1. Cutting
You may cut the acrylic glass using ordinary equipment for wood or metal processing, or a laser device. A disk saw for straight lines and a belt saw for cutting curved forms are used in most cases. The belt saw is more suitable for cutting semi-products for further processing, since for this reason there it is not necessary to achieve high cutting accuracy (a belt saw with speed of 700-800 m/min is used for cutting moulded acryl). To achieve a precise and smooth surface in cutting complex forms, it is recommended to use a mill. Disk saws allow making a straight, precise cut (in cutting moulded acryl, use a disk saw with a reinforced carbide disk and the speed of 800-1200 m/min). For cutting fine works, a handsaw for softer metals might be more appropriate. It is also possible to use a manual fretsaw.
To achieve clean surfaces of cuts, it is necessary to use a high-speed saw without vibrations. At the high cutting speed and with the minimum speed of advance, you will achieve the highest quality. For decoracryl cutting using high-speed disk saws, we recommend the speed of 4000 rpm. For processing, we recommend to use disks with the diameter of 250 mm, made of fast-cutting steel or with reinforced blades made from hard alloy. In order to prevent deformation, saw teeth should not be damaged. Cutting surfaces of tools should be duly sharpened. Slightly worn out tools may cause dirty cutting surfaces and damage to the material processed, or to the tool. Laser-beam cutting many advantages: excellent cutting accuracy, low quantity of waste, a high-quality cut requiring minimum polishing. This method however promotes occurrence of high internal pressure in the material, therefore subsequent gluing of such surfaces is not recommended.
2. Drilling
Drilling of decoracryl is made by means of stationary or mobile boring machines equipped with special drills for soft metals made from fast-cutting steel and specially sharpened for drilling of decoracryl. It is possible to apply a spiral drill with the top point angle of 60-90º. The front angle γ should be sharpened within the limits of 40 to 90º. This way only it is possible to avoid breaking off around apertures when the drill is pulled out from the panel. The rear angle α should have at least 3º. In case of deep drilling, it is recommended to frequently lift the drill to remove burrs and reduce material warm-up.
For drilling of decoracryl, any metal screw drills can be used. The tolerance coefficient of the drill diameter is +0.05 mm, with respect to the aperture diameter. In order to prevent internal pressure during drilling, it is necessary to provide cooling of the cutting tool and the material using a cooling liquid or compressed air.
3. Milling
By means of the milling equipment it is possible: to finish edges of saw cuts, to make round forms and curved surfaces, and also to edge off previously manufactured profiles. By milling, it is also possible to remove various protrusions. Standard milling tools with higher cutting speed may be used for decoracryl. Single-blade cylindrical cutters as well as large double-blade cutters or slitting cutters that perfectly remove burrs are usually used as tools.
4. Engraving
In most cases, engraving is made by means of rippers installed on pantographs and equipped with small diameter mills (2-6 mm) of various profiles. Also laser cutting machines allowing engraving by restricting the deep laser-beam operation can be used.
5. Grinding
Rough surfaces or surfaces with defects, such as scratches, are grinded by wet emery paper from fine corundum. Grinding must always be carried out in stages with more and more thinner granulation. The following three-stage procedure is recommended:
- rough, granulation 60
- average, granulation 220
- thin, granulation 400-600
All operations are conducted either manually, or using polishing machines.
6. Polishing, surfacing
Cutting edges and mat surfaces can be polished mechanically using diamond cutters. Polishing of greater surfaces should be avoided, as this operation is very demanding and often leaves easily noticeable traces. For curved cuts, we recommend polishing by flame.
7. Heat moulding of decoracryl
Prior to moulding, it is necessary to make preliminary hot drying of plastic elements to avoid bubble formation in a finished product in bending points. It is necessary to carry out such drying, since a small volume of moisture can penetrate into the material in the course of its storage or transportation. Drying is conducted either in a drying chamber with hot air circulation (at the temperature of 75-80º C for 1-2 hours per each mm of thickness - as a rule, if the moisture content is higher, 24 hours drying is sufficient), or by means of infra-red radiation at the temperature of 75 to 80º C for 1-2 hours per each mm of thickness.
If the final shape does not correspond to the desirable one, it may be heated up repeatedly and then modified. Moulded decoracryl possesses "memory" of its form and it is capable to come back to its original shape at repeated heating. For moulded decoracryl, it is only possible in the event that the material was not exposed to extension. The protective film must be removed from moulded decoracryl prior to heating, while it may remain in its position on the extruded plastic.
These two materials behave differently in hot-forming. To achieve deformation of moulded decoracryl, it is necessary to apply significant pressure; extruded decoracryl is formed easily and without special efforts (recommended temperature interval 75 - 80º C( in vacuum chamber); heating time - 3 minutes per each 1 mm of thickness of the material). For heating of moulded decoracryl prior to formation, use the equipment creating a steady temperature field with the temperature difference on a panel plane not exceeding 3º C. Heat it for 3-4 minutes per 1 mm of thickness to the temperature of 95-100º C. Moulded and extruded acrylic plastics respond differently to heating. In moulded acrylic plastic, uniform shrinkage of maximum 2 % is possible, identical in all directions (thickness of the panel increases accordingly increases). In extruded acrylic plastic - from 3 to 6 % in the extrusion direction, and 1-2 % in the cross-sectional direction (for the panel of 2 m х 3 m, the extrusion direction is 3m). Moulded decoracryl sustains easily unbalanced heating of 10-15º C (overheated moulded plexiglass, unlike the extruded one, does not crack and break off at the deformation point); in case of extrusion the difference in heating temperature may lead to occurrence of significant pressure in the material.
If you need to carry out forming or bending of decorative panels Anli, it is necessary to prepare a matrix in advance, i.e. a form/shape we wish to give to the material.
Then in a vacuum chamber, after thermal processing, we place the material on a matrix and give the necessary form (shape). We allow the material to cool down, keeping its desirable form.
Table of factory recommended temperatures:
| Assortment | Heating temperature in °С | Heating time according to the thickness |
| Classic Collection |
95-100 |
3 min per thickness of 1 mm |
| Luxe Collection |
95-100 |
3 min per thickness of 1 mm |
| Deluxe Collection |
75-80 |
3 min per thickness of 1 mm |
| Light Collection |
55-70 |
3 min per thickness of 1 mm |
If it is necessary to bend a flat Anli panel in straight direction, local heating of the plastic is sufficient along the bend axis using one or more rectilinear heating elements, for example a nichrome string.
Moulds (matrixes and punches) are made from various materials: wood, plaster, aluminium, steel. Hot forming can be carried out simply by placing the heated plastic on a convex or concave mould where gravitation would provide its forming. Forming of plastic can be carried out also by free retraction in a vacuum chamber or by free blowing by compressed air, both by means of moulds or without them.
To avoid occurrence of any internal pressure, the cooling stage should be as long and steady as possible. To maintain the shape formed and to prevent subsequent deformation, the product must be left on the matrix as long as it cools down to the temperature of 60-70 C. Before the finished product gets into any contact with solvents, e.g. paint or glue, it should undergo thermal setting to lower the pressure.
