Cutting Acrylic

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WarlordBB

Limp Gawd
Joined
Jun 10, 2004
Messages
390
I'm going to mount this:

pa1203.jpg


on top of this:

newcase.jpg


and I was thinking of cutting the top with this:

drill.jpg


It's a very nice 18V varible speed saw, specs are here:
http://www.ryobitools.com/index.php/catalog/tool/p520c/

I have no prior experience cutting acrylic and have no desire to screw up my new $250 case. The corded version of this saw has a "scrolling" blade option that this one doesn't, no idea what that's for. I'd _really_ like to buy the cordless version for this task if possible because it will be easier to justify the expense.

I will be practicing on scrap acrylic, no doubt. I also will be masking off my case as well as drilling pilot holes in all corners of where I plan to cut (which will most likely be a template made from the fan shoud for that radiator (i.e. the cuts will be basically 3 120mm squares).

My questions are:

1. Can the cordless version of this saw do this job effectively or would some other tool be more appropriate.

2. What do I need to know about blades and/or drill bits and/or speeds when cutting acrylic because I know you can wind up melting rather than cutting the stuff.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated and my apologies if there is a post that addresses these exact things already, search was _not_ working for me and I didn't see anything in the first 5 or so pages.

TIA
 
I wouldn't use that. It's gonna scratch the hell out of your case. That, its gonna grab and crack the case.

Know what I use? A spiral saw bit in my dremel.

Purple052.jpg


Purple053.jpg


Purple003.jpg


More pics.
 
I like that idea and it makes sense where that wouldn't grab like you say. However, I was going to go for a more square cut that would match the cutouts on my shroud:

shroud.jpg


Could such a cutout still be best achieved with something such as you recommend?

BTW, I've had _many_ an acrylic case and I still love my first ClearPC case the best. If they would just have reasonable card slot areas, I wouldn't need to venture into other areas. I also have the case that goes with that side panel you show. I wish mine didn't even have those (or the top) blow holes there.

Nice modding you have, love the gallery, and thanks for the tip.
 
Sarver's probably right on the money there. A jigsaw (even if the bottom is taped) can easily crack 1/8" acrylic. 1/4" acrylic just melts if you go to fast.

However my spiral bits never cut that great of a cut so it might take a little sanding.
 
BTW guys, me and my case thank you. As I said, I would never cut it without some practice runs but practice runs may still not have shown me the pitfalls of the jigsaw. The last thing I want to do is crack my case.
 
If you already have the shroud, why not use it as a guide?

Clamp the shroud in place where you want it, then use your dremel like a router. Throw in your spiral bit, and use the shroud to keep the lines nice and straight.
 
SarverSystems said:
If you already have the shroud, why not use it as a guide?

Clamp the shroud in place where you want it, then use your dremel like a router. Throw in your spiral bit, and use the shroud to keep the lines nice and straight.
Click to expand...

The problem is a dremel tends to melt acrylic, rather than cut it.
 
Not with a rotary cutter it doesn't. Look at the pic I posted. There was no melting at all. I kept it at the slowest speed, and it cut through the acrylic like warm butter, albeit STINKY butter.
 
I've never gotten used to the smell of acrylic burning. I end up wearing a mask all day if I have to do any bit of sanding.
 
SarverSystems said:
If you already have the shroud, why not use it as a guide?

Clamp the shroud in place where you want it, then use your dremel like a router. Throw in your spiral bit, and use the shroud to keep the lines nice and straight.
Click to expand...

GREAT idea!

I'm not going to be able to use that guide thing you show in your pic though, because the sides of the shroud will get in the way, and if I mount it underneath (inside the case) as a guide, I'm scared I'll mess up the angle. <shrug> Maybe mounted underneath and using that guide you show, I actually would be _less_ likely to bugger up anything. Might try that.

Actually, instead of clamping it, I could just go ahead and drill the mounting holes and mount the thing. Of course I'm going to bugger up the powder coating job on my shroud but that side is going to be pretty much covered up.

Which brings me to my next question, when you want to drill a hole in your acrylic, you reach for your...

Also, how did you start your pilot hole for the cutout you show in your pic?
 
Just got the Yellow C3 case and it looks great. Unfortunately I am having a problem with motherboard installation. The motherboard is about a 1/4" too high from the mobo tray and the I/O plate is not aligning with I/O from the mobo. It also creates another problem where your video card and add in PCI cards will not seat properly on the PCI Slot lock. Your video card will be 1/4" too high from the flat surface. C3 does not use screws to lock your cards. Hopefully C3 will get back to me for a solution and they can fix the problem in the future.
 
Warlord,
Presumably you will be masking off the case no matter which tool you use so scratching it is a non-issue.
A variable speed jigsaw (cordless or not) would be the perfect tool to use.
Special blades are available for acrylic depending on the thickness to be cut.
Using the right blade/speed combination would give you a perfect cut with little or no handfinishing necessary.

Why not contact the casemaker and ask how they would proceed?
 
SarverSystems said:
The case maker will say "Use a laserjet and then flame polish the cut edges."
Click to expand...

Ding, Ding, Ding, we have a winner!

I said to Chad, the Product Manager, "so what would you use"

brief pause...

He said, "you mean if I didn't have access to a laser cutter and...".

He then said he wouldn't use a jigsaw, might work but a lot of clean up.

He said to use a router with a "zero rake" bit. He said a roto zip might do the trick too. He said he wouldn't use a Dremel either but then I explained how you were proposing using the Dremel and I think he liked the idea.

I'm going to go take a look and see what my local store has in stock as far as tools to get. I'll post back. Thanks for the help.
 
WarlordBB said:
He said to use a router with a "zero rake" bit. He said a roto zip might do the trick too. He said he wouldn't use a Dremel either but then I explained how you were proposing using the Dremel and I think he liked the idea.
Click to expand...
a "rotozip" is just a dremel with a spiral saw bit like Sarver said. Personally, I've found that if you have any metal working skills, a metal stencil works best when using a spiral saw bit to cut acrylic. And as a side note, when you go to drill the mounting holes for the rad, run the drill bit in reverse with a little bit of pressure at slow speed. Less chance of having the bit bite into the acrylic and causing cracking/chipping.
 
I've found a plastics fabricator just down the street from me that will do this for me for $40.

I know it's not as [H]ard, but at least it will be done right.
 
For soemthing as "permanent" as what you are doing, I don't blame ya. One little mistake, and it's all over. And $40 is one hell of a deal.
 
Just to chime in, since I have experience with a jigsaw and plastic. It's a no-no. It will grab and crack.

Acylic isn't the most millable of plastics. What I use is a dremel with a cutting-wheel at a slower speed. The spiral bits I've used always heat up and melt the plastic *shrug*.
 
But if you use a Dremel with a cut off disc dont you run the risk of melting the acrylic
 
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