Sawing

A conventional panel or table saw and a no-melt blade for plastics are ideal for sawing acrylic sheet. This kind of carbide-tipped blade has a triple-chip-grind tooth design, where every other tooth has a beveled cutting edge to help clear away chips. Teeth should have a clearance angle of 10 to 15 degrees and a rake angle of zero to five degrees. The proper blade angle scrapes away the material, instead of chipping it away. A less aggressive 10-inch, 80-tooth blade is recommended.

When cutting, the blade should protrude between 1/8 inch to 1/2 inch above the sheet surface. A relatively fast cutting rate, e.g. 50 fpm, minimizes frictional heat build-up between the acrylic sheet and blade. Too slow a feed will melt or burn the material. Too fast a feed will cause chipping. When exiting the material, slow the feed rate to prevent chipping or blowout of the exit edge.

A saw blade mist cooling system will yield a cleaner, smoother edge, and increase the life of the blade. For more intricate cuts, acrylic can be cut with a saber saw or jig saw.