Cutting Acrylic?

Oxigen

how do i do it?

deadly-app

if its pretty think, just use the score/snap method, run a razor down it a couple times, and snap. if its thick, i think ...dremel, i dont think jigsaw works....someone correct me if im wrong

SacredTbag

a jig may work but use blades for cutting wood, metal cutting blades may be too harsh and create too much heat. i found out whle working on my case, while trying to cut some plastic i was actually melting it instead of cutting it.

Oxigen

thanks guys, also what do i use to make it stay to my door? rivets? i dunno wat their called..

Bradish

if its thin, then i use a scroll saw... if its thick then i use a table saw.... yeah, you should use rivets...

mortis

Use a drill with a 1/8 inch drill bit and let the drill do the work cause if you push too hard the plastic WILL Crack/ Shatter

cyclonite

get someone to help you with the project
the second person should have a spray bottle with water in it squirting the saw blade of the power tool you are using.
this will help with 1. lubrication of the bit 2. cooling the bit.
a friend and me just recently cut two 3 inch holes in 1/8 inch acrylic with a varible speed drill and a 3 inch hole saw. with th method mentioned above we were able to run the bit at a higher RPM without any burning or cracking.

mortis

NOOO DONT

Water + Power tools = DEAD MODer

Also the water will **** up the blade.

The best way to it is take you time and you will have to sand down the rough edge of the cut so add about 1/8 inch to your cuts and sand down to the right size

EDIT:

If you do lube the bit/blade use some Machine oil or WD-40

Oxigen

Couple ?'s

Once i get the acrylic on the door and all set wat size drill do i use for the fan holes?
Also could a hole saw penatrait the acrylic for the 80mm fan?

civic2ner89

try using a dremel at really low speeds. it worked or me when i cut my plexi

mortis

Holes saws will work just take your time, Make sure that the Bit is slightly smaller then the hole you want.

If you MOD your case just take your time and have fun as you do it

cyclonite

did I say put the water on the motor............... NO!!!

I said use the water on the bit to help keep it cool and lubricate it.

wd-40 or machine oil will work too but much harder to clean up afterwards.

and no water will not mess up your bit if you buy quality tools and not your walmart specials

also fo an 80mm fan use a 3 inch hole saw, for 92mm use a 3 1/4 inch hole saw.

twitch

i think an 80mm whole cutter and some patience would work nice then some sanding with 150 grit then 170 etc to get a nice smooth edge but the plexi will get to hot and bend crack shatter split etc. if you force it so even if you have to let it cool take your time the choice is up to you!

deadly-app

if your going to drill holes(didnt read whole thread)then buy some plastic bits, called acrylic bits or something like that. also lube the bit with petroleum jelly(vaseline) which leave a smoother bore and much nicer looking.

cyclonite

here I did the research for you
Working with Acrylic
by Ken Weiss, krweiss@ucdavis.edu
This information is extracted from a pamphlet published by CYRO Industries, manufacturer of Acrylite acrylic sheet. I did my best to keep the information accurate to the source, but hey, I don't do this for a living or anything. I got the original brochure from my local acrylic dealer (Is that a transparent drug lord? Why are drug lords bad, when drug czars are good?).

Characteristics of the material
Half the weight of glass
Impact resistant
Unaffected by sun or salt spray
Temperature range of -30 to 160 degrees F for continuous service
Cleaning
Wash with mild soap or detergent, with plenty of lukewarm water, dry with soft cloth or chamois.
Grease, oil or tar can be removed with hexane or kerosene. Solvent residue should be removed by washing immediately.

Do Not Use window cleaning sprays, scouring compounds, acetone, gasoline, benzene, carbon tetrachloride or lacquer thinner.


Masking
When working with the material, leave the paper masking film on the sheet as long as possible. Except for intricate detail work you should remove the masking only when your project is completed.
Working with acrylic sheet
DO
Keep masking on as long as possible.
Use metal cutting saw blades and drills which are ground for acrylic sheet.
Make sure all tools are sharp.
Use water or drilling oil as a coolant when cutting sheets over 1/8" thick or drilling sheets over 3/16" thick.
Wet the material before cleaning.
DON'T
Use saw blades with side-set teeth. Saw teeth ideally should be ground with 0 degrees of rake and be of uniform height and shape.
Cutting Acrylic Sheet
Cutting with a knife or scriber
Acrylic sheet up to 3/16" thick may be cut by a method similar to that used to cut glass. Use a scribing knife, a metal scriber, an awl, or a utility knife to score the sheet. Draw the scriber several times (7 or 8 times for a 3/16" sheet) along a straight edge held firmly in place. Then clamp the sheet or hold it rigidly under a straight edge with the scribe mark hanging just over the edge of a table. Apply a sharp downward pressure to break the sheet along the scribe line. Scrape the edges to smooth any sharp corners. This method is not recommended for long breaks or thick material.
Cutting with power saws
Special blades are available to cut acrylic. Otherwise use blades designed to cut aluminum or copper. Teeth should be fine, of the same height, evenly spaced, with little or no set.
Table and circular saws
Use hollow ground high speed blades with no set and at least 5 teeth per inch. Carbide tipped blades with a triple chip tooth will give the smoothest cuts. Set the blade height about 1/8" above the height of the material. This will reduce edge chipping.
When using a hand held circular saw, clamp the sheet to the work surface and use a length of 1x3 wood to distribute the clamping pressure and act as a guide for the saw.

Feed the work slowly and smoothly. Lubricate the blade with soap or beeswax to minimize gumming from the masking adhesive. Be sure the saw is up to full speed before beginning the cut. Water cooling the blade is suggested for thicknesses over 1/4", especially if edge cementing will be performed.


Saber saws
Use metal or plastic cutting blades. The blades you use to cut acrylic should never be used for any other material. Cut at high speed and be sure the saw is at full speed before beginning the cut.
Hand saws
Good results are possible, but very difficult. Be sure the acrylic is clamped to prevent flexing. Flexing at the cut may cause cracking.
Routers and shapers
Use single fluted bits for inside circle routing and double fluted bits for edge routing. At the high speeds at which routers operate it is critical to avoid all vibration. Even small vibrations can cause crazing and fractures during routing.
Drilling
For best results, use drill bits designed specifically for acrylic.
Regular twist drills can be used, but need modification to keep the blade from grabbing and fracturing the plastic. Modify the bit by grinding small flats onto both cutting edges, so the bit cuts with a scraping action. If the drill is correctly sharpened and operated at the correct speed, two continuous spiral ribbons will emerge from the hole.

Finishing Acrylic
Scraping
The first step in getting a finished edge is scraping. The back of a hacksaw blade is perfect for scraping. Simply draw the corner of the square edge of the blade along the edge of the acrylic.
Filing
A 10 to 12 inch smooth cut file is recommended for filing edges and removing tool marks. File only in one direction. Keep the teeth flat on the surface, but let the file slide at an angle to avoid putting grooves in the work.
Sanding
If necessary, start with 120 grit sandpaper, used dry. Then switch to a 220 grit paper, dry. Finish with a 400 grit wet/dry paper, used wet. Grits as fine as 600 may be used. Always use a wooden or rubber sanding block.
When removing scratches be sure to sand an area larger than the scratch. Sand with a circular motion, and use a light touch and plenty of water with wet/dry papers.

Almost any commercial power sander can be used with acrylic. Use light pressure and slower speeds.


Polishing
Final polishing will give acrylic a high luster. Power-driven buffing tools are recommended without exception. Buffing wheels are available as attachments for electric drills.
A good buffing wheel for acrylic consists of layers of 3/16" carbonized felt, or layers of unbleached muslin laid together to form a wheel. Solidly stitched wheels should be avoided.

The wheel should reach a surface speed of at least 1200 feet per minute. Speeds of up to 4000 feet per minute are useful for acrylic.

Acrylic should be polished using a commercial buffing compound of the type used for silver or brass, or you can use a non- silicone car polish that has no cleaning solvents in it.

First, however, tallow should be applied to the wheel as a base for the buffing compound. Just touch the tallow stick to the spinning wheel, and then quickly apply the buffing compound.

To polish, move the piece back and forth across the buffing wheel. Be careful not to apply too much pressure. Keep the work constantly moving to prevent heat buildup.

Never begin polishing at the edge of the sheet. The wheel could easily catch the top edge and throw the piece across the room or at you.


Forming Acrylic
Acrylic can be heated to make it pliable. It will become rigid again when it cools. Never heat acrylic in a kitchen oven. Explosive fumes can accumulate inside the oven, and ignite.
A strip heater is the best tool to form acrylic. This tool will only form straight line bends. Buy one from your acrylic dealer. The strip heater will heat just the area to be formed.

Heat the sheet until it begins to sag at the bend line. The bend should be made away from the side exposed to the heating element. Sheet thicker than 3/16" should be heated on both sides for a proper bend. Use forming jigs or clamps for best results, and wear heavy cotton gloves when handling heated acrylic.

Forming other than straight line bends will generally require specialized equipment and jigs.


Joining Acrylic
Solvent cement is recommended for joining acrylic. There are two techniques for solvent cementing, capillary and dip or soak methods.
Capillary cementing
This is the most popular method for joining acrylic. However, this method will not work at all unless the parts to be joined fit together PERFECTLY.
Make sure the parts fit properly. Then join them with masking tape or clamp them in a form to hold them firmly in place. It is important that the joint be in a horizontal plane, or the cement will run out of the joint.

Apply the cement carefully along the entire joint. Apply from the inside of a box-corner joint, and on both sides of a flat joint. A needle-nosed applicator bottle is recommended. The thin cement will flow into the joint through capillary action and form a strong bond. Maximum bond strength will not be reached for 24 to 48 hours.


Soak or dip cementing
This sounded like a real pain in the butt, and is suggested only for thick joints.
Viscous cementing
Viscous cements are used for joints that can't be cemented with capillary or soak cementing, either because the joint is difficult to reach or because the parts don't fit properly. Viscous cement is thick and will fill small gaps. It can make strong transparent joints where solvent can't.
You can make your own viscous cement by dissolving chips of clear acrylic sheet in a small amount of solvent.

Apply a small bead of cement to one side of the joint, join the pieces, and tape or clamp in place until cured.

Prosnow23

uhhh.. didnt read cyclonites post... and it probably has better advise than I am giving, but Ima post anyway...

I used the scor/snap method to cut the window shape with my acrylic... then for the 80mm fan hole I went and got the type of hole saw that attaches to the end of a drill. They have a very close size to 80 mm (78.9mm or something)... and it actually works out best because it leaves you room for sanding after...


When you are using the hole saw have the plexi down tight against a peice of wood or else it will crack. Go slow and listsn for stress on the plexi (you will hear a cracling sound before it cracks)... then wet-sand the edges of the plexi and u should be good to go

I used rivets to attatch my window, but there are a few methods. I think rivets produce the best result, but some people use window caulking in between the case and the plexi and let it dry there... that is probably the easiest way to go and looks very clean. Some people also use double sided tape, which produces about the same result...

Oxigen

thanks all, but ya havent answered what size of drill bit i use for the 80mm fan

im clueless

Blazin Trav

Just use any standard saw that can cut metal, should be a tough enough blade to cut the arcyillic, depending on how thick said acryillic is. Not to difficult, but don't use a dremel I don't think that would be practical.

Cacovangor

If you've a steady hand, my suggestion is get a pattern where you can cut your 80mm fan hole with something akin to an exacto knife, and scor it all the way through, best way to do it, as there is very little chance of any imperfections occuring in the acrylic, and you'll get through it fairly easy, doesn't require any electricity or power tools in general, and can work on just about any thickness acrylic. Plus, if you need to cut out any special indentions, a hole saw obviously won't be doing this, but you can with the knife. Just make sure whatever kind of knife it is, it has a very fine and short blade that you can control, using a standard cutting knife from your kitchen will obviously not work.

Oxigen

no,no,no,no what i mean is for the screw holes... :)