Cutting Lexan

[John Gutmann]

What kind of blade do I need to cut lexan and acrylic on a table saw? It doesn't have to be the same blade.

[Andrew Rudolph]

Ive always just used a sharp plywood blade. But I am no expert.

[Gabe]

Originally Posted by sparksandtabs

What kind of blade do I need to cut lexan and acrylic on a table saw? It doesn't have to be the same blade.

Note that their is a great difference in how these two materials cut. Lexan will cut without problems with a steel or carbide-tipped rip saw blade. A crosscut saw blade will leave a very wide cutting path. Acrylic is very different, and will shatter if you try to saw it on a table saw. Best to use a band saw or a jigsaw and go slowly.

[Chuck Glick]

we found that a table saw ususally chips lexan, but using a band saw slowly, but just fast enough not to melt the lexan is the way to get the cleanest cuts.

[rswsmay]

Although a band saw would have been my preferred method for cutting acrylic, I have had no problems cutting 1/8" thick stock on a table saw with a carbide blade. The width of the material and the required size of the piece made it necessary to use a table saw. I could also have used a jigsaw for such a large piece, but the table saw assured a straighter cut. Good blade selection is essential to making sure that you get a good cut. Too many teeth on the blade will generate more friction and it may melt. Too few teeth on the blade and the cut will be rough, and in some cases your stock (acrylic) may shatter and chip. Therefore careful and deliberate feeding of the material and an appropriate blade selection will pay off.

Like Gabe says, go slowly to avoid chipping, but also keep the piece moving steadily to avoid heating up the material especially with thicker stock. If you move it too slowly it will tend to heat up, soften, melt and may gum up your blade or even distort along the edge of your cut.

You may also have some success with rotary tools such as a rotozip, Dremel, or a laminate trimmer. And don't forget the old faithful hack saw with. Again be careful about chipping and heating up the material.

Originally Posted by Gabe

Note that their is a great difference in how these two materials cut. Lexan will cut without problems with a steel or carbide-tipped rip saw blade. A crosscut saw blade will leave a very wide cutting path. Acrylic is very different, and will shatter if you try to saw it on a table saw. Best to use a band saw or a jigsaw and go slowly.

[ChuckDickerson]

I have had good results using Irwin Marathon blades cutting 1/4" thick acrylic on a table saw. I usually tape both sides with masking tape to help with the chipping problem. In fact, I have had good results cutting just about everything with those Irwin Marathon blades including Lexan and aluminum. We cut about a zillion feet of aluminum this season with one on my 12" miter saw. We also cut a lot of thin (<~1/16" - 1/8") Lexan with a jig/scroll saw and a plain old 7 1/4" skill saw with a plywood blade. You can cut Lexan with just about anything in my experience. At competition, the inspectors wanted us to shield a pinch point/sprocket on our robot and all we had was a small piece of 1/16" Lexan and pair of scissors. The scissors cut it to shape just fine and a couple of minutes and a couple of zip ties later we breezed through inspection.

[FreakyAntelope]

For long straight cuts (like you might need a table saw for), my team has found that it is often easier to snap lexan then to cut it. By using a straight edge and a knife, you can score the lexan, then snap it at the edge of a table, or something else with a sharp corner. For teams with less resources or who don't want students using power tools as often, this is a really simple and effective method, if you're careful when you score it.

For smaller cuts, or curves, we just use our upright band saw, but I've seen teams have a lot of success with a router.

- Toby

[Barry Craig]

My team used a metal saw.

[Veselin Kolev]

Remember, Lexan is another name for polycarbonate. Acrylic is... another name for acrylic. Polycarb cuts well with a table saw, acrylic does not. Acrylic melts, shatters, etc. Cut it with a bandsaw if you have one.

[John Gutmann]

Originally Posted by Veselin Kolev

Remember, Lexan is another name for polycarbonate. Acrylic is... another name for acrylic. Polycarb cuts well with a table saw, acrylic does not. Acrylic melts, shatters, etc. Cut it with a bandsaw if you have one.

Acrylic is another name for Plexiglas.*shivers* But I was thinking to get good cuts that are all uniform. But I recently found out that www.pololu.com does laser cutting EXTREMELY cheap so I am going to look into that.

[Veselin Kolev]

Originally Posted by sparksandtabs

Acrylic is another name for Plexiglas.*shivers* But I was thinking to get good cuts that are all uniform. But I recently found out that www.pololu.com does laser cutting EXTREMELY cheap so I am going to look into that.

Just a note... acrylic is the real name for Plexiglass. Just like polycarbonate is the same thing as Lexan. These are just registered names of the same plastic.

But yea. Laser cutting works fine, watercutting is pretty slick too.

I suggest trying EDM too. You'll get interesting results

[Tim Delles]

Another great way to cut Lexan is to use either an exact-o knife or a knife that is specially made to cut lexan (Normally you can buy one of these at any local hardware store or atleast one that sells lexan.)

Acrylic as has been crakes very easily. To much vibrations or to much heat when cutting it can cause it to deform. The best way to cut acrylic is to cut it with a hack saw if it is that firm, if its not then i have no idea (I normally break acrylic cause i really have never found a way to cut it good).

[inphiniti]

Biting it cuts it quite nicely; unless you can tear it with your bare hands. Note that this method isn't as accurate, but it demonstrates how hard-core you are.

No jk. A table-saw works nicely if you do it slow enough.