Acrylic tube (350mm x 5mm thick)

[dogbural]

Hi,

I have got acrylic tube, in a size of dia 350mm x 5mm thick.
Then I tried cutting them into smaller length using circular saw slowly gently.

I noticed that after cutting there was some crystallised crack around the cut piece.
I am wondering what this caused the issue. I am just guessing they are stressed mark that come from stress release after cut.

Is there any good to cut this big size of acrylic tube?

Regards,
MK

 

[btrueblood]

Hard to tell from the picture, but those don't look like cracks, they look like scuff marks from the tube being pushed across a dirty surface.

If you really are seeing micro-cracks radiating from the cut into the parent material, then you might try annealing the material (heating to just below the softening point and holding for some duration, probably an hour or two). Or use cast acrylic vs. extruded. Or see if somebody has a laser cutter with a rotational axis and enough depth to accommodate the tube.

 

[MikeHalloran]

A metal-cutting bandsaw running at its slowest speed, with a small flow of kerosene, would do a better job.

OR, you could cut it with a hacksaw. Wrap a sheet of paper all the way round and use a Sharpie to mark the cut line.

24 teeth/inch should be about right in either case.

The circular saw might work if you have a blade with _many_ teeth, and can slow it _way_ down.



Mike Halloran
Corinth, NY, USA