cutting acrylic

[weihk]

ello guys/gals

looking for some advice on how on earth do i cut acrylic panels.

what im trying to do is, cut a 5mm thick 465mm X 188mm acrylic panel.

but.....i have no idea what tools to use, all i know they crack shatter from cutting without the right tools.....

or, anyone know where i can get a cut the measure one?

cheers

 

[markkleb]

most any saw will do as long as you use a Fine blade. I use a 5 1/2" cordless saw with a 100 tooth blade.(more teeth the better)

When drilling make sure to go slow and use a SHARP bit, same with saw blades. Old ones cause a lot of problems.

Also I clamp a block of wood to the plastic to use as a guide and cut slow.

And WELCOME to OC3D!!!!

 

[FarFarAway]

I have some problems with cutting acrylic too, always seems to melt the damn stuff

Welcome to OC3D mate :wavey:

 

[markkleb]

I think the trick is using a sharp blade, if you go to slow (or the blade is dull) it builds up heat/causes excess friction and than the plastic melts.

I have to say before I built CrossFlow a few mos ago cutting plastic was as foreign to me as Bangers and Mash.

Once you do it a bit it gets easier.

 

[llwyd]

If it's thin you can score it with a stanley knife and snap it over a table edge, if not, clamp it to some polystyrene / wood and use an aluminium jigsaw blade and make sure the jigsaw blade is set for minimal side to side movement

 

[weihk]

thanks for the welcome!

fine blades, lots of tooth, clamp piece of wood for guide, don't go too slow......mmmmmmm sounds hard, lol

and what about cleaning up the edge? say, i cut from a 400x400 sheet to get a 200x100, there'll be 2 edge that have a white edge while the other 2 edge have the clear edge, how do i bring them to a clear edge?......if you know what i mean....

 

[llwyd]

thanks for the welcome!

fine blades, lots of tooth, clamp piece of wood for guide, don't go too slow......mmmmmmm sounds hard, lol

and what about cleaning up the edge? say, i cut from a 400x400 sheet to get a 200x100, there'll be 2 edge that have a white edge while the other 2 edge have the clear edge, how do i bring them to a clear edge?......if you know what i mean....

round them off with a file, then get some 800+ grit sandpaper on them, then some wet+dry paper with water and finally some brasso / T cut should get it pretty close to clear

 

[markkleb]

Another way is to sand the edge with 150 grit than run a flame along it. That will give you a shiny edge (dont let the flame sit in 1 place too long)

 

[weihk]

nice!

finaly i have hope in cutting these acrylic!

thanks lads!

time for some planning now!

 

[llwyd]

ooo one other thing, if you use a jigsaw, make sure you either cover the cutting line in masking tape or hover the jigsaw above the surface to avoid scratching the plastic

 

[PV5150]

Sharp blade (with fine teeth) and very slowly is the way to cut perspex well

 

[dave1920]

Some jigsaw blades are designed specifically for acrylic. Don't know what the difference is but with a half decent jigsaw they help to go fast and then the plastic doesn't get a chance to melt together. Tried the old mark with a blade and break technique twice had to go and get more acrylic cause it snapped, in the wrong place, both times.

Dave