How to make a machine for making slate from PET bottles

Instead of throwing away plastic bottles, you can use them to make transparent wave slate. It is perfect for roofing outbuildings, greenhouses, enclosures and animal cages. This slate is made with your own hands using a homemade machine.

Materials:

• rail 20x30 mm;
  
• PP pipes 20 mm;
  
• wood screws;
  
• sandpaper;
  
• M6 bolts, wing nuts, washers – 2 sets.

Machine manufacturing process

4 pieces of 40 cm and 4 pieces of 6 cm are cut from the slats.

2 frames are screwed together using self-tapping screws.

Next, 3 slats of 30 cm each are prepared. Using two of them, the frames are connected. One jumper is placed on the edge, and the second is attached lying down.

The third rail is applied to the lintel located lying down, and they are drilled along the edges in order to be able to tighten them with bolts. A strip of sandpaper is then glued to the bottom rail to reduce slipping.

The polypropylene pipe is cut into 9 pieces of 36 cm each.

They are inserted into the machine bed between the frames. Slat sections of 40 cm and 30 cm are also prepared.

To make slate, you need to remove the bottom and neck of the bottle, then spread it lengthwise. The edge of the resulting sheet is clamped on the frame between double-folded slats connected by bolts and wing nuts.

Next, the sheet is inserted alternately between the tubes. Its second edge is placed on a sliding rail and a strip is screwed on top with self-tapping screws. To increase rigidity, a clamp is placed on the frame.


All that remains is to heat the sheet with a hairdryer on both sides to shrink the plastic. After this, its edges are released, and the wave slate is removed from the machine.

The proposed frame size is enough to make slate not only from bottles, but from 5-6 liter bottles. The resulting sheets can be connected to each other by melting the soldering iron tip at a couple of points.

Watch the video