Building PVC or HDPE cages?

I was just wondering, is it possible for a regular hobbyist to build a cage with HDPE or PVC, or does it require a good amount of equipment?

I am not looking to go into the plastic cage business, but if it is possible, I would like to build my own custom cage and rack systems out of PVC. I already have built several cages and racks out of melamine, but now for my next cageing project I would really like to try and build with plastic.

So, if it is possible, where should I start? Try and find a local plastic supply shop? I dont think Home Depot sells large sheets of plastic, but then again I never really looked.

Also is it better to go with fairly thin plastic and chemical welds, or with thicker plastic and screws? Has anyone here built your own plastic cages?

I'm an experienced cage builder but have only experimented with plastics. Still, I do feel I understand the materials well.

First, realize that the $$ savings of DIY plastic cages/racks are not as great as you're used to with building from melamine. But you can still save some money and build the cages to your exact specifications and door requirements.

Regarding finding material, local plastic shops will always be cheaper than ordering it due to shipping costs. That is unless you need ten full sheets, perhaps.

If you want to try expanded PVC (for simplicity, let's call it PVCX for the rest of the post) and there are no local plastic distributors you can call sign shops and ask for Sintra. In the sign industry pretty much all PVCX is called Sintra. Sort of like acrylic being known as Plexiglas.

For the DIY-er I would recommend 1/4" PVCX joined with solvent welds vs. screwing 1/2" HDPE together. My mains reasons being cost and weight. You might be surprised to hear this, but most 1/2" HDPE weighs more than 1/2" laminated plywood. The one exception might be for lizards that are strong scratchers. I see you screen name is Goanna so I would not use PVCX for any monitors you may keep.

Also, the easiest way for the DIY-er to use these materials is to join them with PVC corner angle. You may have to order the angle as it's not a common item.

With PVCX the strongest joint is always a surface to surface bond. The reason being is that the solvents tend to collapse the foamed interior of PVCX, therby weaking the joint.

When you use the PVC angle you are really only solvent-welding the surface of the PVCX to the surface of the PVC angle.

You simply won't believe how strong the joint is. The fact that is has more surface area than any chemical or thermally welded joint is only good for a first time plastic builder. The angle also adds rigidity to doors which can be a bit flimsy with this material.

Thank you for the information Chris. I found a few local plastic shops in the yellow pages, so maybe I will check them out tommorow and see what this all might cost me.

If its too expesive and/or I dont think I can do it, I can always go back to wood/melamine . Attached are some pics of my last project, a cage/rack system. The bottom half is a premade matrix system, I made the top to fit perfectly on top of the matrix to add a 24 x 18" wide cage as well as an additonal shelf to the rack system. I plan on building a matching clone of the matrix rack and another cage/rack combo eventually (on top of playing with the plastic cage/rack idea).

I had played around with this idea myself, and I still may eventually try my hand at making a plastic cage or two when I have time. While I was dreaming and searching for materials, I ran across this site over and over... They've got HDPE and PVCX stuff (the link is to a right-angle piece product).

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...uct%5Fid=11492

Originally Posted by liquidleaf

I had played around with this idea myself, and I still may eventually try my hand at making a plastic cage or two when I have time. While I was dreaming and searching for materials, I ran across this site over and over... They've got HDPE and PVCX stuff (the link is to a right-angle piece product).

http://www.usplastic.com/catalog/pro...uct%5Fid=11492

Thank you for the link Lauren, I will go check out that site right now.