Cutting 1/8" acrylic

[GlenP]

Hey folks hope everyone is doing fine. I have a job in the next few weeks to cut some 1/8" acrylic for a customer. They are all rectangles with radius corners so should be easy if the bit doesn't clog up. Any new tips or tricks? I haven't cut any acrylic before but I have done a 3d with a ball bit once. It worked okay. Thanks in Advance and keep those chips a flyin.
:)
Glen

[knight_toolworks]

the problem with thin plastic is holding it down. with a upcut it wants to lift up. even if you don't cut all the way through in one pass it can lift of the table. then it gets shavings under it and look out. I will be trying a straight bit for thin plastic next time. using a spray adhesive works well but only for small parts.

[aaasigncom]

HELLO toolworks - there is a ton of info out there on plastics - search plexiglas --- and there will be hours of reading - use a single flute 0 bit. dont use a 2 flute bit. it cuts like butter. i cut at 50 to 75 ips in one pass. use tabs on small stuff or double faced carper tape.

[dlcw]

Wow!!!

50 to 75 inches per second. I don't think my PRS Alpha will move that speed even when not cutting. What type of machine do you have that can cut that fast? Is faster better with plastics/acrylics/plexiglass products? The single flute O makes a lot of sense as I use one for most of my profile cutting in wood and it does a great, clean job at 3 to 5 inches per second.

[aaasigncom]

I should have said ipm not ips - tony i cut a ton of plastic

[knight_toolworks]

for the most part good plastic cuts well. but hold down for thinner stock is a problem. sticking it down with carpet tape or spray adhesive works but only on smaller panels. I have not tried a straight bit on thin acrylic yet so I don't know. but I am using it on 18 sheets of sintra. oen sheet the parts are very close goether and small 2"wide and 30" long and spaced a little over 1/4" apart. if I used a upcut they would never have stayed in place on the vac table. a downcut would have worked but I would spend a lot of time cleaning the edges off. the straight worked and the shavings come off with little work.
the thinner material the worse it is hold down with a vacuum.

[ken_rychlik]

The stuff with the paper backing will hold down on the vac tabe very well.

The stuff with the thin plastic protective backing will slide all over the place.

Kenneth

[knight_toolworks]

The stuff with the paper backing will hold down on the vac tabe very well.

The stuff with the thin plastic protective backing will slide all over the place.

Kenneth
that's if you can keep from cutting through the paper and that there is paper on back.
I had to cut up 15 sheets of .03 plastic. I could not even run the dc or it would suck up the material off the table. or the brushes would pop it loose. I found the straight bit was a life saver.