I could use some suggestions. This is my first attempt at carving acrylic. The carve starts fine, but after a short time the tip of the bit starts to clog with melted material. I have set spindle speed (Dewalt 611) to it’s lowest setting, changed feed rate up and down to no avail. Still having the same problem.
Any help would be much appreciated.
I’m using a 90 degree V bit.
Thanks in advance.
If you’re just engraving, you shouldn’t need to go very deep. Feedrate as fast as your machine will allow.
Take very shallow passes.
Toy can do a last pass at full depth to clean it up.
What’s the end goal? I don’t see much v-carving in acrylic (or polycarbonate… Your post and title mention different materials).
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Are you using “Cast Acrylic”? straight acrylic will melt and clog
Thanks Neil and Steve.
Currently toying with an idea I had, It may go nowhere. I’m using Lexan, maybe this isn’t the best choice but I have a lot of it on hand.
I’ll try feeding it faster and see what happens.
Thanks
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I haven’t used a V-bit, but have cut A LOT of acrylic with straight bits. Amana Tool sells bits specifically for acrylics. Besides my bit size, I usually only have to decide on up or down cut depending on whether I’m using Oramask or not.
Cast Acrylic carve wonderfully!!
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Polycarbonate and acrylic are two completely different animals. You still want shallow passes and high feed rates though.