ACM warp

[swallace84]

Hi there,
Hope y'all are well. Through Home Depot, I could get a 12" x 12" piece of ACM. I've never worked with it before and it was cheap. I left it laying down in my garage with no climate control. It seems to have warped. Wasn't expecting that. Now I've got it inside my house with heavy books on it in hopes of flattening it out. I guess next time I just need to store it inside? Was it probably at greater risk of warping since it was a small piece? Anything further I can do to un-warp this piece or is it not worth using at this point?
many thanks

[Guest]

I 've used ACM for 25 years. I've only had it warp when it was stored in a rack where it could sag, or leaning up against a wall, not supported its entire length.
What thickness is it? It looks like 3mm.
There are some brands that are pretty weak. If it was at Home Depot, & cheap, it's probably not "top quality". "MaxMetal" is crap. DiBond is the best.

[swallace84]

Many thanks. It’s 1/8”. Here’s the link

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Falken-D...1212/308670326

It was stored flat in my garage for about a week.

I’ll check it in a few days and see if it’s flattened out.

I was hoping I could easily source it like that. Looks like I’ll have to do some more digging to find better quality stuff.

cheers

[Guest]

At $5.50. sq', it damn well ought to be good stuff. I pay an average of $60 ( Canadian $$$) for a 32sq' piece of decent quality. That's about $46 US.
Almost any sign supply company will sell the stuff.
The thickness of the aluminum is what determines the quality, & hence, the price. The thin stuff, like MaxMetal, will warp if you tote a piece on your head. Good stuff will have .003" aluminum, & the cheaper stuff, usually .002", I'm told.
Most are made in China. Alucobest,& Alupanel are good.

[abesau]

Many thanks. It’s 1/8”. Here’s the link

https://www.homedepot.com/p/Falken-D...1212/308670326

It was stored flat in my garage for about a week.

I’ll check it in a few days and see if it’s flattened out.

I was hoping I could easily source it like that. Looks like I’ll have to do some more digging to find better quality stuff.

cheers

@swallace84 any tips to cut it? Feeds/Speeds that gave you the best results?
Pics of the end result. :)

Thank you

[swallace84]

It's still warped and other projects have come up, so I'm going to leave this stuff under some weight in the vain hope that it'll straighten out. Hope to get better acm another time.

[UglySign]

Just note that removing one side of it along the edge will just about curl.

TRMac - new account?