How To Trim Acrylic Sheet

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.

How to trim acrylic sheet.

Cutting acrylic by hand is the easiest way to go for a beginner who isn t familiar with power tools. Using solvent based glues on laser cut extruded acrylic can cause cracking due to the internal stresses from temperature differences in the acrylic. If you want a straight cut in a thin acrylic or polycarbonate plastic sheet up to inch thick reach for a simple utility knife then follow these steps. Cutting thin sheets of plastic.

For best results use another tool like the earlier mentioned table saw to cut your acrylic roughly before getting a more exact finish with the router. For a thin sheet of plexiglass that is material up to about 3 16 inch thick use a scoring method not dissimilar from a technique used to cut actual glass. Once you ve scored the initial line go over it a few times with the blade until a groove forms. Clamp down the straight edge on the cut line.

To cut acrylic sheets start by marking the line you want to cut using a ruler and a permanent marker. Line the plexiglass sheet along the cut line. Then score the line using a plastic scoring blade using the ruler as a guide so your line is straight. Routers can be used to cut acrylic for both curved and straight cuts.

Lay the sheet on a flat surface and. Clamp the plexiglass sheet to the work surface for stability. All you need is a thin acrylic sheet a straight edge that is longer than your cut clamps and a scoring knife. Next repeat on the opposite side of the.

Be sure to use a compressor to keep the sheet in position to avoid chipping and more time needed to polish the cut.