Making bendy parts on laser cutter?

[Danny Chamberlin]

Sonny, in the project linked below would the long section with the reliefs cut in it to make it bendable at those points be a design workable in plexi, or would this really only work with chipboard/wood?

http://blog.makezine.com/2012/02/08/bendy-corner-arduino-box/

Danny

[Sonny Mounicou]

That only works in wood. There are quite a few of those designs out
there now. You should check out thingiverse. There is a really sharp
notepad I've been thinking about making.

--Sonny

[Mark Turnage]

Danny, kerfing only works on wood and a few other materials AFAIK;
plexiglass has the wrong plastic/elasticity curve for that (...he
says, 20 years after his last mech engineering course...). That said,
I grew up watching my uncle do incredible bends in plexiglass with a
carefully applied blowtorch. So the design's from the link are
doable...you're just not going to be able to achieve it with
mechanical bends.

--
Mark Turnage

[Danny Chamberlin]

Oh I can bend plastic through suitable application of heat, I'm a long-time plastic slinging model builder :), I just like the look of the kerfed bend.

Danny

[Ed Stafford]

You could always lase the kerfs in plexi and grab a steel tube and a torch.. heat tube with torch, lay plexi across... would look pretty cool!

--
Ed Stafford

[Dan Hess]

Thanks,

Daniel H.

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