Line Bending

As the name implies, a Strip Heater is a heating source which is shielded in such a way that only a narrow strip is exposed. In modern Strip Heaters the heat source is usually a length of Nichrome Wire but older machines may use a Infra-red El

Drape Molding

The sheet of Acrylic can be heated in the plastics oven as above or small pieces heated with a Hot Air Gun – experiment to find the right temperature and be careful not to overheat the plastics : this will cause bubbling and eventual melting.

Use oven gloves or similar when handling the hot Acrylic sheet and simply ‘drape’ it over a pre-prepared mold.

Minor adjustments can be made throughout using a Hot Air Gun to maintain molding temperature and an extended molding time can be achieved if the mold is first pre-heated.

www.arizonaplastics.com

If you need something done Give us a call 602-340-1236 or online orders@desertstarplastics.com

Thanks

Desert Star Plastics

Die cutting is the general process of using a die to shear webs of low-strength materials, such as rubber, fiber, foil, cloth, paper, corrugated fiberboard, paperboard, plastics, pressure-sensitive adhesive tapes, foam and sheet metal. In the metalworking and leather industries, the process is known as clicking and the machine may be referred to as a clicking machine.^[1][2] When a dinking die or dinking machine is used, the process is known as dinking.^[1][3] Commonly produced items using this process include gaskets,^[4] labels, corrugated boxes, and envelopes.

Die cutting started as a process of cutting leather for the shoe industry in the mid-19th century.^[5] It is now sophisticated enough to cut through just one layer of a laminate, so it is now used on labels, stamps, and other stickers; this type of die cutting is known as kiss cutting.^[6]

Die cutting can be done on either flatbed or rotary presses. Rotary die cutting is often done inline with printing. The primary difference between rotary die cutting and flatbed die cutting is that the flatbed is not as fast but the tools are cheaper. This process lends itself to smaller production runs where it is not as easy to absorb the added cost of a rotary die.

Desert star Plastics Now has a 20 Ton CLICKER Press do you Have something that Needs to be Cut give us a call 602-340-1236 or Orders@desert starplastics.com

https://www.arizonaplastics.com

Gluing in plastic fabrication

What a simple think to do…. Well, not so fast. It doesn’t require being a rocket scientist to do it but you still need to know little basic knowledge.
1/ kind of plastic: there is different chemicals and different techniques depending of your plastics so, know your plastic.
2/ prepare the parts that need to be tied.
That means A/remove the grease
B/remove the dust
C/ prepare the 2 surfaces (joint, sand, etc..)
D/ set up how these two parts are going to hold during the gluing time
3/ if you use a solvent (chemical welding), you will need a steady hand. Any drops or little handshake will let a mark on your part. Practice is needed. So, I am sorry for the people having a Parkinson disease, but they will be better to delegate. Be careful about the solvent, they are chemical and therefore need to be handle carefully.
4/ if you mechanically weld, you need some more sophisticated material and a lot of practice. It could be heat weld, ultrasonic, etc.. This is out of the average Jo turf who wants to make something in his garage.

A lot of video are available online depending of the plastic nature, but to experiment, you are welcome to come at Desert Star Plastic and pick up some scraps in the recycling gaylords.
And about gluing without bubbles in the glue seams for the acrylic?
Apparently, you are really demanding. But yes, it is possible. For that, a lot of shops are not able or equipped to do it. With the regular acrylic glue, people will read about the pin technique ( a little needle at the glue seam every 5 inches, wait 12 seconds and remove them.)This could work well for thin acrylic and small parts but the rate of perfection decrease rapidity with the thickness and the length.
Some are using a 2 compounds glue and some add a 3% angle in 1 panel. A lot of fabricator have their own mix that they keep secret. For example, at Desert Star Plastic, our glue mix allows us to glue a part of 4” thick without any bubbles. You need to keep in mind that the requirement for bubble free seams always increases the cost.
And could we glue acrylic on another medium like wood and metal?
The answer is yes and yes. For the wood, the available glue like epoxy or wood glues will let a fussy or whitish or yellowish look on the part. For the metal, we have the same look but less strength.
Actually, Desert Star has developed a glue that is absolutely not visible between hardwood and acrylic. The results are amazing and the strength is great( see on you tube). If you have any idea of design to glue a nice acrylic to a beautiful piece of wood, thank you to contact us at 602 340 1236

VACUUM FORMING

Vacuum forming process is a simplified version of thermoforming, where a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto a single-surface mold, and forced against the mold by a vacuum. This process can be used to form plastic into permanent objects such as turnpike signs and protective covers. Normally draft angles are present in the design of the mold (a recommended minimum of 3°) to ease removal of the formed plastic part from the mold.
Relatively deep parts can be formed if the formable sheet is mechanically or pneumatically stretched prior to bringing it into contact with the mold surface and applying vacuum.

Suitable materials for use in vacuum forming are conventionally thermoplastics. The most common and easiest to use thermoplastic is high impact polystyrene. This is molded around a wood, structural foam or cast or machined aluminum mold (expensive ones), and can form to almost any shape. This high impact material is hygienic and capable of retaining heat and its shape when warm water is applied and is commonly used to package taste and odor sensitive products. Vacuum forming is also appropriate for transparent materials such as acrylic, which are widely used in applications for aerospace such as passenger cabin window canopies for military fixed wing aircraft and compartments for rotary wing aircraft. Vacuum forming is often used in low-level technology classes for an easy way to mold.

After forming, we need to finish the part. There is still some work to do. Not so easy Here is the main FINISHING PROCESS

Once a vacuum form has been created out of a sheet of plastic, a finishing operation will be needed in most cases to turn it into a usable product. Common vacuum forming finishing methods include:

A:Guillotining: The product is cut out of the sheet by pressing a blade through the product into a die underneath. This is a clean way of removing vacuum formed parts from the material sheet. It doesn’t require a special cutting tool to be made for an individual product and is therefore suitable for low volumes of parts where straight lines are no problem. Cutting only straight lines and being a fairly slow approach compared to other finishing methods, guillotining can be expensive for projects with larger, more complex quantities.[4]

B:Drilling: If simple round holes are the required finish, manually drilling them is a good solution for small quantities. Drilling guides can be used to ensure holes can be drilled quickly in the right place. As this is a labor-intensive method, it is only suitable for small production quantities.

C: Roller cutting: Process whereby the vacuum formed product is placed on a custom made cutter and pushed through a roller cutter machine. An efficient way of cutting vacuum formed items from the original sheet of vacuum forming material. The cutter can also cut any necessary holes, such as cable or access holes, at the same time. Roller cutting is suitable for fairly large items, where precision alignment is not required. As the vacuum forming and the cutter are rolled sideways through the roller cutter machine, some misalignment can occur. Roller cutting can’t be used for making holes or features in the sides of vacuum forming, as the cutter tool always cuts vertically from the bottom.

D: Press cutting: This is a very precise method of cutting which uses a press and a custom precision made cutting tool. This method is very suitable for items where the roller cutter process wouldn’t achieve the precision required. It’s often used for punching very small finished items out of a plastic sheet, rather than punching features into a product. Press cutting can’t be used to make features in the sides of vacuum forming.

E: Cutting with a CNC machine: Machining is a very precise method of creating holes & features. The real advantage is that it can be used to create features in the sides of vacuum forming, e.g. guide rails for a tray that needs to slide onto shelving. It can also cut sidewalls of a different depth than the pockets – something which cannot be done with roller or press cutting.

AND everything is always working fine, yes? But in manufacturing, specially in plastic, nothing is what it looks like. The thickness, the shape, the color, everything change’s and varies, therefore we need to know what are the most important data in the part. The outside dimension? The inside, a perfect match in the color you tell me

Here are few regular problems that we face during the vacuum process:
1/Absorbed moisture can expand, forming bubbles within the plastic’s inner layers.This significantly weakens the plastic. However, this can be solved by drying the plastic for an extended period at high but sub-melting temperature. Webs can form around the mold, which is due to overheating the plastic and so must be carefully monitored.

2/ Webbing can also occur when a mold is too large or parts of the mold are too close together.

3/ objects that are formed often stick to the mold, which is remedied by using a draft angle of three degrees or more in the mold

DESERT STAR PLASTICS 602-340-1236

VACUUM FORMING

Vacuum forming process is a simplified version of thermoforming, where a sheet of plastic is heated to a forming temperature, stretched onto a single-surface mold, and forced against the mold by a vacuum. This process can be used to form plastic into permanent objects such as turnpike signs and protective covers. Normally draft angles are present in the design of the mold (a recommended minimum of 3°) to ease removal of the formed plastic part from the mold.
Relatively deep parts can be formed if the formable sheet is mechanically or pneumatically stretched prior to bringing it into contact with the mold surface and applying vacuum.

Suitable materials for use in vacuum forming are conventionally thermoplastics. The most common and easiest to use thermoplastic is high impact polystyrene. This is molded around a wood, structural foam or cast or machined aluminum mold (expensive ones), and can form to almost any shape. This high impact material is hygienic and capable of retaining heat and its shape when warm water is applied and is commonly used to package taste and odor sensitive products. Vacuum forming is also appropriate for transparent materials such as acrylic, which are widely used in applications for aerospace such as passenger cabin window canopies for military fixed wing aircraft and compartments for rotary wing aircraft. Vacuum forming is often used in low-level technology classes for an easy way to mold.

After forming, we need to finish the part. There is still some work to do. Not so easy Here is the main FINISHING PROCESS

Once a vacuum form has been created out of a sheet of plastic, a finishing operation will be needed in most cases to turn it into a usable product. Common vacuum forming finishing methods include:

A:Guillotining: The product is cut out of the sheet by pressing a blade through the product into a die underneath. This is a clean way of removing vacuum formed parts from the material sheet. It doesn’t require a special cutting tool to be made for an individual product and is therefore suitable for low volumes of parts where straight lines are no problem. Cutting only straight lines and being a fairly slow approach compared to other finishing methods, guillotining can be expensive for projects with larger, more complex quantities.[4]

B:Drilling: If simple round holes are the required finish, manually drilling them is a good solution for small quantities. Drilling guides can be used to ensure holes can be drilled quickly in the right place. As this is a labor-intensive method, it is only suitable for small production quantities.

C: Roller cutting: Process whereby the vacuum formed product is placed on a custom made cutter and pushed through a roller cutter machine. An efficient way of cutting vacuum formed items from the original sheet of vacuum forming material. The cutter can also cut any necessary holes, such as cable or access holes, at the same time. Roller cutting is suitable for fairly large items, where precision alignment is not required. As the vacuum forming and the cutter are rolled sideways through the roller cutter machine, some misalignment can occur. Roller cutting can’t be used for making holes or features in the sides of vacuum forming, as the cutter tool always cuts vertically from the bottom.

D: Press cutting: This is a very precise method of cutting which uses a press and a custom precision made cutting tool. This method is very suitable for items where the roller cutter process wouldn’t achieve the precision required. It’s often used for punching very small finished items out of a plastic sheet, rather than punching features into a product. Press cutting can’t be used to make features in the sides of vacuum forming.

E: Cutting with a CNC machine: Machining is a very precise method of creating holes & features. The real advantage is that it can be used to create features in the sides of vacuum forming, e.g. guide rails for a tray that needs to slide onto shelving. It can also cut sidewalls of a different depth than the pockets – something which cannot be done with roller or press cutting.

AND everything is always working fine, yes? But in manufacturing, specially in plastic, nothing is what it looks like. The thickness, the shape, the color, everything change’s and varies, therefore we need to know what are the most important data in the part. The outside dimension? The inside, a perfect match in the color you tell me

Here are few regular problems that we face during the vacuum process:
1/Absorbed moisture can expand, forming bubbles within the plastic’s inner layers.This significantly weakens the plastic. However, this can be solved by drying the plastic for an extended period at high but sub-melting temperature. Webs can form around the mold, which is due to overheating the plastic and so must be carefully monitored.

2/ Webbing can also occur when a mold is too large or parts of the mold are too close together.

3/ objects that are formed often stick to the mold, which is remedied by using a draft angle of three degrees or more in the mold

DESERT STAR PLASTICS 602-340-1236

The acrylic fabrication process is a very clean, detail-oriented way of manufacturing acrylic. There are virtually no defects due to manufacturing.
Fabricating acrylic by hand will eliminate the relief marks and/or blue haze you would get with injection molded pieces. There are four main steps when creating a custom fabricated piece – Cut, Bend, Glue, and Polish.

1. Cut
Before anything can be constructed with the acrylic sheets, they must first be cut into necessary sizes.
2. Linear Bend
To do so, each piece is set a few inches a top heat strips. Eventually, heat from the strips causes the acrylic piece to soften along the thinner grooved areas, making it malleable and ready for bending. And we bend the part according to the blueprint.
Some parts require a specific radius. In this case, the heat strip is not working. We need to make a mold and soften the panel in an oven with the correct mold. This process is quite more time consuming .
3. Glue
The next step in the acrylic fabrication process is gluing. A very thin strip of acrylic glue is added precisely to where it need adhesion. Then it is held in place by clamps and weights to ensure proper drying. It is very important to glue your acrylic pieces accurately. Failure to do so could result in unfavorable defects.
The glue seams is a marker of the job quality. For quick cheap jobs, there are bubbles in the seams. For highest quality, there is not.
4. Polish
Once all of your pieces of acrylic are cut, bent, and glued it is time to polish the necessary pieces. Some individual pieces must be polished before they are assembled.
Usually, we polish these pieces by using a very hot flame. By slightly melting the surface of the acrylic, surface tension smoothes out the surface of the acrylic piece. When done properly, flame polishing produces a clear finish. The flame polishing, by changing the tension in the acrylic, makes it subject to creasing (microscopic cracks on the edges) when an alcohol or ammoniac solution (or both like Windex) is used to clean.
To decrease the risk of creasing and have a better quality, the diamond edge polishing and the sand/buff are two other way with higher quality result. These techniques are more time consuming.

5. With this process we are able to Build Table Tents Small and large displays as well as wood displays mixed with acrylic also in house Vacuum forming / CNC Machining / Laser Cutting / Engraving. High quality Bubble Free Glue joints

Do you have something in Mind Give us a call 602-340-1236 or Info@coolplastic.com

Desert Star Plastics

Desert Star Plastics is a custom fabrication shop located downtown Phoenix, Arizona.

Desert Star Plastics is a full service, acrylic plastic fabrication and manufacturing company. We are located in the Phoenix Valley of the Sun, in beautiful Arizona. Since 1972 we delivered standard stock and custom designed products. It ranges from sign and brochure holders, ballot and donation boxes, literature racks and chart holders, to custom technological and art projects, CNC routed and 3D printed items.

We offer a full line of acrylic (Plexiglas®) plastic stock items for food industries, retail as well as for trade shows, fundraisers, and special events. Our line of acrylic plastic products include: sign holders, product displays, food bins, meat or pastry boxes, candy dispensers, sneeze guards, table tents, donation boxes, ballot boxes, literature holders and racks, dust covers, picture frames, collector’s boxes, and much more.

We have been custom fabricating a wide variety of products, starting from simple products for individuals, and ending with much complex objects for industry projects. We value all of our customers and therefore we work to provide full satisfaction in all aspects of working with us. For many years, Desert Star Plastics has been supplying high quality acrylic plastic products not only to the Southwest region, but also to businesses nation-wide. We ship across the entire continent of North America and work as well with customers from Europe and Asia.

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