Best metals for heating???

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d.weglarz13

Joined
Jun 4, 2008
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Hey guys. I have gotten help from you guys before about all sorts of weird stuff, so I have another weird question for ya! I am trying to form some divets in a plastic cover. What i have now is a plastic cover, and I would like to put heat to it in a way that i can melt some fabric to the cover. It is pretty simple, i just need some advice on the setup and what to use. I basically need a round piece of screen(wrapped around a pipe?) so that when i heat it up and press it down on the fabric, it will melt it into the cover at certain points of contact, where the screen pushes the fabric onto the plastic. Now, this may sound weird, but its not. I just need to know what the best type of metal to use is, and if i can use a screen to do this. Also, how would i go about putting a heat source to the screen, in order to regulate the heat so when i press down, i don't burn the fabric if its too hot. So, anyone have any ideas on where i can start looking at something like this. Right now, the screening that i am trying to use is working okay, i just have to figure a way to regulate the heat, and throw together a little press or something so i can push down perfect pressure all the way around the round cover. I hope you guys know what I mean here Thanks in advance for ANY ideas!
Dave
 
How large a hole? You could take some black pipe from Lowes or a plumbing supply house, heat it with a heat gun and have it chucked up in a drill press or have it in a vise and push the material down onto the hot pipe. Not sure what size pipe or material we're talking about.
 
Well, the plastic is a thin plastic, the kind you would see in a plastic cup, and the hole needs to be about 3.5 inches. I got most of it down already, i just am not sure how to rig a heat source up to it, and what kind. I figured I would ask you guys, as the heat source needs to be variable, so i can keep a constant EXACT heat on the metal pipe or whatever. Any ideas on the heat source? Is there somewhere I can buy or make something like this? You know, make the pipe into a hot press type of deal?
Thanks again guys.
Like I said, any idea helps!
Dave
 
My first thought would be to use a solvent to glue it. Prob is , if it's the exact same plastic as those disposable cups, The solvent that do attack it, do so very aggressively.
Next thought is possibly use a soldering gun hooked to a variac. Turn down the voltage to limit the max temp. This could also be accomplished with a purpose build homemade version. Useing a variac to power a 24 volt transformer with a lenght of wire connected across the output of the transformer. A volt meter across the input side of the transformer will give you an indication of how much power is being applied and a benchmark of where/how to set it up for future use. We use something very similar at work to heat targeted areas of plastic for bending.
 
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