LCD Cover

by matthewbeckler

26K2720

Intro: LCD Cover

Everybody loves LCD monitors because they are so portable and perfect for LAN parties, but I am always afraid of something falling and damaging the soft screen when I travel with my LCD. After purchasing a nice 19 inch Dell display, I decided I needed something to protect my investment. I cut and molded a piece of acrylic plexiglass to form a cover for my LCD monitor.

STEP 1: Measure Monitor and Cut Plexiglass

In the image, you can see my plan for this project. I measured the dimensions of my monitor, and added 1.5 inches extra around each side. After cutting out the corners, I had to somehow bend the plexiglass on the dashed lines.

STEP 2: Bending the Plexiglass

I talked to a few glass stores in town, but I couldn't find anybody who would bend plexi. I did some research online and found that some people had successfully used a heat gun and very gentle pressure, so I decided to try it. After borrowing a heat gun from my roommate's girlfriend's mother, I set up a crude heating and bending mold with a piece of wood and a metal level. I applied the heat gun to the gap between the block and level, and very, very carefully, the plexiglass started to soften and melt. As the acrylic starts to melt, the pressure from the block will start bending it. I needed to tack down the level, because it had a tendancy to scoot to the right as the bend progressed. Eventually, you will need to apply pressure to the left edge towards the level. Once the plexi is bent at 90 degrees, turn off the heat gun and let it cool right here before moving it. I moved the first edge before letting it cool, and it flexed back to about an 80 degree angle.

You can see in the last image my progress after bending two of the sides.

STEP 3: Final Results

Here is a collection of images of the finished product. The first five images are of the cover mounted on my monitor. You can see some cracking at the corners that happened during the bending process. I think I may have pushed with too much force before it was heated enough. I may try to fill in the cracks with glue someday.

In the last two pictures, you can see that I put a pillow case over the monitor to prevent the new cover from bouncing around.

Someday I would like to add something to hold the cover to the monitor, such as bungee cords or velcro.

21 Comments

SWERDNA 13 years ago

Hi out there from darkest Africa! I am a total novice at manipulating Plexiglass - I have this concept of 'rippling' Plexiglass like a flag in the wind frozen in time - is a Heatgun the only method or are there chemical solutions to achieve this effect?

SWERDNA

Dr. dB 13 years ago

Chemicals would tend to badly "frost" and/or "craze" the surface while seriously damaging the molecular structure of the polymer - which CAN be used as "special effects", but that doesn't sound like what you're looking for.
To "ripple" a sizeable sheet without scarring the surface, you might be better off with the "drape" method: pre-build a (heat-resistant) "rippling" framework to lay it on, then heat the entire thing in a oven until the plastic "sags" into the form. Just be VERY careful of the heat setting(s) as plexi can FLASH into flames when it reaches the right (wrong!) temperature. (Just keep an eye on it - if it starts to "bubble", you've over-shot - it's already many degrees HOTTER than needed for bending, but will still be a little COOLER than the "flash" point, so you can prevent a fire...)
Alternately, depending on the thickness of plastic you want, there are several excellent 'ibles on building your own vacuum-forming jig...

SWERDNA 13 years ago

Thank you Dr dB! (Hoping you are a real-live person and not a robot)

I will try your method - I have a small piece of corrugated iron roof sheet with a nice ripple that should do the trick - I'll be standing by with fire extinguisher

You alluded to chemicals - I am an artist and stumbling into sculpture and accumulating knowledge as I go along - what chemicals will badly frost and/or craze the Plexi?!?! This sounds cool

Yours
Swerdna

mrsayao 14 years ago

how'd you cut it?

matthewbeckler 14 years ago

I think I just used a small-tooth hacksaw. I've heard of other people using a utility knife to score, and then snap-off, plexiglass, but I haven't tried it.

Dr. dB 13 years ago

Scoring'n'snapping works nicely, but does leave a somewhat-ragged edge needing scraping, sanding or "fire-polishing" to "pretty-it-up". If dimensioning were critical, you'd want to allow an extra half-millimeter so you can "dress it down" to precise measurements...

ifire 14 years ago

it's actually called a heat stripper, stephenniall! we make photo frames at our school! Does anyone Know how to stick plexiglass to itself? that I need to Know...Help!

JUANKERR 13 years ago

If it's like English Perspex (methyl methacrylate) you can "weld" it with chloroform.

If you dissolve some scrap bits in the chloroform it can be used as a glue.

DON'T BREATHE TOO MUCH OF THE SOLVENT IN, IT'LL QUICKLY KNOCK YOU OUT!!

Xamith 14 years ago

I think that means no.

stephenniall 15 years ago

Hmm i did something like this for my psp At school with a small piece of acrylic and a Strip bender (think its called that)

robots199 15 years ago

there is a very expensive dell monitor that features the same thing that you have but with glass

machineman 15 years ago

Hi Mvrogy, Cool thing you made from the acrylic...just one suggestion...this might help your cover from falling off the monitor...the upper folded part of the cover could be further folded 90 degrees downwards so that the cover keeps from falling off..but to do this you might have to remove the lower folding of the cover....

Zumbuda 18 years ago

I did something similar for my laptop that rides shotgun in the car with me. The display was too bright at night, and instead of fiddling with the brightness controls, I built something like this that slips over the top (and slips right back off) lined with window tinting from WalMart. Works great, still readable, but the cops don't pull me over anymore. It's only running a GPS officer...

aaron 18 years ago

will a hair dryer be hot enough to soften the acrylic?

vrogy 18 years ago

Basically, just a 3/8-1/2" hole drilled at the corners where the bends meet(before bending) to prevent the lexan from cracking- which a tight enough radius with .1" will do pretty easily. Another thing that's occured to me is that it'd be pretty easy to just add some extra bends to the side tabs so the whole thing will snap onto the LCD. Might try that as soon as I get some 1/16" stuff.

matthewbeckler 18 years ago

I believe I used a 0.1" thickness for my sheet. I got it at my local Menards, which is similar to Home Depot, for about $6. Vrogy, what are these 'circular relief cuts at the corners' you speak of?

theo2112 18 years ago

for the general public, I have purchased lexan from the home depot. I dont know th exact thinkness, but it was no doubt less than 1". They have a (rather) large selection of it with different tints, thicknesses, and "breakabilities" (?) Prices range from 3$ - lots of $'s
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