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Acrylic light box returns, bending acrylic
- Thread starter nolanola
- Start date
Zendavor Signs
Mmmmm....signs
I have no idea how to make the returns out of acrylic. Seems like that would not be very durable. Perforated metal for the returns might be something to consider.
astro8
New Member
An acrylic oven, ribbon burner or heat gun. If you have a cnc router, can mitre the edge and face for very neat and strong join. If no cnc, cut the face out, cut your strips (returns), glue the returns to the face as close as you can get to the edge of the face, but don’t go over and run around with a finishing router set to the depth of the face to get a neat edge. You can use a former to heat and bend the acrylic around to get the proper radius. If you have a cnc, you can make from mdf easily but it all used to be done with hand tools once. This size sign would best to use 6mm for the returns and 4.5 -6mm for the face, but a lot would make it out of 4.5mm face and returns They usually have a 10mm pvc back with the leds mounted and the fixing screws go through the returns into the 10mm pvc. Glue up first with thin glue and then run a heavy thick bead of thick glue Weld-on No.16 all around. It maybe different where you are from but we use 455 opal acrylic for most of these.
nolanola
New Member
Thank you! I'll give them a call.
nolanola
New Member
Yes, we have a CNC machine. We use weld on as well. I was thinking about cutting a shape out of mdf and bend along the mdf with a heat gun.
Thank you for the detailed explanation.
astro8
New Member
If it's your first job, bypass the mitre join, use 4.5mm and just glue the returns to the face. You can also cut the face 2mm larger all around and route a 5mm channel in 2mm from the edge and 2mm deep and glue your returns into that and hand route the edge off after. This method requires you to get the return right down flush with the face or you'll get a dirty line. Heating and bending the acrylic without it shrinking, buckling, bellying, or sagging is a bit of an art so do a few practice bends first.
kcollinsdesign
Old member
This will be very tricky to accomplish without "dirty" join lines. Any kind of contrast between the face and returns essentially eliminates that problem.
Also I wouldn't attempt this using a heat gun. For best results the plastic needs to be heated uniformly in an oven. There are some bigger fabrication facilities that can make this for you. Unless you want to gear up to make these kinds of signs, I would contract this project out.
Also I wouldn't attempt this using a heat gun. For best results the plastic needs to be heated uniformly in an oven. There are some bigger fabrication facilities that can make this for you. Unless you want to gear up to make these kinds of signs, I would contract this project out.
nolanola
New Member
They say they don't manufacture this type of cabinets.
Can you recommend a company that does it?
www.facecrafters.net I bet could do it.