Thank you for posting this. I would like to thermoform something a little more complex than that (shroud inside of a headlight). It looks like the PC has to be held in place during cooling to maintain the new shape. If you had something that looked a little more like a mountain range and you laid the plastic over the top of it and heated it more, would it form to the mountain range or just sort of sag and create a warped sheet?
If you did a mountain range type shape, you'd have to use thin PC, maybe thinner than .063, make a vaccum table, and drill holes in the valleys of the mold. I'm sure there's a video on making a DIY vacuum table somewhere.
@@backcountryshitok No, sorry. I used a different method altogether. If you want to see it you can go to the second episode on my channel antimattergarage.
I am trying to thermoform a sheet of pc 6mm thick to form a roughly 80mm OD half pipe. So far mixed results. If I over heat bubbling occurs. I have to figure out some kind of a jig. Temperature control. Prior drying of pc sheets. Etc. Not easy to get a reliable repeatable product.
Nice video buddy. How many mm is your sheet? Do you think for 1 or 2mm thickness I could get away with a home hairdryer or do I need equipment as the one you are using ? Thanks, Stavros
Let’s say someone has access to a large oven, what temperature would lexan like this have to get too, to achieve a bend. Trying to use glass out of a car as a template to recreate in lexan.
hi pal, I'll be trying to use PC as a taillight cover that was broken (lamps are rare and expensive), so it has to be formed to shape of the lamp. Any tips You could share? thanks
Been trying to do a pc .17 inch at least car roof and wondering if a heat gun ,little by little, will work in shaping it while the top is still on the car.... ???
Does anyone know if you could just put the entire piece to be molded into water @ specific temperature and then apply it to the mold? Or will crack on cool down?
No, unfortunately polycarbonate does not have the same "healing" qualities of plexiglass. You would get bubbles before it smoothed over. The trade off is it's much more durable because of the malleability.
![Heat shaping and bending polycarbonate sheet to finish a searchlight. Lifeboat Conversion Ep54: [4K]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/LcOu5eWg5ac/mqdefault.jpg)
Nice. Thanks for not gunking up your video with stupid comments and unnecessary stuff. Straight to the point. Inspirational bro...
didn’t realize it was that easy, thanks for the help! you’ve just made a whole lot of others projects that much easier 👍
I like how you keep glancing up to see if we're still paying attention :)
Exactly what i was looking for. Thanks!
I thought fir a sec you made a tiny faceplate as example lol
Thanks. I did not know it was possible to shape it with heat. Am going to try it in future projects.
Interesting I went to here to see your process because I am also working on a railroad related project!
Did you ever finish it?!
Very cool. I've heard you want good ventilation when doing that
Thanks for sharing.
Great video 👍 food for thought
Thank you exaclty what i was looking for
If you take a wet washcloth and form it with that while holding it will set a whole lot fast
Sweet! Thanks!
Any ideas on how to make a dome using thin acrylic sheets? About 2mm
Thank you for posting this. I would like to thermoform something a little more complex than that (shroud inside of a headlight). It looks like the PC has to be held in place during cooling to maintain the new shape. If you had something that looked a little more like a mountain range and you laid the plastic over the top of it and heated it more, would it form to the mountain range or just sort of sag and create a warped sheet?
If you did a mountain range type shape, you'd have to use thin PC, maybe thinner than .063, make a vaccum table, and drill holes in the valleys of the mold. I'm sure there's a video on making a DIY vacuum table somewhere.
I want to donsomething similar. Did you figure it out ?
@@backcountryshitok No, sorry. I used a different method altogether. If you want to see it you can go to the second episode on my channel antimattergarage.
Heats thermoplastic on a thermoplastic bin. 😁
I am trying to thermoform a sheet of pc 6mm thick to form a roughly 80mm OD half pipe.
So far mixed results. If I over heat bubbling occurs. I have to figure out some kind of a jig. Temperature control. Prior drying of pc sheets. Etc.
Not easy to get a reliable repeatable product.
What temp does it become maleable
Interessante👍👍👍
Aye that's good
Thanks!
Very cool!!
awesome!
Thanks!
Do your gloves leave any marks while its soft?
Nice video buddy. How many mm is your sheet? Do you think for 1 or 2mm thickness I could get away with a home hairdryer or do I need equipment as the one you are using ? Thanks, Stavros
Let’s say someone has access to a large oven, what temperature would lexan like this have to get too, to achieve a bend. Trying to use glass out of a car as a template to recreate in lexan.
Google says 315°-330°
Ye ye thats a pretty good job nice work ! +rep
nice😊
Awesome...
Hiya, can you heat other polycarbonate together? like you do when wielding steel together?. Thanks for the video.
I've never heat welded poly, only acrylic glue. I haven't had any luck heating up poly without it bubbling. It doesn't handle heat like acrylic.
@@Mallrat79 Thanks Bud :)
Can you use a hair dryer?
Good
Cool example. Thank you for this video. Simplicity said bill Gates
hi pal, I'll be trying to use PC as a taillight cover that was broken (lamps are rare and expensive), so it has to be formed to shape of the lamp. Any tips You could share? thanks
What a bout 2 or 3 inch poly
We get it.
Been trying to do a pc .17 inch at least car roof and wondering if a heat gun ,little by little, will work in shaping it while the top is still on the car.... ???
What would you recommend I use to bend acrylic into a bowl shape?
Would it be possible to build a guitar like this?
I imagine you could using .125" material. That would be pretty cool.
ty
Does anyone know if you could just put the entire piece to be molded into water @ specific temperature and then apply it to the mold? Or will crack on cool down?
What type of Polycarbonate did you use? Is it lexan?
seems bubbles doesn't always happen on poycarbonate ?
can it be heated so it takes the shape of a mold eg. a bawl?
What temp is best for forming? How hot is too hot? Bubbles?
theoretically, if I heat up scratched polycarbonate, would the scratches fill in?
No, unfortunately polycarbonate does not have the same "healing" qualities of plexiglass. You would get bubbles before it smoothed over. The trade off is it's much more durable because of the malleability.
I have plenty of bandwidth and this video gets stuck 10 seconds after starting.
Yea, me too... what the crap...
doesnt heat make the Polycarbonate VERY brittle though now
Maybe, if I have time today I'll bend some and beat it with a hammer. 😜 we'll find out.
@@Mallrat79 do it! i did subscribe!
Waste😊