METHOD OF BENDING THIN SHEET, TYPICALLY METHYL METHACRYLATE, BY HEATING AT 80 TO 200 DEGREES CENTIGRADE FOR 5 SECONDS TO 10 MINUTES THEN BENDING IN VACUUM FORMING STATION

摘要

A method is provided for forming a curve or curves in a thin solid surface material such as an acrylic sheet material. The method includes taking a sheet of solid surface material of a thickness within the range of 1.4 mm to 5.9 mm and placing the sheet in or on an apparatus which includes a heating station a platen or platens and a vacuuming station including a sandwich mold. The heating platens are set at a predetermined temperature within the range 80 DEG C. to 200 DEG C. and the solid surface material to be formed is brought into contact with or at least near the heating platens so that heat emanating from said platen/s is distributed substantially uniformly across at least one surface of the solid surface material. The heating of the solid surface material is for a predetermined time within the range of 5 seconds-10.0 minutes according to the temperature selected from the temperature range. The heated solid surface material sheet is transferred into or onto the vacuum mold prior to cooling, causing with the use of said sandwich mold, based on mold parts or a substrate used as a mold part, the solid surface material to bend about said mold generally along a corridor located at a predetermined distance from an edge of the sheet and/or in a region therebetween to form a bend or bends having a radius or radii of a predetermined sizes.