Re: Ultracapacitor Hot Wire Plastic Bender

In article <1171534574.404434.255560@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, The
Dougster <DGoncz@xxxxxxx> wrote:

As I fabricate the dashboard for the MOEPED 5, an electric bicycle
with ultracapacitor energy store, I require a tricky bend in Lexan.

I am wonder if five each 2500 F, 2.5 WVDC caps from that vehicle would
provide a suitable hot wire bend with a 14 gage stainless spoke as a
bending element. It seems I'd be able to control the energy input very
accurately by measuring pre-bend charge to, say 0.01 VDC.

It seems like a hard way to do it.

You typically want to use a reasonably high resistance for a heating
element (Power = current * resistance), so a 14 gage spoke would look
more like a short circuit than a heater. Nichrome wire makes a good
resistance heater.

But you need enough energy (power times time) to raise a sufficient
amount of the lexan to hot enough in order to bend. Just getting the
wire hot for a few seconds won't heat the lexan enough.

Unless you need the ability to fabricate new dashboards when you're out
mopeding in the wilderness, it's probably easier to make a heater that
plugs into the wall (transformer isolated of course).

Google on 'bending lexan' for more ideas.

--
David M. Palmer dmpalmer@xxxxxxxxx (formerly @clark.net, @ematic.com)

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