Cutting 1/4" polycarbonate

[Cr2348455]

Thanks to all!
Only straight cuts needed. I own a Bosh jigsaw, so I might just need a blade for it so atleast 3 teeth are in the 1/4" thick piece.
Thanks again to all who shared their experience!

 

[Bob Korves]

If the work catches and chatters when turning tighter radii, then you need a blade with more set to the teeth or a smaller size from teeth to heel.

 

[Shotgun]

Whatever you cut it with, use a hairdryer to warm it up beforehand.

Never, ever, in your whole life should you try to cut cold plexiglass, lexan, polycarbonate, or any of those other clear plastics. Cut it when it's under 60*F, and it is going to snap and crack as soon as you look at it sideways. Get it over 90*F and the cracking takes some doing. Get it too hot to comfortably hold, and you can pretty much do what you want with it. Get it warm enough, and you can comfortably cut it with a box knife.

By the way, warm means "all the way through". Not just on the surface.

 

[Cr2348455]

Thanks for the sound advice.

 

[Suzuki4evr]

Get it over 90*F and the cracking takes some doing. Get it too hot to comfortably hold, and you can pretty much do what you want with it. Get it warm enough, and you can comfortably cut it with a box knife.

Would a heatgun work if you hold it far enough so it won't melt the material and must you keep constant heat?

 

[Shotgun]

Would a heatgun work if you hold it far enough so it won't melt the material and must you keep constant heat?

Keep the heat gun moving. What you're concerned about is the core temperature. Once you get it hot, it'll stay that way for several minutes.

BTW, I found this out making an airplane canopy. The same parts I had cut in the summer with ease, were popping and cracking when I tried to add attachment screw holes. I heated it up to bend it around a corner, and found that the next hole I had to drill went without so much as a snag. From then on, it got the heat before I tried to do anything to it and I never had a problem. I don't even bother with special plexiglass drill bits any more.

 

[mksj]

Polycarbonate (Lexan) should not crack or shatter, I cut it routinely either with a sliding chop saw or table saw. Round the edges on the disc sander or for larger curves a jigsaw with a curve cutting blade. Try not to get to get the blade too deep into the polycarbonate, as the friction can melt it. I do not heat it, used it quite frequently for the top of boat hatches in much thicker sheet. It could withstand heavy impacts, like if you dropped a winch handle, etc. I use 1/4" polycarbonate as impact shields on both my lathe and mill. Acrylic I would not touch with a 10 foot pole, it can crack and shatter way too easy, and will form stress cracks around holes/stress points. It is also much more brittle when cold.

 

[Weldingrod1]

You've got to be careful heat gunning polycarb; it will easily foam due to absorbed moisture. You can bake out the moisture in an oven, though.

My experience has not matched the "work it hot" idea... BUT, 60F is pretty hard to come by in Houston!

1/8" and down polycarb can be bent like sheet metal! More spring back than Ally ;-)

If you bend much there are some slick tools for making plastic sign letters that work REALLY well! A double sided line bender version of a hair tool, and a rectangular double sided one too. Pretty sure they are really hair tools ;-)

Sent from my SM-G892A using Tapatalk

 

[Firstram]

Thanks to all!
Only straight cuts needed. I own a Bosh jigsaw, so I might just need a blade for it so atleast 3 teeth are in the 1/4" thick piece.
Thanks again to all who shared their experience!

Amazon.com

Don't overthink the tooth count, these blades work very well in acrylic and polycarb.

 

[brino]

If you bend much there are some slick tools for making plastic sign letters that work REALLY well! A double sided line bender version of a hair tool, and a rectangular double sided one too. Pretty sure they are really hair tools ;-)

Can you post some pictures?
Do you mean a heater like a hair curling iron?
Do the "double sided" ones have two heating elements and you place the plastic sheet between?

Thanks!
-brino