Machining Acrylic Sheet

Things you ll need acrylic sheets plastic scoring blade ruler permanent marker or grease pencil jigsaw optional table saw optional metal file waterproof sandpaper meant for plastic drill optional buffing edge optional polishing compound optional.

Machining acrylic sheet.

This guide gives you advice for when to anneal acrylic what equipment is needed and provides comprehensive trouble shooting. The specifics of machining acrylic feedrates. Machining acrylic sheet and plastic step by step guide. In any kind.

For this method you can cut multiple sheets at the same time by stacking them using a table saw with closely spaced teeth such as those used when plywood. To guard against cracking place the acrylic on a flat sheet of glass in a shop oven not the one in your kitchen at about 180ºf 82ºc for about 1 hour per mm thickness then let them air cool. Acrylic can present some challenges in machining but penta precision has decades of acrylic machining experience so you are in safe hands. How to anneal acrylic.

Here a few tool options for cutting acrylic. A smooth ramp of around 1 3 inches depending on the size of the part will give the best results. You need to buy special acrylic cutting bits because they have flutes. Once you ve fixed acrylic into place it s time to cut to the chase so to speak.

Materials needed to cut acrylic or plexiglass sheets acrylic sheet larger than the size of your project use a plastic laminate scorer to cut acrylic by hand use acrylic jigsaw blades to cut acrylic with a jigsaw use a 10 plastic cutting saw blade to cut acrylic on a miter saw or table saw use a 7. To prevent this make sure equipment is right for acrylite sheet. Notching or overheating sheet due to inadequate equipment or improper cutting tools may cause failure of the fabricated item. Cast acrylic is preferable over extruded acrylic for machining purposes as it is more rigid and less prone to stress cracking after machining.

This is the most common method and since saw blades are easy to find it s a great option for everyone regardless of experience. Learn everything about the tools best parctice procedures trouble shooting when plastic machining. Special cutting tools are a must. Most equipment used in machining acrylite was originally designed for wood or metal.