up. And this means, you need to find a device that can quickly warm up the required area. For heating glass, various devices are suitable, ranging from candles to a soldering iron. It all depends on the heating area, for example, small pieces of plexiglass can be heated by simply boiling them in water, for larger parts you cannot do without a tool. Let's consider the most simple and convenient ones.

Heating glass can be done with a building hair dryer. If your material exceeds 5 mm, then we will heat it from both sides. Before heating the glass, you need to prepare some kind of template for bending, a machine made of wood, or we will simply bend it, for example, on the surface of the edge of a table. So, we direct the hair dryer to the area required for heating. After making sure that our material has become softer, we immediately give it a shape, without waiting for it to cool. It is necessary to bend in the opposite direction from the heated side. And if you are heating both sides, then the outer corner should be bent last. After the polymer glass is bent, you need to leave it to the side for a while to cool.
Nichrome wire can be used to heat the glass surface. For such a process, you need to fix the glass on the edge of the workbench or table, and lay a wire 5 mm from the sheet under it. - we get a homemade bending machine. Nichrome is connected to the transformer and heats up, after heating the wire, the polymer glass will begin to sag. It is not necessary to "help" the glass to bend, it threatens the emergence of internal stresses.
Sometimes the bend does not need to occur along the entire perimeter plane, or the glass needs to be bent 90 degrees. In this case, you can use a soldering iron. We mark the area with a pencil and draw the soldering irons over it, slightly melting the surface.
How to bend plexiglass at home

It is necessary to bend the glass until it cools down.
Sometimes glass is required not only to bend, but to give it a rounded shape. For such purposes, you will need a certain remainder of the pipe around which our material will twist. In this case, it is better to use a blowtorch.

In the event that you need to bend a significant area of artificial glass, then the masters advise you to practice in a small area. Using any folding technology, you can decorate your home with beautiful plexiglass crafts.

Curved glass

The high popularity of glass in interior design has contributed to the emergence of new ways of processing it. One of these is glass bending or bending.

Curved glass is in great demand in the production of kitchen and office furniture, aquariums, windows, elements for shower cabins, as well as all kinds of interior designs.

BENDING GLASS (MOLLING)

Glass bending (bending) is a technology of forming curved sheet glass products at high temperatures. Our company supplies curved (bent) glass for architectural and construction companies, and also performs work on the installation of glass structures.

DESCRIPTION OF TECHNOLOGY

Bending is carried out in a specially equipped flat tunnel oven using controlled ceramic electric heaters and supporting surfaces (matrices, molds) on which the glass sheet is installed.

How to bend plexiglass at home

Upon uniform heating, glass at a temperature of 600-700 ° C becomes plastic and gradually deforms under its own weight, taking the shape of the supporting surface, while maintaining the smoothness of the surface. After this stage, the glass is cooled in a controlled manner.

In the bending process, glass tempering can be used, which significantly increases its mechanical strength and reduces the risk of thermal shock. For the manufacture of curved glass, it is often necessary to manufacture a mold (template), which is paid separately, regardless of the cost of the product. If we have the required form at our production site, we provide it for making an order free of charge. A mirror is not used to obtain bent shapes.

TECHNICAL CAPABILITIES

glass thickness 4-15 mm
maximum size 3000x1600 mm
minimum radius 250mm
assortment for the production of curved glass: transparent polished, matt colorless, clarified, colored in the mass, K-glass (with a hard pyrolytic coating), patterned glass
production of curved triplex (laminated glass)
production of the required form (template)
complex glass processing: grinding, polishing the glass edge, drilling holes, applying a safety film.

DECORATIVE PROCESSING

sandblasting (artistic matting)
photo printing on glass (direct printing or printing on film)
decorative protective films

LIMITS OF CHORDS OF THE MOLLATED HARDENED PRODUCT

Glass thickness, mm
Specified radius, mm
Allowable values, mm
4 - 10 800 to 1500 (over 1500) 3.0 (2.0)
12 - 19 800 to 1500 4.0

SCOPE OF APPLICATION

Curved glass is used in architecture and construction in the manufacture of building facades, partitions, doors, shower cabins, stair railings; double-glazed windows, glazing of balconies, loggias.

Curved glass is also used in the production of trade and exhibition equipment, showcases, glass furniture, aquariums and terrariums, decorative elements and artistic stained-glass windows.

PRICES

The price for curved glass depends on many parameters: glass thickness and grade, bending radius, processing options (including decorative). Therefore, the final cost can be obtained on the basis of the terms of reference, which can be sent to

Due to its properties, modern organic glass has gained great popularity in various industries and in everyday life. It is successfully used in the automotive industry, in the production of greenhouse structures, interior doors, advertising structures, individual elements of building facades, and various structures in the radio-electronic industry. Due to its light transmission and wide range of colors, various lamps for industrial and household purposes (flashers, running lights) are made from it.

The main features of working with organic glass

To achieve good results when working with bending organic glass, you should take into account its features. They will allow you to get rid of possible waste and waste of material. Bending plexiglass at home is not a complicated operation.

When choosing a material, it is necessary to clean the workpiece, it is better to rinse it with clean water and remove all small particles that are on the surface. This is due to the formation of an electrical charge on the surface. Avoid the use of any abrasive materials, even the smallest fractions. This will lead to a significant decrease in the transparency of the future part. After rinsing, professionals allow the organic glass to dry for 24 hours, preferably at room temperature. If time is limited, you can use a construction hairdryer. In this case, it is necessary to observe the thermal regime. The temperature of the directed air flow should not exceed 80 ° C. To obtain a good result, use an empirical approach that allows you to calculate the drying time. According to this approach, it is necessary to spend one hour for every millimeter of glass thickness. Therefore, if the glass is 3 mm thick, it must be dried for at least three hours.

After drying, you can start production of work. However, it should be remembered that it is more expedient to heat the required area from the opposite side of the fold surface. If it is necessary to obtain a given inner angle, the outer side of the glass is heated.

The heating temperature must be taken into account. Plexiglass, like a material made from organic compounds, can not only heat up, but melt and even catch fire. Professionals advise keeping the heating temperature at about 150 ° C. If, in addition to the task of changing the surface configuration, it becomes necessary to fill a certain shape with organic glass, it must be heated to a temperature of more than 170 ° C.

An important feature is the need to warm up such an area of organic glass, which is three times the thickness of the glass. When bending glass 4 mm thick, a strip with a width of 12 mm should be heated. For material with a thickness of more than 5 mm, it is necessary to warm up on both sides along the line of the planned bend.

After completion of the work, it is necessary to cool the part, without using fast cooling methods (flow of cold water or air). Such a rush can lead to the formation of internal cracks, bubbles, deformation. Therefore, to obtain the required bending angle, it is necessary to carefully follow the technological sequence.

Bending methods for organic glass

The most well-known principles for folding plexiglass are:

With the help of a building hair dryer.
Bending in hot water (boiling method).
Using a special nichrome wire.
Using a metal pipe.

The entire technological process should be divided into two stages. The first stage, the so-called preparatory, the second is the main one, the bending process itself.

Preparatory stage

This stage involves the preparation of the necessary tool and the workpiece itself.

Depending on which method is chosen, the following tools and equipment will be required:

a vice or several clamps for fastening the workpiece;
manual or mechanical cutting tools (this can be a hacksaw for metal, an electric jigsaw);
a form for bending (usually a metal pipe, a wooden block, a countertop or other equipment capable of providing the required bending radius is used);
abrasive material for smoothing the edges of the structure;
container for water;
a source of electric current (can be alternating or direct);
soft liners to prevent mechanical marks from vices or clamps on the surface of the part.

Any operation of bending organic glass involves heating it. This can be heating of the immediate place of bending or of the entire part, if its dimensions are not large. Various heat sources are used for these purposes.

Using a building hair dryer

If it is necessary to bend a large piece of organic glass or a sufficiently extended part, a powerful building hair dryer is used as a heat source. Its power should be such that it allows heating a sufficiently large area of the part.

The sheet is clamped in a vice, or if this is not possible due to the large size, several clamps are used. With their help, it is fixed to the table top. Mark the future fold line and gradually carefully warm the area adjacent to the future fold line with a stream of hot air. After softening this area of plexiglass, bend is made to the required angle. The resulting part is cooled naturally for the required time.

Hot water curl (boiling method)

This method is considered by professionals to be the simplest and least energy-consuming. To implement it, you practically do not need a special tool.

Its implementation is as follows:

the prepared container with water is heated in such a way that the water begins to boil (the size of the container is chosen so that it is possible to freely work with the workpiece in it);
a plexiglass part is lowered into boiled water and kept there for five minutes (the time depends on the thickness of the part);
after the workpiece is well warmed up, it is necessary to remove it and give it the required shape.

The peculiarity of this method is that you have to work with a fully heated workpiece. Therefore, it is necessary to provide means of protection against high temperatures.

Using special nichrome wire

This method is considered the most technologically advanced. For its implementation, a special nichrome wire and a constant voltage source are used. The power of the source should provide heating of this wire to the required temperature.

The process itself is implemented in several stages.

The workpiece must be thoroughly dried. Without this operation, moisture bubbles can form in the bending points, which can negatively affect the strength at the bend, reduce transparency, and significantly worsen the appearance. Drying must be done in accordance with the recommendations that were given earlier.
The finished part is fixed on the surface of the workbench. A nichrome wire is pulled over the intended fold line. The height from the surface of organic glass should not exceed five millimeters. It is not advisable to apply preliminary marking on the sheet with a pencil, marker, or other dyes. Heating of the bend can cause the colorant to diffuse into the surface layer of the organic glass. It is practically impossible to remove such a strip.
The wire is connected to a DC power source. It will be more convenient to work if the source is regulated. In this case, there is the possibility of a gradual increase in the strength of the electric current passing through the filament, and, consequently, a gradual increase in the heating temperature. It is necessary to achieve a heating temperature of approximately 150 ° C. It is from this temperature that the organic glass is deformed.
Having reached this temperature, the bending line will become plastic and part of the sheet will begin to tilt downward under its own weight. It remains to give the workpiece the required angle. After completing the process, it is necessary to let the finished part cool down.

Using a metal pipe

This method is used if it is necessary to give the workpiece not just a bend, but a certain radius of curvature, and is also applicable at home. In this case, a metal pipe is used as a workpiece with the required radius. To carry out the operation, either the pipe itself or the bend is heated using a powerful soldering iron with a wide tip or a blowtorch.

The sequence of implementation of the technological process is as follows:

A cold sheet of organic glass is placed on top of a pre-fixed pipe. Mark the beginning of the bend.
Using a blowtorch or soldering iron, gradually heat up the bend area. When the material becomes soft by hand, the sheet is carefully rotated along the pipe, bending to the desired angle. The use of a soldering iron allows you to heat the bend section to the extreme temperature. This moment is easily identified by the emerging crackle of material.

If another option is used, then first heat the pipe, and then apply a sheet of plexiglass. A bend is made around the heated pipe.

The use of any of the listed methods involves carrying out work with such hazardous factors as:

devices and devices connected to high voltage;

Plexiglass bending machine drawing

Therefore, in order to protect yourself during these works, you must follow the safety rules.

Advantages and disadvantages of organic glass

Plexiglas has a number of advantages that have contributed to its great popularity. These include:

has good anti-shock properties;
relatively low weight (allows you to create complex and rather bulky structures);
is an excellent dielectric;
has a high bandwidth in the entire range of the visible spectrum;
sufficiently resistant to atmospheric factors (high humidity, various types of precipitation, low temperatures);
has good environmental performance (when heated, no harmful chemical elements are released);
sufficiently high resistance to the effects of mildly aggressive agents;
good mechanical properties (it is quite easy to process and amenable to deformation);
has a wide range of colors;
good operational safety (in case of damage, the formation of dangerous fragments does not occur).

The main disadvantage of this material is its weak resistance to external influences of solid objects (scratches, cuts, cracks form quickly). In addition, the formation of a surface electric charge, due to its electrostatic properties, can be considered a negative phenomenon.

Often, the desire to make their home even more attractive and interesting prompts the owners to use very rare and intricate materials in their work. Previously, vinyl records and metal alloys, matchboxes and burnt wood, textiles and leatherette, and also much more were used for decoration: an experienced craftsman will find use for everything. Today, polymer plexiglass has gained wide popularity, which can be used both for decorative purposes and as a material for creating intricate household appliances. Thanks to creativity, skillful hands and a certain knowledge of organic glass, you can create truly unique objects that will later become your pride and home decoration.

A little about the material

The named material is a polymer alloy with high strength and at the same time maximum ductility (provided that high temperatures are used). Plexiglas contains amorphous polymers, which mainly consist of unfolded and linear macromolecules. This composition of the material allows you to achieve its absolute transparency, strength and lightness.

New material that has significantly expanded the capabilities of builders and designers

The advantages of plexiglass used as a material for creating decorative interior elements are:

Therefore, organic glass is becoming more and more in demand among handymen.

It is worth noting that completely different intricate gizmos can be created from plexiglass. These can be pretty shelves and fancy shelves, small aquariums or pots for indoor plants, semicircular partitions in a room, or simple countertops. In this case, in some cases, a procedure for bending the plexiglass at a given angle may be required.

You can carry out this task at home, observing the basic rules for working with plexiglass.

Several principles of working with plexiglass

Before you start melting and bending plexiglass, you need to learn a few principles that will help you get the job done as efficiently as possible and without unnecessary waste of material.

So, to form a part of the required size, it is necessary to cut off a piece of material of the desired parameters from the whole plexiglass sheet. This will allow you to get an economical consumption of material at the output and a higher productivity of the work performed.
For work it is necessary to use only pure plexiglass. For this purpose, it is recommended to wash the material.

It is important not to use abrasive materials to clean the plexiglass. Only a soft cloth and natural drying of the polymer cloth. Otherwise, noticeable and unsightly scratches and stains will form on the plexiglass, which spoil the appearance of the material and reduce its transparency.

After washing the plexiglass, do not immediately start bending work. Let the material dry. This will take at least a day in a dry room at room temperature. Or, dry it with a hair dryer at 80 degrees Celsius.

The principle of calculating the drying time of plexiglass with a hair dryer should be as follows: 1 hour per 1 mm of material thickness in each area.

When starting to heat the plexiglass in order to deform it at the desired angle, please note that the heat treatment of the material must be carried out from the opposite side relative to the bending angle. That is, we warm the top of the material and bend it down.
To bend the plexiglass, it is enough to use a heating temperature of 150 degrees, and to melt the material and pour it into the prepared forms, a temperature of at least 170 degrees is needed.

Important: for correct bending of plexiglass at home, you need to warm up an area of the material three times its thickness. That is, if your plexiglass has a thickness of 3 mm, then for its even and beautiful bending, you need to warm up such an area along the line of the supposed bend, the width of which will be equal to 9 mm. With this thickness of plexiglass, it will be enough to treat with a heat device on one side of the material. If the thickness of the plexiglass exceeds 5 mm, then it will be necessary to carry out the process of heating it from both sides along the line of the supposed fold.

After bending the plexiglass, it is important to let it cool naturally. Do not use water or cold air as a coolant. This can damage the finished product in the form of cracks, bubbles, etc.

Home bending techniques

Necessary materials

In order to give orsglass the desired configuration, you can use one of several popular methods:

Heating the material with a building hair dryer;
By boiling;
With the help of nichrome wire.

Depending on how the plexiglass is folded, you will need a heating element (a hair dryer, nichrome wire, or a saucepan of boiling water). In addition, prepare:

A hacksaw for metal;
Vise for secure fixation of the plexiglass plate;
Thomas for bending (pipe, bar, countertop, etc.);
Abrasive material for grinding the edges of the product;
A little water (to cool the material while cutting).

Preparatory work

If your future product requires the use of a small piece of plexiglass, then first you need to cut it off from the common canvas. To do this, securely fix the plexiglass in a vice and cut off the desired piece with a metal hacksaw. Do not forget to lay soft material in the places of fixation, which will prevent damage to the plexiglass.

For cutting plexiglass, you can use both a hand hacksaw and a jigsaw

Important: use only a sharp hacksaw. Otherwise, the material can be damaged and deformed. When cutting plexiglass, cool the cutting line with water. This will avoid overheating of the plexiglass and its possible melting.

If the material cracks during cutting, don't worry. It can be removed with a little trick: treat the edges of the split with chilled acetic acid. Allow the acetic acid to penetrate deeper into the pores of the material by shearing the plexiglass at the split. Then squeeze the plexiglass at the crack. The material will fuse and the polished crack will not be visible.

Boil flexion

This is the easiest way to bend plexiglass, requiring virtually no additional tools.

Remember to use protective gloves to avoid burns.

5. Leave the part formed from plexiglass until it cools completely.

Using a construction hair dryer

If you have to bend a large enough piece of plexiglass, then use a building hair dryer for this purpose. Its power will allow you to process a large area of organic polymer material in an extremely short time.

Using nichrome wire

With the help of a nichrome wire carefully stretched under the plexiglass, it is possible to achieve bending of the material in a straight line without effort. To do this, follow these steps:

Video: bending plexiglass with nichrome wire

We bring to your attention a short video that will clearly demonstrate how to bend plexiglass using nichrome wire.

Durable and lightweight, Plexiglas is gaining more and more popularity in modern design and construction. This allows you to easily expand the possibilities when creating artistic solutions, because by giving it various, even the most bizarre forms, you can achieve a fresh and elegant atmosphere in any room.

Plexiglass can be useful not only for interior decoration, it also finds its use in creating unusual interior items. Unlike natural glass, its artificial counterpart boasts one amazing advantage. The fact is that it is easy to bend, thanks to which, even at home, you can get the necessary shape to embody any idea.

What is worth stocking up on before the fold?

Before getting to work, it is worth stocking up on some tools that will come in handy for the described method. In addition to the blank itself, you will need:

a device for heating a sheet of plexiglass, such as a building hair dryer, gas burner or blowtorch;
a shape or pattern for bending of the kind that you want to get from your workpiece;
hand protection - heating to a high temperature can be fraught with burns, so it is better to protect yourself and prepare silicone tacks or heat-insulating gloves.

Preparatory stage

The main stage in the preparation of the workpiece is to clean its surface. Any greasy or oil stains must be removed from the surface in order to avoid negative consequences for the plexiglass during its subsequent deformation, namely, warping and the formation of air bubbles, which will no longer be possible to remove.

All these spots are clearly visible during a detailed examination, so it will not be difficult to remove them. It is often sufficient to rinse the workpiece with warm water and a small amount of synthetic detergent. If it becomes necessary to remove complex greasy stains, you can use kerosene or gasoline - they break down fat molecules at once.

Be sure to remember not to use hard abrasive materials when cleaning. They contribute to the appearance of scratches from which there is practically no escape. A regular kitchen soft sponge will do a good job of cleaning the plexiglass.

At the end of the wash, the plexiglass should dry. At room temperature, the drying time will vary depending on the thickness of the workpiece. It is accepted to proceed from the calculation of 1 hour per 1 millimeter of glass thickness. Only after the plexiglass has dried can you start bending it.

Before bending the plexiglass at home, make sure that you are satisfied with the size and shape of the workpiece. If desired, a plexiglass blank using a hacksaw for wood. Check that the hacksaw blade is not dull, because only well-sharpened teeth will allow you to obtain the required quality of the processed edge.

Plexiglass bending rules and process

After carrying out the preparatory work, it is necessary to determine the place that should be bent. Be sure to draw a line with a marker along which you want to bend the workpiece. Let's pay attention to several points that must be observed before direct work:

Since plexiglass acquires the ability to bend under the influence of high temperature, heating equipment should be selected based on the size of the surface that you intend to bend. This means that it is not necessary to heat the entire piece of glass if you have marked one fold line - local heating is sufficient for this.
The area to be heated should have a width that is two or more times the length of its length. Compliance with this point will significantly reduce the internal stresses of the glass after it has cooled down.

The choice of a heating source also depends on the size of the plexiglass piece. So, for example, for thin sheets (up to 3-5 mm), a simple electric stove is well suited. For thick workpieces, it is better to prepare a building hair dryer, with which you will quickly reach the required heating temperature. It is 150 degrees for plexiglass.

In addition, it is worth remembering that such thick workpieces must be warmed up on both sides - this is necessary in order to prevent cracks from appearing during bending.

Let's move on directly to how to bend plexiglass at home. The process can be broken down into several stages.

The whole piece of plexiglass or a separate area is heated. To do this, for some time it is necessary to act on the material with a heating device, and so that the heated side is opposite to the direction of bending. In the case of thick sheets, the latter heats up the side on which the outer corner of the bend will be located.
Reaching the required temperature is determined by eye - the material will become more pliable and slightly cloudy from the inside.
Keep a pre-formed shape or bend template handy, which can be either rectangular or circular.
As soon as you understand that the material is ready, it must be bent immediately, it is advisable to use the minimum number of movements and get the required shape as quickly as possible, without allowing the material to cool. If you miss this moment, then microcracks may appear in the structure of the plexiglass, which will subsequently begin to destroy the part from the inside.

Very small workpieces can be modified by simply leaving them in boiling water for 5-7 minutes. The material will have time to soften so much that you can give it a completely different shape with your own hands. A prerequisite here is to work in special gloves that will not allow the high temperature to damage your limbs.

By the way, it is worth noting that plexiglass can also be melted at home. Only for this it is necessary to warm it up even more - at least to 180 degrees. This can be done for polymer glass castings.

Molds prepared in advance can be different, but the glass itself in the molten state flows well and completely fills even the thinnest parts of the mold. Before casting, it must be ensured that the mold is free of dirt to avoid both an unsightly appearance of the resulting casting and possible defects that dirt can cause.

After fold

To complete the instructions on how to bend plexiglass at home, you can describe the final stage, which is cooling the finished part. There is no need to create special conditions for this, it is enough at room temperature for a couple of hours. But it is important to insulate the material from possible sudden temperature fluctuations. Violation of the slow cooling can lead to the formation of cracks on the surface or in the structure of the plexiglass.

After cooling down, you get a new product that has retained all the positive qualities of plexiglass. A safe and beautiful material that has received a new form will be able to please its owner for a very long time, while it took very little time and effort to create it.