Quote Originally Posted by andy_con View Post
been trying to engrave some clear acrylic to make an led sign for a friend, but its not been going as well as id like.
welcome to the world of plastics


I don't remember right now what machine you had, but plastics melt if machine is not rigid or if you push cutter so it passes some minimum deflection. Plus they need constant air cooling. Or one flute cutters. But could be done without melting if you don't dig deep.

V cutter is not same as spot drill, but anyways. At least it must be very sharp. That's a rule for plastics. New and sharp! Try 0.025mm chip load and 0.1-0.2mm pass. It would help if you file a bit that tip flat. say 0.4- 0.6mm at least. Cause you know there starts the burning. Not digging deep means you could pass without any cooling at all.