Joining ABS Plastic Sheet

Let me ask a really dumb question. How about scaling it down to 3' x 8' each side? Then you don't need to join the sheets together.

That would make things easy! Unfortunately the people that make up the rules have specified a 3' x 9' surface area.

I didn't mention that there's also a 1'x12' piece of equipment made from the same material - also mandated by the various organizations.

I would take a 1 foot section you cut from the width and attach it to the top of the ramps. You could weld/join part of the remaining 5 foot sheet of the leftover cut-off to underside of the ramp for strength. It looks like your metal frame is adequate.

You could also place a wide traction strip at this joint on the "dog" side of the ramp.

Good luck.

Plastic type gas lines are joined by heating the two pipe sections to be joined and then they are pressed together. Why not make a heater to heat the ends of the two pieces and some sort of ram to press then together. ABS is used extensively in the manufacture of gasoline tanks for automobiles accessories are added by spin bonding for lack of a better term. Essentially melted together.

Any help?

I like this idea and it may eliminate a secondary operation of putting treads on the surface. I can heat the two ends and press the shape of the tread at the same time.

The trick, I think, is going to be retaining heat over the entire area during the process. If I put a heater in the forming tool it could all be done in the same process.

A lot of work for the few that I sell in a year! But, definitely doable.

I wonder, does the plastic need any prep work before or during the operation? i.e., oxide removal.

Whenever I have Joined ABS I just made sure the edge was clean. Perhaps a heater above and below across the one foot width and once heated push them together. In the case of the treads same heater, slide the plastic forward and press in the treat pattern.

I'll try some sample pieces tomorrow and see what happens. I'll post my results.

I like LynLynch's idea. You need the surface area for a good bond. You could use heat with his approach, like spot welding metal.

If you can live with a lap joint then acetone or fingernail polish will weld the joint tighter than Dick's hatband.

If you don't like a lap joint, you could butt the two pieces together and glue on a splice piece lapping across the other two.

Good call. There you have it. Please post feedback or images.

I, personally, only go to athletic canine events to watch the wrecks.

Come to an agility trial! Unfortunately lots of wrecks. That's the problem, like any sport, we're training our dogs to run faster and faster but we haven't improved our equipment.

The impact resistant plastic is supposed to soften the impact with a near vertical wall and is supposed to be an improvement over plywood strung 2x4's.

I do something similar to this with the tread I place on the surface. There are 8 treads placed 1' apart.

I cover the seam with the tread (tread is made from foamed PVC) and solvent weld it to the surface.

Here's the thing, I think the solvent weakens the ABS. I've had joints that have held up but the area near the joint (area exposed to solvent) has weakend enough to yield and result in failure.

Hello, You may consider UHMW sheet. There is a compression Molder in the Seattle area that makes huge billets for dock bumpers etc and can provide skived material to whatever thickness you like. I am pretty sure a 9' x 3' sheet can be shipped to you finished. The company name evades me right now. If you cannot find it online then I could dig it out for you. UHMW does not lend itself to chemical bonding but can be welded. It is Ultra High Molecular Weight Polyethylene. It is extremely wear resistant and lubricious and cheap and can be colored at little to no extra cost.

Regards

And is slippery as ice.

I love that material and originally looked at it. Problem I found with it is that nothing economically sticks to it. Since I need to paint and apply a traction surface, I couldn't use it.

Hello, UHMW can be joined with a 2 part epoxy and oven cured at a reasonable temp of 95degrees. That is how the bottoms are glued to skis. To get a grip you may abrade it. For grip areas you can epoxy a cloth or canvas to the surface.

Good Luck

Hello 2tinker,

the UHMW is soooo slippery I am not sure you could even get a 'grip' of some sort to stick to it?

Rules for the agility contest may be found here.

Hello K9Einstein,

I would cut the 8' (240 cm) length in half, pull it apart one foot, fit a 3' x 1' (90 x 30 cm) in the space. fit 1" (25 mm) angle on the underside. With the edge pointing down. Do both sides and one length down the centre to prevent any buckling. That way the strong 4' (10cm) lengths are at the top and bottom where it gets most punishment.

Good luck..................

I've thought about doing something similar using fiber reinforced sail battens. It would back up the material to support it and add some flex (like a diving board) to dampen the impact.

I Never thought about running them along the seam.

Still got the adhesion problem to work out though. Freeze/thaw cycles will rip it apart over time if seam is open.

Hello K9Einstein:

Can I just ask something.....................

In the illustration it looks as if the thing is made from plywood. As long as the overall size is the same, and the 'running' surface for the dog is the same, can you not make it from wood? If there is a rule saying this has to be make from Lexan was it, sorry I forgot, these people who think these thing up do not like in the real world, otherwise they would have had a standard for an 8' (240cm) length either side. Most everything thing comes in step up grade of 2' (60 cm) or 4' (120 cm), up to 8' (240 cm). I watch this king of agility test on TV and it looks like either plywood or block-board is the material? There has to be some kind of grippy side which will cover most of the structure anyway?

I thought of another method using wood and maybe something like sail battens. I have never seen them so would not know. But the idea was to make a groove the exact thickness of the plastic. It would be hard wood and made from say 2" x 3" (5 x 7.5 cm). The groove would be 2" (5 cm) cut into the 'thin' edge. It is often used like this to give strength to fibreglass dighies along the top edge.

It would mean you could fold it flat afterwards. That may not be any good. But, I still have my thinking hat on!

Take care.....................

Most of the "contact" equipment is made from plywood. A couple of reasons why I don't use it.

1. Longevity. Equipment spends most of the time outdoors and in contact with ground. High moisture areas like here in the South Eastern US wood is prone to rotting in a couple of years.

2. Weight. The equipment is not "set and forget" like a kids swing set. We are constantly moving the equipment and changing course design.

3. Safety. At the high end of the sport, dogs are running full speed when they hit these contacts. The A-frame is set at a near 90 deg, 45 deg ramp each side. The energy from that impact has to go somewhere. A rigid surface, like plywood, means that the dog absorbs all the impact. Many a good dog has had a short career because of the repetitive pounding.

When polyethylene pipe is welded, an Al plate is heated and the two pieces of pipe pressed against this until they start to creep at the junction.

The plate is then removed and the hot pipe ends pressed together and held until cool enough for the joint to be strong.

A similar method can be used to heat weld HDPE sheet and it's kin, as well as most thermoplastics (including ABS).

If you like UHMWPE but find it too slippery, heating a piece of chequer plate and pressing it into the sheet will imprint a tread.

Why ABS, nylon and PVC come in different shapes and lengths?

I'm sure I could get it in my required lengths. The problem is I don't make that many of these. As a last resort, I'll contact the manufacturer of this. But, it's very likely, that I'll need to purchase a minimum quantity and pay freight. Neither of which is justifiable option when my volume is so low.

Hi K9,

Have you tried contact cement? Put some on either side of the joint, let dry, then press together. No solvent left to weaken the ABS.

Just my $0.02.

Mike