At home, cutting plexiglass is required very rarely. Typically, this work is done by specialists in workshops. However, this skill can be useful in everyday life. Indeed, sometimes there is a desire to make a vase, an aquarium or a small decorative table with your own hands. So, the subject of our review. plexiglass. How to cut such a material?
Material Features
Not everyone knows what plexiglass is. What to cut it at home and what features does it have? First of all, plexiglass has the performance characteristics of durable plastic, and also looks like ordinary glass. This material is transparent. However, unlike glass, it does not break.
Thanks to these properties, plexiglass has become popular. How to cut it in everyday life? In this case, not everything is so simple. The material itself is quite durable. Plexiglas has been widely used. Indeed, in some cases, using ordinary glass is dangerous and problematic. You can process the material with almost all available methods. However, there are some nuances that should be considered when working with plexiglass.
Plexiglass laser cutting
How are plexiglass products manufactured? As a rule, a laser is used to cut this material. This is the most convenient method. However, it is simply impossible to apply it at home. Thanks to the thin laser, an accurate incision can be made. In this way, even small details of future products are usually cut out. However, this cutting method has certain limitations: the laser beam creates a high voltage material. In the future, it is simply impossible to glue individual parts.
Plexiglass products can only be cut under industrial conditions. If necessary, contact the appropriate organization for help. The main thing. make all the drawings in advance. It is also worth choosing an experienced master.
Plexiglass: what to cut?
In some cases, the use of a saw is allowed. It can be tape or disk. The last type of saw is designed for a straight cut. At the same time, the seam is neat and clear. As for the band saw, it is suitable for the manufacture of blanks. Cutting sharp edges with such a tool is unlikely to succeed. To make the surface smoother, it is recommended to use a cutter.
It is worth noting that this method of cutting plexiglass can be used not only in production, but also at home.
Video: Than to Cut Plexiglas 3 Mm
Special equipment
Plexiglas products are cut with a high-speed tool. This allows you to get a smooth and high-quality seam. The speed of such equipment can be up to 4 thousand revolutions per minute. After that, plexiglass undergoes additional mechanical processing.
However, do not forget that this material has a small thermal conductivity. As a result of cutting at high speed, the edges can quickly heat up. Some instruments have a Plexiglass mode.
A hacksaw will help out
If you need to cut plexiglass at home, you can use a hacksaw for metal. This is the most affordable tool. However, this method has a serious drawback: the place of cut remains rough and rough. To eliminate such a defect, additional processing is required. To smooth the place of cut, sandpaper or a file are usually used.
Plexiglass cutter
The methods for cutting plexiglass at home can be completely different. Someone uses a hacksaw for metal, and someone uses a cutter. In fact, this tool is a saw with just one tooth. To cut plexiglass, you will need a metal ruler of a certain length. This tool must be placed on a sheet of material in the place where you want to separate it. After that, you need to hold the cutter along the ruler.
When the cut reaches ½ of the sheet thickness, you can stop and then gently break the material. If defects appear, they can be smoothed out. To do this, it is necessary to process the edge of the plexiglass with sandpaper. If desired, the cutter can be made independently from an emery cloth. Some experienced craftsmen use pieces of glass to cut plexiglass. With this method, reliable hand protection is required.
Using simple tools
If cutting plexiglass with a laser. For you dear pleasure, you can cut the material with improvised materials. Very often, a nichrome thread is used for such work. Before cutting, it must be heated. This will require a transformer with a power of 24 watts.
As a result of simple manipulations, you can gently cut plexiglass. A heated nichrome thread simply melts the material. This allows not only cutting plexiglass, but also cutting curly details.
Also, some craftsmen use a slotted screwdriver. This option is suitable for cutting plexiglass at home. A screwdriver is usually pressed against the material with an end face. In this case, the tool must be held by the very edge of the handle. After that, the blade of the screwdriver is heated with a soldering iron, the power of which is 25 watts.
Plexiglas should start to melt. The sting of a screwdriver just holds the line in the place where the cut should be. After that, plexiglass breaks easily. To get a straight fishing line, you can use a ruler of metal or a hacksaw blade without teeth.
In addition to the methods described above, you can cut plexiglass with a milling cutter or a circular saw. The thickness of the blade in this case should be no more than 1 mm. It should be noted that smoke may appear during the cutting process. At the same time, the edges of the material often foam due to an increase in temperature as a result of friction. This can be avoided. It is necessary to cool the working surface of the tool.