How To Break A 1 8 Inch Acrylic Sheet

Flip over the sheet and score the opposite side of the piece.

How to break a 1 8 inch acrylic sheet.

The sheet should break cleanly along the line that you scored in it. Line up the score line with the edge of the work space and clamp it down. Place the line you ve scored directly along the edge of the table. This tip will help you easily cut plexiglass with no chips or breaks.

To create bends for small scale projects in plexiglass perspex or acrylic 1 8 inch and thinner you can use a small torch butane kitchen torches work well a paint stripping heat gun or an embossing heat tool which is a wand that works very similarly to a paint stripping gun but using a smaller more directed heat flow with a smaller fan. If the sheet doesn t fully break along the line use your utility knife to cut along the groove and break off the piece. You can wrap your hand around one edge and use your body weight to push down. You can use 1 hand to brace the sheet while you push down on the sheet with the other hand.

Using clamps to hold the sheet to the table makes the process easier. With the sheet of plexiglass clamped in place on the work surface apply quick downward pressure to break off the piece that you cut. Acrylic will break if subjected to force beyond that measure but breaks into large relatively dull edged pieces which disperse. Break the sheet at the scored line by pressing down on the outer edge in a quick motion.

Plexiglass can be tricky to cut on a table saw. Other materials inches inch f acrylic sheet 0000410 aluminum 0000129 plate glass 0000050 for indoor applications where temperatures normally remain the same 20 degrees f acrylic sheet does not generally require special considerations for expansion and contraction other than providing for a snug rather than tight fit. Next hold the yardstick to the marked line and run. Use a glass cutter or the dull side of a utility knife to score the plexiglass along the mark line 5 to 10 times.

The thin plastic might start to vibrate.