Drilling Holes In Acrylic Sheets

Zero flute countersinks work well for the countersinking and deburring of holes in acrylic sheet.

Drilling holes in acrylic sheets.

If your sheet is thick do peck drilling going a little at the time so that you can remove the shavings from your hole and allow the drill time to cool. Always support the acrylic sheet with a scrap piece of wood that you don t mind drilling holes into. Press only lightly on the drill the drill must sink itself through the material. When you start the drilling process ensure that the hole is away from the edge of the plexiglass.

The pilot hole should be at least 1 2 the diameter of the final hole. However there are a few things to keep in mind. You could drill progressively larger holes but in my experience this can cause chipping around the edges of the hole. Drilling holes in acrylic sheet.

On any hole much larger than 1 8 you can drill a 1 8 pilot hole then route the hole out with a dremel tool. Place the drill perpendicular to the acrylic sheet and set the drill to medium speed immediately. The chip should break off immediately. If a countersink is unavailable use a drill of larger diameter than the hole and deburr the rough edge on the exit side of the hole side where the drill came through the sheet.

Or get the hole pretty close then finish with a drill bit. Drilling holes in acrylic requires the use of a drill bit specially designed for use with plastics. Here you will discover which drill bits are suitable for p. Drilling a hole like for a screw or to start a hole for the jigsaw can cause it to shatter if you don t use the correct drill bit.

Support the drill well when it is almost. Standard metal drill bits will work but without extensive modification the metal drill bit will crack and chip the brittle acrylic sheet. You can finish the hole directly if you have a routing table. Drilling plexiglas is similar to drilling wood.

Before you embark on drilling the main hole you should consider starting with a pilot hole. This will avoid cracking which may damage the entire sheet. Insert an acrylic point drill bit into the chuck of the drill and set it to a medium speed. Acrylic drill bits are available for drill presses.

There are precautions that you must take to ensure that the. Failing that you have 2 other options on sheet plexi besides a step bit.