Routing Acrylic Sheet

The template is typically held to the sheet using vacuum or two sided adhesive tape.

Routing acrylic sheet.

Many commercially available types of routers are acceptable. We recommend using a bit that is specifically designed for cutting acrylic. Some useful tips for cutting plastic acrylic using a router or cnc machine are discussed in this video. Any movement whether when measuring marking or cutting can create a situation where the end cut is not what was desired.

Routing line art on acrylic sheet step 1. Achieving premium finishes when routing acrylic. Templates can be made from plywood fiberboard or rigid plastic. A piece of acrylic sheet.

Acrylic has the attribute of being either soft or hard depending on the manufacturing process. Transfer image to. I have selected an arrow head shaped bit for this project. Clamps may also be used to hold the template to the material and moved when necessary.

Be sure to follow the manufacturers safety recommendations for equipment and materials used with. The router is guided around a precut template pattern that is fastened to the acrylic sheet. Using a tape measure or a ruler if the piece is small measure the distance of your first cut. Freeze material for an hour before cutti.

Extruded acrylic tends to fall on the soft side of the equation while cast acrylic is hard. This will ensure that the acrylic is fastened as solid as possible which will minimize any movement flex or vibration. This tool holder provides far less chatter which means smoother results. These include hand held routers table routers.

Guideline 2 use the right bit. Routing of acrylic has become one the most popular methods of plastic fabrication in the sign and point of purchase industries. As the accuracy of cnc routers continues to improve additional gains are being made into the machine building medical devices and valve industries. Routing acrylic plastic can be classified as soft or hard for routing purposes.

The characteristics of each classification necessitates the use of different router tooling with varying geometry. An rpm setting of 32 000 or. First start by clamping the acrylic sheet down with table clamps to prevent slipping. Here i have used 2 mm thick acrylic sheet of size 13 inches by 10.