Acrylic becomes soft and formable at around 160 degrees Celsius, which is what lets a flat sheet become a menu holder, a dome or a curved display. Here is how professionals do it.
How it works · 2026-07-28 · 5 min read
A strip heater warms a narrow line on the sheet until it softens, then the sheet is folded against a jig to the exact angle and held until cool. This makes the crisp folds you see on menu holders, brochure stands, risers and boxes. Good line bending keeps the fold bubble-free and the faces optically flat.
For full curves and domes the whole sheet goes into an oven at 150 to 180 degrees, then is draped or pressed over a mould. Slow, even heating matters: rush it and you get bubbles; overheat and the sheet browns. Thick sheet can take an hour to heat correctly.
Acrylic absorbs moisture from the air. Professional shops pre-dry sheet for several hours before forming, because trapped moisture turns to steam and fills the material with bubbles. Skipping this step is the most common DIY failure.
Thin acrylic under 3mm can flex into gentle curves and be held by a frame, but it stays stressed and can craze or crack over time, especially in heat. Any permanent bend should be a heat bend.
Our workshop line-bends and thermoforms acrylic daily for displays, signage and fit-out across the emirates, with jigs that keep every piece in a production run identical.
Folds come from line bending, curves come from thermoforming, and both need controlled heat plus dry sheet. For production quantities, jig-based bending is what keeps units consistent.
Questions about your own project? Talk to our Dubai workshop, we answer the same working day.
Pick your products, add a note, and our team replies the same working day.