Advice for cutting acrylic sheet

[magicniner]

I use single flute spiral EM with lots of air for cooling & chip removal, facing cuts give me parts which flame polish (Very carefully) to a good level of transparency.

[Hillbilly52]

Hi,

thanks for all your replies. I think i'll try a single flute cutter with my vacuum table, failing that i'll move on to the double sided tape and if that fails i'll crack out the superglue.

Many thanks for your suggestions, it's appreciated, i'll post how I get on.

Cheers.

[Robin Hewitt]

If you want to cut through acryllic then you want the cheap Chinese K40 laser. A 40W laser converts acrylic to vapour, it simply disappears at an amazing rate of cut. To glue acrylic you need chloroform. I bought a litre from Italy on eBay, it may not be so easy to get once we leave the European free trade thingy so get some while you can.

[A_Camera]

If you want to cut through acryllic then you want the cheap Chinese K40 laser. A 40W laser converts acrylic to vapour, it simply disappears at an amazing rate of cut. To glue acrylic you need chloroform. I bought a litre from Italy on eBay, it may not be so easy to get once we leave the European free trade thingy so get some while you can.

What are you using the chloroform for? Cooling? Isn't that very risky? Or are you using it outdoors? Even so... is it worth the risks?

[Robin Hewitt]

Chloroform dissolves acryllic for that perfect glue line. Everything else is but a poor sustitute.

[cropwell]

To glue acrylic you need chloroform. I bought a litre from Italy on eBay, it may not be so easy to get once we leave the European free trade thingy so get some while you can.

https://uk.rs-online.com/web/p/produ...E&gclsrc=aw.ds

Methylene chloride can also be used to bond the stuff, but it will mar the surface if you use too much.

[Robin Hewitt]

Chloroform is trichloromethane.

[cropwell]

Chloroform is trichloromethane.

and Methylene Chloride is dichloromethane

[Robin Hewitt]

...and a cheap cigar is still a smoke!