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Is it possible to DIY it (neatly)? If so, what's the best way? Ideally want a method that's quick/professional-looking/consistent. Willing to spend money on kit but I'd like to see if it's worth pursuing first!
heat and a former primarily.
If you spend money you'll no doubt get a more consistent heat source than waving a paint stripper gun at it and if you don't just use the edge of a table to bend it over you'll have a more repeatable result.
I have a decent, adjustable heat gun & and IR thermometer so could probably get the temp in the right range fairly easily. I can machine MDF to make a jig for the angle. Is it just as simple as heating it, bending it (by hand) over the jig, and leaving it to cool? Does it need to be clamped?
What sir requires is a strip heater
https://www.technologysupplies.co.uk/plastics-forming-equipment/strip-heaters.html
The main thing if you're bending sheet is to apply the bending force evenly along the length. So clamp one side flat and then when you've heated the point to bend apply force along the length of the 'free' end rather than just holding it in the middle and pushing.
It stops being plastic quite quickly once you remove the heat source - so once bent you should find it stops being pliable within a few seconds.
Yeah, I had googled and seen a few. I guess heating ONLY the part you want to bend makes it a lot easier. Some of the standalone heaters on your link seem crazy expensive. £500+ just for a heater? Maybe they have some cool features I don't understand though. They seem to have some combined heaters/jigs for less money that look good though, and the standalone adjustable jigs look good too.What sir requires is a strip heater
Ta! I'll give it a go, probably come back looking for more advice after I balls it up 😂The main thing if you’re bending sheet is to apply the bending force evenly along the length. So clamp one side flat and then when you’ve heated the point to bend apply force along the length of the ‘free’ end rather than just holding it in the middle and pushing.
Yes, they were just the first supplier I could think of - I'm sure there are plenty of other options. Strip heaters a pretty common thing in school design departments and not all of them are silly money.
The CR Clarke ones are the default cheap ones found in schools - get one second hand like this:-
For a single, angled bend along a line the a strip heater is the way to go. Easy to make your own. I use the wire from a net curtain (the coiled spring type). Peel the plastic off, fit the hooks on the end then stretch it over a couple screws in a sheet of wood. Sit your plastic on some blocks above the wire. Apply a pretty decent current. I have a nice power supply for this but you can use a car battery. The heater wire will stretch a little so you may need to re-tension. Just put a few screws in the wood and move it with a pair of pliers.
Then just leave the plastic over the heater for the right time. It'll take a bit of trial and error to get the timing right. There is quite a short time between not enough and too much heat but when it is right the plastic will bend easily and neatly. Hold it for a few seconds to cool. Job done.
For curves and compound shapes then you need to drape it over a former in an oven. That is a much trickier job.
Here is one of the bits I made. By moving the croc clips on the heater I could focus the heat to the bit that needed heating.
ah, nice one, I did look on eBay earlier but didn't find anything as I didn't know what they were called!!get one second hand like this:-
I've done simple bending by just putting it in the oven.
As it becomes warm it softens and can be bent or formed into any shape imaginable. The typical forming temperature range of most acrylic sheet plastics is 275°F to 350°F (135°C to 177°C). A consistent and controlled heat source is necessary so that the bends are smooth and the finished parts are aesthetically pleasing.