The Process
The process starts with laying out the arch on a piece of paper on the table. Then magnetic blocks are locked down along the arch line. If the arch is large, the table can be raised up to a near verticle position to make reaching the top of the arch easier. The Azek® trim is placed into the oven and heated to approximately 260° F. Heating the trim to the desired temperature can take up to 30 minutes. At the same time, there are infrared heaters under the table to warm the table top so as to slow the cooling rate. The trim piece will come out of the oven and have a consistency of cooked pasta. The trim is quickly bent around the form and clamped to the table. There is only 30 seconds or less to get the trim bent and smoothed out before it will start to cool and stiffen. Sand bags can be placed on the curved trim piece to help slow the cooling rate and to keep it flat. After a few minutes, the firmed up trim can be removed from the form.
