Bonding

Acrylic sheet joins easily with many commercially available solvent cements. Before cementing, edges must be cleanly cut and/or properly machined, but not polished. Polishing will produce an edge with rounded corners that result in an unsightly, weak joint. A flame-polished edge may craze when it contacts solvent cement.

Capillary cementing is the most popular joining method. Join the pieces with masking tape or clamp the pieces in a form. Space the two edges with shims to leave space for the cement to enter. Apply cement with a needle-nosed solvent cement applicator. Let the cement soak into the edges for 45 to 60 seconds before removing the shims.

Dip or soak cementing is an alternative. Dip the edge of one piece into the solvent for 20 to 30 seconds. Remove the sheet from the cement and place the soaked edge on the other part to be jointed. Hold the parts together for about 30 seconds without applying pressure. After 20 seconds, apply enough pressure to squeeze out the air bubbles, but not enough to squeeze out the cement. When the pieces are joined, place the part in a jig or clamp to maintain firm contact for 10 to 30 minutes.

With solvent cements, wait three hours before subsequent processing. High strength is reached in 24 to 48 hours.

To join parts that are difficult to cement by capillary or soak solvent methods, apply viscous cements. Viscous cements fill small gaps and make strong, transparent joints where solvent cements cannot.