I was doing some googling last night to find a source for PETG sheets to make my own playfield protectors, and came across this, being sold through the Walmart site:
5.50 for a 24" x 48" sheet of .020" thickness seems quite reasonable, when I see it elsewhere for as much as $10-20, and even the shipping is cheap. Thought anyone interested in making their own protectors might be interested.
Thanks for the tip, was thinking about making one. Anyone know if this needs special tools to cut properly or can it be done with typical tools, like an xacto or utility knife?
You can’t go wrong for $5.50!
However, just make sure the product is the same as the stuff the other guys are using ... I’m sure the info is out there.
My buddy made one with a sheet of makleron, and the heat in the cabinet (from the lights and coils running etc) made it rise up off the PF surface.
Which made playing it a bit tricky. 
rd
Quoted from cfh:It would be good for playfield plastics too, but at .020" thick, it's too thin. Needs to be at least .060" thick...
It's available in various thicknesses and sizes.
Quoted from pincity:Thanks for the tip, was thinking about making one. Anyone know if this needs special tools to cut properly or can it be done with typical tools, like an xacto or utility knife?
I was just going to use scissors, an X-Acto, and a Dremel. I was considering creating patterns in Adobe Illustrator and having them laser-cut at some point.
Quoted from rotordave:You can’t go wrong for $5.50! However, just make sure the product is the same as the stuff the other guys are using ... I’m sure the info is out there.
I assumed PETG is PETG....just like the old commercial, motor oil is motor oil. Three sheets are on the way, but if it happens to be heat-sensitive, 20 bucks ain't gonna kill me.
Is it possible, when your friend made his protector, that he laid down a full sheet over the entire playfield and just cut holes where necessary? I could see that trapping a lot more heat than only covering where the ball travels. Use of LED's should mitigate some of that heat.
Quoted from rotordave:.....Which made playing it a bit tricky.
Why buy an Orbitor 1 when you can make your own? 
Quoted from jibmums:Is it possible, when your friend made his protector, that he laid down a full sheet over the entire playfield and just cut holes where necessary? I could see that trapping a lot more heat than only covering where the ball travels. Use of LED's should mitigate some of that heat
No, he traced around one of my “official” ones. He was on a budget.
He had LEDs at least in the inserts, unsure about GI. But the combined heat from everything was enough to make it levitate after a period of run time.
rd
Quoted from rotordave:No, he traced around one of my “official” ones. He was on a budget.
He had LEDs at least in the inserts, unsure about GI. But the combined heat from everything was enough to make it levitate after a period of run time.
rd
I would be willing to bet that when it cools off that it lays flat again. Yes? No?
Did he cut it out and leave clearance all way around? If there is a contact point at the back of the play field and another contact point at the front, thermal expansion will cause the the protector to rise somewhere in the middle. I an now using 4 protectors I have made. I make one or two locking locations with one or two inlane guides at the back of the play field and make sure that there is no other contact points. No contacts with posts or ball guides. Other than locking in position underneath to closely located inlane guide posts it must float free.
Also, I cannot speak for PETG. I have been using polycarbonate (Lexan/Macrolon). The stuff is bullet proof.
Thanks, cheap enough to experiment with. I'm not liking the poor adhesion I get from the mylar from Marco, so time to try something else.
I made due with tin snips, scissors and curved scissors for round cuts. It’s far from laser cut but good enough. Do not use heat to flatten. Material is so thin it easily warps.
Quoted from cottonm4:I make one or two locking locations with one or two inlane guides at the back of the play field and make sure that there is no other contact points. No contacts with posts or ball guides. Other than locking in position underneath to closely located inlane guide posts it must float free.
I was planning on not locking it down at all and just having the bottom of the protector rest against the apron, but I like your idea a lot better. At the very least, your way the weight of the protector will be pulling down on it from the back, instead of pushing it towards the front, which may prevent any rippling effects due to gravity.
Quoted from cottonm4:Also, I cannot speak for PETG. I have been using polycarbonate (Lexan/Macrolon). The stuff is bullet proof.
I only looked for PETG because I saw protectors available on Ebay were made from PETG. After a little reading, it looks like polycarbonate may have been a better choice, but with the amount of play they'll likely see, it won't matter.
Check out the links to my posts on my home made PETG protectors
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/batman-66-official-club-thread/page/7#post-3527141
https://pinside.com/pinball/forum/topic/batman-66-official-club-thread/page/7#post-3527255
Quoted from MT45:Check out the links to my posts on my home made PETG protectors
Yep, building a paper pattern, I planned on the exact same method. I hadn't planned on the punches though, do they leave a raised edge on one side of the plastic sheet? Do you recommend punching the sheet top-up or bottom-up, or didn't it matter?
Quoted from jibmums:Yep, building a paper pattern, I planned on the exact same method. I hadn't planned on the punches though, do they leave a raised edge on one side of the plastic sheet? Do you recommend punching the sheet top-up or bottom-up, or didn't it matter?
Did not matter. No raised ridges at all. Cut a small piece of the PETG and test punch first to get the hang of it. MDF backer, firm swing but not too hard. The switch slots I cut using razor knife. Check out images of the professional protectors for the desired shape. Basically it’s just two shallow arcs facing each other. PM if any Qs as you go along. Happy to help
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