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Cutting 2mm acrylic

HM-2

Just sounding out some advice on cutting 2mm acrylic. I'm having a custom distro plate made that has a cutout at the rear for a D5 pump. I would like to screw a cut piece of 2mm black acrylic between the distro plate mounts and the rear of the case (O11D-XL) to give a nice solid surface rather than being able see the vents and stuff through the distro. 

 

The pump mount look like this-

 

IMG-20200728-131833.jpg

IMG-20200730-140709-Bokeh.jpg

 

My thinking is to use a hole saw to cut the main central hole (I've got a variety of sizes) then using either a small hole saw or stepped bit to do the screw holes and filing down any gap between the two but I would appreciate any other ideas. I've got access to a drill with almost any kind of bit and attachment you could wank, hacksaw, Dremel with a variety of bits including the plunge cutting router style bits for metal/plastic.

 

Or would it be easier just to get the damn thing laser cut?!

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I think it's really easy to shatter the acrylic with the hole saw. In general I'd be careful with the material. Cutting it rough with a hack saw and filing it down might be a good option, though.

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20 minutes ago, James Evens said:

Can you control the RPM?

I can yes. I can also use the diamond tipped hole saws like for cutting glass and ceramics in lieu of the typical bimetallic wood/plasterboard ones.

 

I'm not wedded to use of acrylic specifically so I could use polycarbonate, ABS or any other sheet plastic that's easier to cut.

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On 8/1/2020 at 9:35 AM, HM-2 said:

I can yes. I can also use the diamond tipped hole saws like for cutting glass and ceramics in lieu of the typical bimetallic wood/plasterboard ones.

 

I'm not wedded to use of acrylic specifically so I could use polycarbonate, ABS or any other sheet plastic that's easier to cut.

You don't want to use abrasive hole saws as it will just melt the plastic, it would be best to have the material backed onto a sheet of sacrificial material like MDF or Plywood and use a regular hole saw to cut through it, for straight cuts you can use a table saw with a finer toothed blade. 

 

If you have access to a laser cutter that would of course yield the best result and also give you polished edges straight out of the machine. 

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At work we've used HDPE sheet I think it was for spacers/adaptors as it's super easy to machine and soft. Doesn't crack or shatter.

 

Not sure how nice an edge you get or the aesthetics if it would polish up.

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