How to Cut a Polycarbonate Sheet

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How to Cut a Polycarbonate Sheet

Polycarbonates (PC) are impact resistant and light weight plastic material which come in either single or multi wall versions. The thickness of these plastic materials is in millimeters. They are lightweight and possess some of the best thermal insulation properties. PCs which are available in the market are coated with ultra-violet protected since these materials are vulnerable to ultraviolet radiation. They turn yellowish without this treatment. They are versatile and flexible materials which are used for a wide range of applications, more so in the construction industry where they are used as roofing materials.

Normally, polycarbonates are manufactured in large sheets which need to be cut to the correct size for a project. Resizing these plastic materials is one of the biggest challenges to most people since they cannot figure out how to cut a polycarbonate sheet to meet their specific needs. Cutting polycarbonate sheets is so simple a process that you can easily accomplish without necessarily hiring some else to go about the process.

How do you cut polycarbonate sheets without wasting much of it?

First, you need to have all the essential tools which you’ll use during the process. Some of the most basic equipment you need to acquire include:

1.Cutting tool

the choice of cutting tool will depend on the thickness of the PC sheet you would wish to cut. In most cases, it is advisable to go for circular saw since it is one of the most efficacious cutting. You can have a small hand saw to make cuts onsite.

2.Measuring equipment

how will you determine the correct size of PC sheet you would wish to cut? You can use a tape measure for this process.

3.Marker

 after taking accurate measurements, you need to mark the points which you will cut. The marker should be visible – that is, for clear polycarbonate sheets, you can use a colored marker.

Clamp; to make accurate cuts, you’ll have to clamp the PC sheet to avoid unnecessary movements during the cutting process.

4.Safety equipment

 safety is paramount in this process. You should wear goggles and gloves too.

Secondly, you need to prepare the working bench. Since polycarbonates, are not intrinsically scratch resistant, you need to clean the working bench to remove all debris which can scratch the PC sheet.

It is recommended that you use a fine-tooth circular saw blade. Any carbide blade with between 60 and 80 teeth can do a good job here. It is also important to set the speed of the saw. It should be between 6,000 and 8,000 feet per minute. A cutting machine within this range can do a good job.

When taking measurements, you need to be very keen since this is where most people find themselves wasting a lot of PC sheets. You must learn how to cut a polycarbonate sheet accurately. If the sheet should overlap by some amount length, it should be considered too.

Now that you have gone through all these process, how do you cut polycarbonate sheets then? Clamp the polycarbonate sheet to reduce vibrations and you can begin the cutting process. In situations where you need to cut quite a number of PC sheets; just stack a few together since this will help you to realize a better cut.