Our drills are designed specifically for drilling into acrylic sheets, unlike normal metal drill bits which cause damages such as chipping and cracking. Perspex® Acrylic Cut To Size. If you do need screws to fix your order into place, we can also drill holes into the clear plastic sheet itself. DRILLING / HOLE SAWS: When drilling into PERSPEX® or LEXAN Polycarbonate, use a drill with a tip that has been ground to give a neutral rake at the cutting edge…(or use a blunt drill) Always have the material well supported and do not rush, use a block of wood under where you are drilling….. if it drills to easily the drill bits too sharp! Coloured acrylic comes in a variety of styles and clear acrylic sheets offer comparable optical clarity as class. However, you may also want to 'work' the acrylic yourself to achieve the desired finish. Encapsulated with glass-like clarity, strength and resistance, working with acrylic sheets (guide to which […] when you drill, flush the hole with water to lubricate and cool. thin perspex can be "scored and snapped" which gives a nice finish, unless it is sunday and it's the last piece you have and it's really important, then it will shatter into a million bits, thanks to murphy :-\ [/quote] HA HA HA. All you need to do is enter the number of holes you need drilling and then select the size you need the holes to be. But thread cutting 3mm acrylic (Perspex) using these taps works just fine in a cordless drill/driver, going slowly, with WD40 as lubricant. I had been doing some work with plexiglas lately and found some good ways to score and cut, drill … 80 degrees C the Perspex will begin to soften and this is to be avoided. Some of the threads look really nice. There are precautions that you must take to ensure that the hole does not get hot and melt the acrylic sheet or that the exit side of the acrylic sheet does not crack. Also thermo-formed to different shapes by heating up to 165 to 170 Deg. You can also alter traditional drill bits to work better with plexiglass. While you are drilling through the plexiglass sheet, the friction would produce intense heat and the bits would cause lots of plastic shavings around the hole, especially if the sheet is thick. Or if you have a bench grinder sharpen the point to 60 degrees. the softer the plastic, the more you have to flatten the edge. Perspex® acrylic sheet can resist impacting 17 times more than glass whereas polycarbonate can manage to resist impact 250 times more than glass. Made to measure, any shape, any size. All-purpose drill bits tend to pull up on and twist the material. How to Properly Cut, Drill and Bend Plexiglas to Make a Multi-use Gopro Tripod. Here’s a gallery of (mostly close-ups which you can click to enlarge) photos… This will ensure the drilling will not blowout the panel as the drill exits the material. plexi is pretty brittle, so you can just file it until the edge is .010"-.020" on the flat. Or get the hole pretty close, then finish with a drill bit. The only major variable that can affect the forming process is the thickness of the plastic sheet. Use a blunt metal drill or back off the rake angle. Failing that, you have 2 other options on sheet plexi, besides a step bit. Too fast and it will melt. China acrylic cut to size perspex sheet custom clear acrylic sheets how to drill plexigl 10 s with china acrylic flower box with lid How To Tap A Thread In Acrylic Perspex Lucite Plexigl Using Your Cordless Drill Driver Raspi TvTip For Drilling Through Plexigl Today S HomeownerHow To Drill Holes In Plexigl Without Ing […] You can use a number of things as a coolant, the coolant will also act as a lubricant. Acrylic sheets, and branded acrylic such as Perspex, Plexiglass, Lucite, and Acrylite, require special drill bits to properly drill through them. you can buy special perspex drill bits... or i found this from the place where i buy my perspex if thats not an option: Drilling: Regular twist drills can be used, but need modification to keep the blade from grabbing and fracturing the plastic. I ve been drilling holes in 5 mm white perspex and tried a tapered cone drill also normal metal drill but they all seen to pull in to quick and chip... Log in or Sign up. Unibit® or Vari-Bit® Step Drill (1/8" to 1/2") - these bits can be used for sheets up to 0.118" (3 mm) thick to achieve a variety of hole diameters with a single bit. If the drill bit is new, wear it in a little on a scrap piece of wood so that there is no risk of the sharpness tearing the acrylic. Can you drill through acrylic? Standard wood working drill bits are suitable for drilling holes in polycarbonate sheet. You can buy acrylic sheet (E.g. A standard drill point angle is about 120' An approximate simple drilling speed guide for Acrylic (Perspex®) 1/8" drill = 3500 rpm 1/4" drill = 1800 rpm 1/2" drill = 900 rpm 1" drill = 450 rpm If your drilling deep holes you should "peck" the drill to prevent it clogging. With these specialized drill bits, you can cut consistenly clean holes in acrylic plastic. This is the installed insert. Click to see full answer In respect to this, can you drill holes in Lexan? PERSPEX® sheet can be bent on a heated "Line Bender" to form a right angle bend. Acrylic sheet such as Perspex, Lucite or Plexiglas can be drilled using drill bits that are designed for use on metal. Always drill the hole 1-2 mm larger than the fastening (i.e. you will want to use a pilot hole, say 1/4" first. ... Drilling. Standard metal drill bits will work, but without extensive modification, the metal drill bit will crack and chip the brittle acrylic sheet. For thicker sheets, it will take longer, and for thinner sheets, it … If you are drilling a thick sheet of acrylic, you should “peck drill” the material. Simply enter the dimensions of the Perspex® acrylic sheet that you require for an instant online price. How to clean acrylic Perspex sheets. Polycarbonate can be polished but the sheet doesn’t transmit light to the edges of the material so if you require a plastic panel with a bright polished edge other materials such as cast and extruded are more suitable. Hi Herman, thanks for getting in touch. It takes a special drill bit to properly drill through Plexiglas, Lucite, Acrylite, or Perspex acrylic sheet. Perspex Sheet UK the biggest stockist of Perspex acrylic plastic sheets. From here, you can work up to your desired hole size. Considerable heat can … Whether you’re a DIY enthusiast or a professional builder, acrylic perspex is becoming one of the preferred options for most of the constructors. As you can see, it doesn't extend more than 1/2 way through the acrylic sheet (you can see the reflection of the drilled hole in the other face of the sheet. When drilling Perspex, or any acrylic, it is important to note that once the material reaches approx. You can use a standard steel drill or an HSS drill to create your holes. You can also use our range of adhesives and sealants to mount and seal around the edge of the Perspex® acrylic sheets to ensure a water-tight finish. Specialty drill bits prevent the cracking and chipping. The only thing I will add to cutting Perspex, is speed is critical. Depending on your wall surface, you may need to pre-mount your Perspex® acrylic sheet to a board (eg MDF) prior to fixing to achieve a sound, flat finish. 1 How to cut Perspex® - a guide to machining, cutting, sawing and drilling Perspex® acrylic sheet. You can finish the hole, directly, if you have a routing table. Standard wood working drill bits are suitable for drilling holes in polycarbonate sheet. Or a flat wood bit will work well as will a holesaw. If it does, it will likely crack the acrylic. Insert an acrylic point drill bit into the chuck of the drill and set it to a medium speed. Our guide below will cover various aspects of working with acrylic, from cutting with various tools through to drilling. Our drills are designed specifically for drilling into acrylic sheets, unlike normal metal drill bits … Clear Cast Acrylic Sheet Acrylic Sheet | Perspex sheet Clear Cast Acrylic Sheet, also referred to as Perspex® Sheet, is supplied in a variety of different finishes including gloss, matte, anti-glare and prismatic. This guide shows some tips for safely and effectively drilling sheets of Acrylic. Polycarbonate is more flexible than acrylic, but will bend more under load bearing application. The machining characteristics of Perspex® are similar to those of soft brass or hard aluminium, but there are two important differences:-1. Clamp or hold down the acrylic while you drill the hole. Can you drill through acrylic? For example, to drill a 1/2 inch hole, you can make a pilot hole by beginning with a 1/4 bit drill and then moving to a 1/2 bit drill. Acrylic sheets, and branded acrylic such as Perspex, Plexiglass, Lucite, and Acrylite, require special drill bits to properly drill through them. At all times, let the drill bit cut under its own weight - avoid forcing the drill bit into the acrylic sheet as this can cause the acrylic to crack, chip or break. Using the wrong type of bit can result in the tool grabbing as you are drilling, which can lead to chipping at the edge of the hole. Perspex® will soften if heated above 80°C. I am with you there! Modify the bit by grinding small flats onto both cutting edges, so the bit cuts with a scraping action. Cent. screw or bolt) to allow for thermal expansion and contraction. Always support the acrylic sheet with a scrap piece of wood that you don't mind drilling holes into. It must be cooled over a former to hold its shape. Perspex®) which can be used as a replacement glass table top where safety is a concern. For instance, if the acrylic is 5mm thick, then the distance from the edge where you will drill is 10mm. contest and I would love it if you could take the time to vote if you feel I deserve the vote, thanks! Spade drill bits can also be used with satisfactory results. They require maximum support behind the sheet during use to prevent cracking. ... Lucite and Perspex. A sharp metal drilling bit will easily break the acrylic when it exits the work piece and so a blunt drill bit is preferred, or the sharp edges can be ground off before use. just ease the cutting edge the same way as above. Specialized acrylic bits function more like a scraper, and cut fine shavings to minimize stress on the relatively fragile sheets. Polycarbonate sheet can also be bent on a … : This instructable is in the "UP!" This article uses a sheet about 1/4" thick, so all times are about 10 to 15 minutes per step. On any hole much larger than 1/8", you can drill a 1/8" pilot hole, then route the hole out with a Dremel tool. Clear plastic sheets, cut to size can be used as a table top protector . Often the traditional drill bits, used for metal and wood, chip and crack the plexiglass while drilling through its surface. When installing the screws, you must make sure that it doesn't bottom out in the hole. Slow spiral drill if you can get one that big, 6mm will not be a problem. Drilling holes in polycarbonate. In the unlikely case that the drill bit gets stuck in the acrylic sheet, simply put the drill … Drilling holes in plexiglass can be challenging. Ideal for Lexan, Tuffak or Makrolon polycarbonate sheet.When drilling holes for screws, you must make the hole larger than the screw itself to allow for expansion and contraction of the material. Enjoy! When drilling into PERSPEX® or LEXAN Polycarbonate, use a drill with a tip that has been ground to give a neutral rake at the cutting edge(or use a blunt drill) Always have the material well supported and do not rush, use a block of wood under where you are drilling.. if it drills to easily the drill bits too sharp!