No Crazing Here! Cementing Pockets onto Brochure Holders
Wednesday, January 30th, 2008As a customer, you may be interested to know how some of our processes work. One of these processes is “cementing” acrylic pieces. In the manufacturing of acrylic display stands, brochure displays, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays, this is an important step that we undertake every day. Basically, we glue styrene pockets on to styrene parts and glue acrylic pockets on to acrylic parts. How do we do it? The first step is preparing the area to be cemented. Plastic edges need to be cleanly cut and properly machined. A chipped edge may result in “crazing” of the material, which would need to be finished on a jointer or a shaper. We’re careful not to polish the edges because this will produce a convex edge with rounded corners which results in a weak, unattractive joint.
Industrial Thermometer
Crazing may also occur if internal stresses from shop fabrication are too extreme. To eliminate this, we would anneal the piece at 180°F. Through the annealing process, heating and cooling time (in hours) needs to each equal the material thickness in millimeters, up to 6 mm. For example, you would heat a 3 mm thick sheet for three hours and allow it to cool gradually for three hours. For thin sheet, the annealing time should be at least two hours. It is not necessary to heat a thin piece for more than six hours, though it will not be harmful to the sheet if heating time is extended. Capillary Cementing: Capillary cementing is probably the most popular way of joining acrylic sheet. It works because of a low viscosity and because it allows solvent type cement to flow through a joint area by capillary action. This process yields a strong, transparent joint.
Acrylic Joint, Source: Natural Handyman
Of course, before we use a solvent or other type cement we review the Material Safety Data Sheet (MSDS) for that particular product. In addition, adequate ventilation must be provided and the manufacturer’s guidelines for proper use should always be followed when using solvents. The other key it to make sure all parts fit together properly. We then join the pieces together with masking tape or clamp them into a form that will support the pieces. Then, we hold them firmly in place. We do this for almost all brochure displays, racks, counter displays, donation / suggestion boxes and point of purchase (p.o.p) displays we manufacture. If for whatever reason the cement does not flow completely into the joint, we tilt the vertical piece very slightly toward the outside. This allows the solvent to flow freely into the entire joint. Then, we tilt the piece back again for a square corner. The initial bond forms in five to ten seconds. We wait three hours before doing subsequent processing. Maximum strength is reached in 24-48 hours and continues to build for several weeks. If you need a brochure display, rack, counter display, donation / suggestion box or point of purchase (p.o.p) display, get in touch with us today
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