Cold Forming Plastic (CFP) - mindsetsonline.co.uk
This plastic looks just like acrylic but has a toughness approaching polycarbonate and can be permanently formed into shape without heating -- thus avoiding the use of ovens, strip heaters etc. It is also a shape-memory polymer since it will return to its original flat form on application of moderate heat -- e.g., immersion in very hot water. To form the sheet, you can simply bend it by hand or using sheet metal folding equipment. (Alternatively, the sheet can be thermo-formed using conventional heating methods).
CFP comes as a 3mm thick optically clear sheet indistinguishable from clear acrylic. For those familiar with handling acrylic, the material is counter-intuitive since the expectation is that it will fracture. Bending this material makes a great demonstration of a new type of polymer that can be used safely without heat. It also has tremendous potential for creating a wide variety of impact-resistant products.
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