Acrylic can be processed using methods such as casting, injection molding, extrusion, and thermoforming.
Casting:
Casting is used to form acrylic sheets, rods, and other profiles. It involves bulk polymerization to form the profiles. Cast products require post-treatment, which involves holding at 60℃ for 2 hours and then at 120℃ for 2 hours.
Injection Molding:
Injection molding uses granules obtained from suspension polymerization and is performed on ordinary plunger or screw injection molding machines. Table 1 shows typical process conditions for polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA) injection molding. Process Parameters: Screw Injection Molding Machine vs. Plunger Injection Molding Machine; Barrel Temperature (°C): Rear: 180-200, 180-200; Middle: 190-230; Front: 180-210, 210-240; Nozzle Temperature (°C): 180-210, 210-240; Mold Temperature (°C): 40-80, 40-80; Injection Pressure (MPa): 80-120, 80-130; Holding Pressure (MPa): 40-60, 40-60; Screw Speed (rp.m.): 20-30. Injection molded products also require post-treatment to relieve internal stress. This treatment is carried out in a 70-80°C hot air circulating drying oven. The treatment time for acrylic rods depends on the thickness of the product, generally requiring about 4 hours.
Thermoforming:
Thermoforming is the process of shaping acrylic sheets or plates into products of various sizes and shapes. The blank, cut to the required dimensions, is clamped in a mold frame, heated to soften it, and then pressure is applied to press it against the mold surface, resulting in a shape identical to the molded surface. After cooling and setting, the edges are trimmed to obtain the finished product. Pressure can be applied using vacuum stretching or by directly applying pressure to a punch with a molded surface. The thermoforming temperature range is recommended in Table 3. When using rapid vacuum low-stretch molding, a temperature close to the lower limit is preferable; for deeply stretched products with complex shapes, a temperature close to the upper limit is preferable. Normal temperatures are generally used. Below, we will explain the processing technology of turning acrylic sheets into handicrafts.
Acrylic Display Stands: Acrylic processing is a rather complex technology. The operation should be selected based on factors such as the shape and size of the acrylic product itself. Below, we will introduce several major processing steps from Dongguan Tuwei Acrylic Products Co., Ltd.
Acrylic Display Stands: Acrylic processing is a rather complex technology. The operation should be selected based on factors such as the shape and size of the acrylic product itself. Below, we will introduce several major processing steps from Dongguan Tuwei Acrylic Products Co., Ltd.
Material Cutting: Acrylic sheets are cut using a cutting machine. This requires knowing the dimensions of the acrylic product to ensure accurate cutting and avoid material waste.
Engraving: After cutting, the acrylic sheet is initially engraved according to the shape requirements of the acrylic product, creating various shapes.
Edge Trimming: After cutting or engraving, the edges of the acrylic sheet are relatively rough, so an edge trimming machine is used.
Drilling: This process depends on the needs of the acrylic product. Some acrylic products have small round holes, requiring a drilling process.
Polishing: After cutting, engraving, and drilling, the edges are relatively rough and can easily scratch hands, so polishing is used. Polishing includes abrasive wheel polishing, cloth wheel polishing, and heat polishing, and the appropriate method must be selected based on the product.
Paper Removal: Paper removal is a preparatory step before screen printing and heat bending. Acrylic sheets come with a protective paper layer, which must be removed before screen printing and heat bending.
Screen Printing: This step is typically used when customers want to display their brand logo or slogan. Screen printing is divided into single-color screen printing and four-color (CNYK) screen printing. For more details on acrylic product screen printing processes, please refer to [link to relevant documentation].
Heat Bending: Heat bending allows acrylic to be shaped into different forms. Heat bending is further divided into partial heat bending and overall heat bending.
Gluing and Packaging: These are the last two steps in the acrylic product manufacturing process, completing the assembly of the entire acrylic product and its packaging before shipment.