Acrylic is an engineering plastic, also known as Plexiglas. Nowadays, acrylic has a wide range of applications, from daily necessities lighting, mobile phones, televisions, interior decoration to outdoor advertising, to the aerospace industry in high-tech electronics. Acrylic is increasingly regarded as a new type of optical prototyping material. The development potential is quite huge.
1] Acrylic thickness
The Acrylic thickness has its own tolerances, so tolerance control is an important manifestation of quality management and production technology. Acrylic production has an international standard ISO7823.
2] CNC Acrylic Cutting
Acrylic’s cutting performance is good. It is best to use high-speed steel tools when acrylic machining is compared to other CNC plastic machining. This is sharper, less burrs, and the spindle speed should be as high as possible.
3] CNC RouterAcrylic
Things to note in engraving: In the process of acrylic processing, such as back carving, please mirror the graphics first, and the engraving speed is fast and the power is low. If the power is too high during engraving, uneven streaks will appear on the bottom surface.
If you want to engrave deeper, try to engrave several times. In the case of back carving, the local coloring should be carved deeper, and then the flame polishing can be used to fill the color. If not polished, the color seen from the front will not be uniform.
4] Problems in the production process
1) Foam problem
Acrylic production is the same as other alloys, and foam is troublesome. Each process and process in the production process is designed to prevent the storage of bubbles in the body of the processed product. The bubble formation will cause great damage to the aesthetics and rigidity of the acrylic parts.
Moreover, acrylic products are mostly transparent and difficult to sell after the generation of bubbles, so the processing cost is greatly threatened. Regardless of the type of processing, care must be taken to clean the gas and ensure a vacuum.
2) Transportation problems
Transportation must take certain protective measures. Whether it is a cycle between production plant equipment or road transport, certain protective measures are required. Although the toughness of Plexiglas is much higher than the toughness of Plexiglas, it is not too hard, and the impact resistance of PC is not good.
Once the crack occurs, the entire plate will gradually break. Therefore, when transporting acrylic, a protective film and a vacuum device should be used to fix the material to prevent irreversible consequences caused by the collision.
5] Acrylic bonding
Acrylic bonding is a very important part of acrylic processing. How to show the clear and transparent characteristics of acrylic, embody the value of acrylic crafts, limit the quality and taste of products, and bonding technology plays a decisive role.Therefore I will introduce you 4 types of bonding as follow.
- Plane bonding: Plane bonding is a special bonding method. First wipe the surface to be cleaned and place it horizontally, and apply a proper amount of adhesive to it. Place one side of the other acrylic sheet obliquely on the acrylic sheet to which the adhesive is applied, and then slowly and evenly lay it down to remove the bubbles from one side to complete the bonding.
- Docking: Place two acrylic sheets to be docked horizontally on the operating platform, close them, and stick a tape on the bottom to leave a gap of no more than 0.3mm to prepare the adhesive. Use a syringe to inject the adhesive from one side evenly and slowly from the gap until it is completely filled. After the curing, remove the tape.
- Facade bonding: Facade bonding is a widely used bonding technique that is commonly used in the production of acrylic crafts. First wipe the surface to be bonded clean. The use of the master to achieve bonding, so that the bond does not shake, is conducive to improve the quality of the bond.
- Bevel bonding: The bonding bevel must use a mold such as a 90 degree angle to prevent the displacement of the surface to be bonded. The adhesive should be applied evenly and slowly, and the mold can be removed after curing.
Advantages
Acrylic is the best new material that can be used to make sanitary ware after ceramics. In addition to the unparalleled high brightness, acrylic has the following advantages over traditional ceramic materials:
- Good toughness and not easy to break.
- It is highly repairable, so you can wipe the sanitary ware with soft foam dipped in toothpaste.
- The texture is soft and there is no cold and chilly feeling in winter.
- The color is bright, which can satisfy the personality pursuit of different tastes.
Acrylic basins, bathtubs and toilets are made of acrylic, which are not only beautiful in style, durable, but also environmentally friendly. Their radiation levels are similar to those of the human body. Acrylic sanitary ware first appeared in the United States and has occupied more than 70% of the entire international market.
Disadvantages
Because acrylic production is difficult and costly, there are many low-cost substitutes on the market. In fact, it is a common organic board or composite board. Ordinary organic plates are cast with common Plexiglas cracking materials and pigments.
The surface hardness is low and easy to fade. After polishing with fine sand, the polishing effect is poor. The composite board has only a thin layer of acrylic on the surface, and the middle is ABS plastic, which is easily delaminated by the expansion and contraction during use. True and false acrylic can be identified from the subtle chromatic aberration and polishing effect of the sheet section.
Wayken as a very professional prototype manufacturer is specialized in providing Acrylic prototyping service. We have the capabilities to help engineers & designers to test your great concepts at a low cost.
