I've got a customer who needs a short run of clear plastic panels (14" X 12"
X .25") that I simply need a contour cut around the perimeter.Since this
client tends to think Home Depot has everything I fear that I'm getting a
bunch of blanks from some low quality material to machine.

Any suggestions on tooling etc.. to machine the typical sheet plastic found
at HD?

no problem on HP / speed (10K) or coolant.

Pedroman

"Pedro" wrote in message
news:qk4Ne.280947$xm3.44216@attbi_s21...
| I've got a customer who needs a short run of clear plastic panels (14" X
12"
| X .25") that I simply need a contour cut around the perimeter.Since this
| client tends to think Home Depot has everything I fear that I'm getting a
| bunch of blanks from some low quality material to machine.
|
| Any suggestions on tooling etc.. to machine the typical sheet plastic
found
| at HD?
|
| no problem on HP / speed (10K) or coolant.
|
| Pedroman

In the phone book look for plastics suppliers. Signmakers use gobs of
it. Standard routers and bits work fine, but you have to go quickly or it
will overheat the plastic. A template or bearing bit helps.

Pedro wrote:
I've got a customer who needs a short run of clear plastic panels (14" X 12"
X .25") that I simply need a contour cut around the perimeter.Since this
client tends to think Home Depot has everything I fear that I'm getting a
bunch of blanks from some low quality material to machine.

Any suggestions on tooling etc.. to machine the typical sheet plastic found
at HD?

no problem on HP / speed (10K) or coolant.

Pedroman


Make a vacuum fixture to hold the parts and use a 'down cut' router type
bit. It will be a right hand cut with a left hand spiral so cutting
action pushes the piece downward rathwer than pulling it up. I use an
air blast from a micro mist applicator with the fluid turned off. A .250
diameter cutter I usually run approx 7k rpm and 25-30 ipm when cutting
3mm thick parts. These are odd shapes cut from blanks that are a portion
of a spere (usually) with no seal installed near the part boundary. I
make the conforming fixture smooth enough to be adequate for sealing,
with channels cut to apply the vacuum to a signifigant area. If you wish
to email me for more details, put vacuum fixture in subject. Flat parts
with a seal installed would allow a much faster cutting rate.

michael

Pedro wrote:
I've got a customer who needs a short run of clear plastic panels (14" X 12"
X .25") that I simply need a contour cut around the perimeter.Since this
client tends to think Home Depot has everything I fear that I'm getting a
bunch of blanks from some low quality material to machine.

Any suggestions on tooling etc.. to machine the typical sheet plastic found
at HD?

no problem on HP / speed (10K) or coolant.

Pedroman


Home Depot toolroom wood router, a pilot bearing equipped router bit,
and a template.
Fast, cheap, and effective. For a more production oriented run, I'd
upgrade the router to a table router or an overhead pin router.

Cheers
Trevor Jones

Most likely it will be polycarbonate (Lexan). Machines easily. Get a
piece of MDF to use as a sacrificial underlayment and simply bond the
Lexan to this with 3M 77 spray adhesive. Use a couple of clamps also.
You might want to take 2 passes on the first one and see how it goes .
Any router bit will work fine and you don't need coolant.

What others said about high speed and HIGH FEED RATES. Cool with a heavy
duty air blast at all times, NOT regular coolant.

Pedro wrote:

I've got a customer who needs a short run of clear plastic panels (14" X 12"
X .25") that I simply need a contour cut around the perimeter.Since this
client tends to think Home Depot has everything I fear that I'm getting a
bunch of blanks from some low quality material to machine.

Any suggestions on tooling etc.. to machine the typical sheet plastic found
at HD?

no problem on HP / speed (10K) or coolant.

Pedroman