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What is the canopy flange?

agent4573

Well Known Member
First step of trimming the canopy is to remove the molding flange. As someone that's never worked with Plexi before I have no clue what that means. The pic attached shows the side of the canopy. There a clear section about and inch wide, then 3 molded in lines, then more clear section that makes up the actual canopy. Do I cut below the molded lines, down the center of them, or above them?
 

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They are talking about the excess material that is not part of the canopy shape, from where it was help in the mold frame. As for the sides, wait until you start fitting it to the canopy frame. You can always take more off, can't put it back on.
 
They are talking about the excess material that is not part of the canopy shape, from where it was help in the mold frame. As for the sides, wait until you start fitting it to the canopy frame. You can always take more off, can't put it back on.

So are those 3 molded in lines part of the canopy shape or part of the machining flange?
 
mold lines

I assumed the 3 mold lines on the side were the canopy flange.

I first put the frame inside just to make sure, and for me, that part of the flange was way below the area that needed to be trimmed, so I started there.

One point to ponder, the front part trimming is tricky to judge until the canopy latch hole is drilled, if doing a slider; be aware of how the canopy will shift once the latch tube goes thru the canopy.
 
Trimming

They are talking about the excess material that is not part of the canopy shape, from where it was help in the mold frame. As for the sides, wait until you start fitting it to the canopy frame. You can always take more off, can't put it back on.

As Colin says. I recommend practicing on trimming off a small portion. Use a washer and marker to draw a nice line by rolling the washer along the bench with a marker. Cut that off. You'll have a nice straight edge. If that goes well, move on to "The Big Cut".
Most important. Sand the tooling marks before messing with moving the canopy everywhere. Those are potential crack propagation locations. No need to polish but sand them smooth.
 
Flange

When you remove the horizontal aspect of the canopy as it is delivered, be sure and remove ALL of it. I left a 1/8" leg at the bottom of the canopy in order to "sneak up" on cutting it to size. ANY horizontal material left on, will not bend as the rest of the edge of the vertical canopy but will crack. Take a sheet of paper and bend it back and forth; then fold a "flange" at the edge and try to bend the edge. A one thousand dollar mistake that was easily avoided.
 
The flange is what is left from the original flat piece of acrylic that is heated up and then blown (or vacuumed) into the canopy mold. As others have said, just mark a line around the flanges with some tape and cut it off. You'll still have plenty of plexiglass to trim in order to drop it down to fit the frame. I probably cut around the edges at least 4 or 5 times taking off around 1/4" at a time.

Just make sure to clean up the edges and smooth them out after each cut. Any rough spots can start a crack if you stress the plexiglass too much and it is cold. Keep it hot and it will stay nicely flexible and less likely to crack.
 
Vacuum Forming Picture

another example of the vacuum forming flange. The bubble canopy in the picture is the final shape part. The flat plastic surface is the flange. Cutting out the flange area gets you the finished canopy. Of course this is a toy part but the vacuum forming concept is the same.
 

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I take offense to this

Of course this is a toy part but the vacuum forming concept is the same.

I take offense to that remark because my RV9 is a toy. The only difference is the price.

A wish man once said, “ Kids dont grow up, their toys just get more expensive”
 
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