Home > Blog > Behind the Scenes… Acrylic Fabrication 

I've said this before, showing behind the scenes is difficult because I can't share your work or others'... this is a drum stick display stand I made with my daughter... she's 11 and an awesome drummer!

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This is a very simple example of what can be achieved by cutting, folding and polishing the edges of acrylic...

I thought this might be a little more interesting that a flat panel with round corners, drill holes and a flame edge polish.  We print loads of reverse print acrylics and they are beautiful.  

When we print we us our Multi-award winning Oce Arizona flat bed printer.  We prefer true flatbed printer because the media is vacuumed down to the bed and does not move.  We think this provides a much sharper, hier quality print.

We can print the reverse and then apply a layer of white ink in the same process… it’s quick and can be the equivalent quality of fine art (giclée).

 

Here are the steps I took...

  • I measured the are I wanted and deigned this is Corel Draw (Illustrator or any DTP package that exorts as DXF files).
  • Exported the template with through cut and rebate (50% cut to hold the drum sticks in place at the bottom).
  • I used a Zund G3 to route the shape and cut 50% through the acrylic where I wanted to fold it (This is not necessary but I like the cleaner straight fold).
  • I then used an Acrylic bender to heatheat the areas I wanted to fold.  It gets very hot but only at the line where you are going to bend.
  • Finally I used a flame edge polisher.  This create a tiny flame which can reach temperatures of between 1200-3300°C!  (You’ll notice I did this in my kitchen at home as I was making acrylic shelves at the same time and counn’t find the lighter at work in the weekend).

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What is Acrylic? Is it the same as Perspex or Plexiglas?

It’s a bit like Sellotape and Hoover, Perspex and Plexiglas are, infact, brand names of acrylic.  

Acrylic comes in a couple of forms, Cast and Extruded (I used extruded in the video).

When choosing an acrylic sheet for your next project, it’s important to consider the various advantages and disadvantages of each type of acrylic. For instance, Cast Acrylic is more durable and is ideal for various applications.

Since Extruded acrylic has a consistent thickness, it can be commonly used for various fabrication projects. Also, it’s more flexible and can be flame polished. 

These sheets are more durable than glass and are ideal for various applications such as greenhouse glazing, garage windows, and office screens.

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