Material:Acrylic Glass
| MaterialInfoBox Acrylic Glass | |
|---|---|
| |
| Synonyms: | poly(methyl methacrylate), PMMA, "Perspex", "Plexiglass"; DE: Acrylglas, "Plexiglas" |
| Suggested Tools: | laser cutter, files, scroll saw, bandsaw, jigsaw(?) |
Acrylic glass is a thermoplastic and commonly known under the brand name "Plexiglass".
Be careful not to confuse this with "Bastelglas" (polystyrene) or similar when laser cutting, the other types will emit fumes harmful to humans and the laser cutter or may melt onto the bed.
Cutting
You can saw acrylic glass almost like wood, but it will melt due to heat and stick to the saw, so do it slowly. Lukas got pretty good results with a 6 TPI bandsaw blade when he needed to cut tube stock. It is also possible to score a line and break it over an edge, as you would do with actual glass.
Much better though: laser cut it! If it's not too thick, you'll end up with perfect edges and nicely repeatable results.
You'll often find a protective foil on freshly purchased pieces - leave that on during cutting to reduce the chances of shattering (when sawing) or a buildup of unsightly residues (when laser cutting)!
Bending
Acrylic glass is easy to bend when heated, e.g. with a heat gun or a more precise hot wire jig.
Engraving
Prior to engraving (with a rotary tool or laser cutter), you should remove the protective foil on the side you want to work on.
Engravings become a dull and intransparent version of the original material's color. For more visible and colorful engravings, consider using fill-in paint!
Joining
Gluing
It is possible to join two pieces of acrylic using special adhesives like Acrifix.
Thermal Bonding
It seems to be possible to "sandwich" sheets of acrylic glass purely by heat and pressure. In this paper they use simple clamps and "110°C for up to 2 hours in a fan assisted oven" - sounds like a perfect experiment for a drying oven!
Sourcing
Buyer's Guide
Online shops are cheaper, but if you do not need much, the shipping fee will make it equally or more expensive compared to hardware stores. As a rule of thumb, expect to pay ~15€ per m² and mm thickness of extruded plexiglas. Cast plexiglas costs twice as much. You might find offcuts for a lower price.
Example Stores
You can buy acrylic glass from the following shops, among others:
- "Zuschnitt" in Bauhaus
- only clear
- offcuts may be available
- Hornbach in Pfaffengrund/Wieblingen
- several colors available.
- Plattenzuschnitt24
- cheap acrylics, plexiglas, low shipping prices
- they also ship samples for a 5 € fee (can be used as credit for your next purchase)
- hbholzmaus Kunststoffe
- fast & cheap shipping, many other plastics available
- also sell cheap offcuts (various sizes, easily big enough for laser cutting!)
