How is plexiglass cut? Encyclopedia of Technologies and Techniques Cut thin glass with hot wire

Glass work

Glass cutting using electric current

The installation scheme for cutting glass cylindrical vessels is shown in fig. 172.

To secondary winding step-down transformer with a voltage of Yu-12 V, an iron or nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.4-0.6 mm is connected. This wire is wrapped around a glass vessel in one turn along the cut line. In the place where the beginning of the coil converges with its end, pieces of asbestos or mica are laid so that a short circuit does not occur. The ends of the wire are fixed with clamps. Transformer include in electrical network. As soon as the wire warms up, a crack forms in the place where the glass is heated. The glass vessel is easily split (cut) along the heating line.

glass vessels large diameter cut with an electric glass cutter, the design of which is shown in Fig. 173.

The electric glass cutter is mounted on an ordinary clothespin, the sponges of which are sawn off and pasted over with asbestos. Serves as a spiral nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.5-0.6 mm. The spiral covers the vessel being cut, and its ends are fixed between the jaws of the clothespin so that they do not connect to each other. Porcelain beads or ceramic insulators are put on the free ends of the spiral (they insulate the ends of the spiral in electric stoves). The ends of the spiral are connected to mounting wires of the MGSHV type with a cross section of 0.5-0.75 mm2 and connected to a step-down transformer with a voltage on the secondary winding of 10-12 V. In the absence of it, a car battery can be used.

With the help of electric current, you can easily and quickly cut display glass 10-12 mm thick.

First, dirt and dust are removed from the glass surface. Then a cut line is drawn, for which two marks are made on the glass with a diamond at the ends of this line in the form of short dashes. Glass is placed on flat surface table and along the ruler make an incision with a diamond according to the marks. Then a nichrome wire 0.8-1 mm thick is laid along the notch line, as shown in Fig. 174, and hang a weight of 0.5-1 kg so that the nichrome wire fits snugly against the glass surface. Wires with a cross section of 1.5-2 mm2 are connected to the ends of the nichrome wire. The ends of the electrical wires are connected to JIATPy at 9 A and connected to the electrical network (the voltage is first selected at which the nichrome wire becomes red-brown).

Glass breaks easily along the cut line made by the diamond.

Cutting plexiglass may come in handy infrequently, it is more logical to entrust this work to professionals by contacting a specialized company. But sometimes it may be necessary to perform a single cut or there is a desire to do this work yourself in order to realize your own design ideas.

Cutting plexiglass at home

Cutting plexiglass at home is not difficult, as it is a malleable and easy-to-work material. Despite the external resemblance to ordinary glass, performance characteristics organic glass is different, and it is processed various methods: turning, planing, sawing, etc. It is permissible to cut plexiglass using a large number fixtures.

Plexiglas processing is carried out using the following tools:

nichrome thread;
Circular Saw;
cutter;
hacksaw.

Nichrome thread

Fusion cutting is performed using nichrome wire. A voltage of up to 24 V is applied to the wire through a step-down transformer, as a result of which it is strongly heated. Nichrome thread makes curvilinear and curly cuts having good quality surfaces that do not require further polishing.

Home craftsmen use a flat-bladed screwdriver for melt cutting. Electric soldering iron heat the metal part of the screwdriver, while the end is pressed against the surface of the plexiglass. Then, holding the tool by the edge of the handle, a cut line is drawn with a heated screwdriver blade. To draw straight lines, it is more convenient to use a metal ruler or the smooth side of a hacksaw. Plexiglas breaks easily along the traced strip. More on video:

Circular saw or metal cutter

A circular saw or cutter is also good option to work with organic glass. In this case, the cutter for metal for cutting plexiglass should be no thicker than 1 mm. It should be borne in mind that during cutting, the saw or cutter heats up the material being processed, as a result of which it melts and foams at the place of cut. In order not to spoil the workpiece, it is necessary to provide cooling. To do this, use water poured into a bottle. The vessel is fixed in some way near the cutting tool, and water is supplied to working area with a thin hose.

The circular saw must operate at high speeds. Some tools have special mode for processing plexiglass. For jobs that do not require High Quality cut, you can use a saw. The cutter is suitable for the production of thinner and cleaner cuts. When using a water cooling system, a smooth and smooth surface, and the cut will be transparent and neat.

cutter

Plexiglas of small thickness is perfectly cut with a construction cutter. Suitable for this purpose homemade tool made from a hacksaw blade, and even a clerical knife.

The cutter can only make a straight cut. To do this, the ruler (preferably metal) is pressed against the sheet of material along the line of the intended cut, then several times with pressure, the cutting tool is pressed along the surface of the plexiglass along the ruler. When the cut reaches the middle of the plexiglass layer, it can be easily broken. The fracture site will be uneven and rough, so additional grinding will be required.

Hacksaw for metal

The easiest way to cut plexiglass with your own hands is with a hacksaw. The cut lines must first be drawn with a pencil or felt-tip pen. In the process of work, the hacksaw must be kept level, trying not to tilt it to the side. It is desirable to fix the workpiece rigidly. The cutting surface will not be smooth. All bumps and burrs are removed with a file and sandpaper.

How to cut figured plexiglass

In some cases, it may be necessary to curly cutting. This is done in the following ways:

Caliper. Plexiglas is cut with sharp sponges for marking.
Nichrome thread. A template is made from cardboard, which is glued to the workpiece. For convenience, the wire can be fixed in a simple jigsaw instead of a canvas. Then you need to carefully cut the part from the plexiglass according to the template.
A glass cutter (cutter) can cut a circle. The suction cup is attached in the center of the proposed circle, then a rail or ruler is attached to it. The glass cutter is rigidly attached to the rail with self-tapping screws. turning cutting tool around the suction cup, cut a groove in the Plexiglas. The excess parts are broken off.

Production methods of cutting

AT industrial scale plexiglass is processed using the following technologies:

Milling cutting. Processing takes place on special milling machines with rotation speed up to 4000 rpm.
Band-saw. Used for curved cuts. Final grinding is required, because the cut quality is low.
Circular Saw. You can get a straight cut with a clean edge.

laser cutting

The most popular way to process plexiglass is laser cutting. The material is cut on special equipment using a laser beam. The method guarantees high level accuracy (up to 0.005 mm) and minimal waste. The laser allows you to make the cut edges smooth and transparent. However, after cutting laser machine stays high in plexiglass internal stress, and it is not recommended to glue parts made in this way.

Methods for cutting glass using electric current

The installation scheme for cutting glass cylindrical vessels is shown in fig. one.

An iron or nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.4-0.6 mm is connected to the secondary winding of a step-down transformer with a voltage of 10-12 V. This wire is wrapped around a glass vessel in one turn along the cut line. In the place where the beginning of the coil converges with its end, pieces of asbestos or mica are laid so that a short circuit does not occur. The ends of the wire are fixed with clamps. The transformer is connected to the electrical network. As soon as the wire warms up, a crack forms in the place where the glass is heated. The glass vessel is easily split (cut) along the heating line.

Rice. 1. Cutting glass with electric current.

Glass vessels of large diameter are cut with an electric glass cutter, the design of which is shown in Fig. 2. The electric glass cutter is mounted on an ordinary clothespin, the sponges of which are sawn off and pasted over with asbestos. The spiral is a nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.5-0.6 mm. The spiral covers the vessel being cut, and its ends are fixed between the jaws of the clothespin so that they do not connect to each other. Porcelain beads or ceramic insulators are put on the free ends of the spiral (they insulate the ends of the spiral in electric stoves). The ends of the spiral are connected to mounting wires of the MGSHV type with a cross section of 0.5–0.75 sq. mm and connected to a step-down transformer with a voltage on the secondary winding of 10–12 V. In the absence of it, a car battery can be used.

Rice. 2. Electric glass cutter.

With the help of electric current, you can easily and quickly cut a display glass with a thickness of 10-12 mm.

First, dirt and dust are removed from the glass surface. Then a cut line is drawn, for which two marks are made on the glass with a diamond at the ends of this line in the form of short dashes. The glass is laid on a flat surface of the table and a cut is made along the ruler with a diamond along the marks. Then a nichrome wire 0.8-1 mm thick is laid along the notch line, as shown in Fig. 3, and hang a weight of 0.5-1 kg so that the nichrome wire fits snugly against the glass surface. Wires with a cross section of 1.5-2 sq. mm are connected to the ends of the nichrome wire. The ends of the electrical wires are connected to a 9 A LATR and connected to the electrical network (the voltage is first selected at which the nichrome wire becomes red-brown).

Glass breaks easily along the cut line made by the diamond.

Rice. 3. How to cut the display glass.

The article was compiled according to the publications of V.G. Bastanov
Author-compiler. Patlakh V.V. 1996

The installation scheme for cutting glass cylindrical vessels is shown in fig. one.

Rice. 1. Electric glass cutting

Glass vessels of large diameter are cut with an electric glass cutter, the design of which is shown in Fig. 2. The electric glass cutter is mounted on an ordinary clothespin, the sponges of which are sawn off and pasted over with asbestos. The spiral is a nichrome wire with a diameter of 0.5-0.6 mm. The spiral covers the vessel being cut, and its ends are fixed between the jaws of the clothespin so that they do not connect to each other. Porcelain beads or ceramic insulators are put on the free ends of the spiral (they insulate the ends of the spiral in electric stoves). The ends of the spiral are connected to mounting wires of the MGSHV type with a cross section of 0.5-0.75 sq. mm and connected to a step-down transformer with a voltage on the secondary winding of 10-12 V. If it is not available, a car battery can be used.

Rice. 2. Electric glass cutter

With the help of electric current, you can easily and quickly cut a display glass with a thickness of 10-12 mm.

First, dirt and dust are removed from the glass surface. Then a cut line is drawn, for which two marks are made on the glass with a diamond at the ends of this line in the form of short dashes. The glass is laid on a flat surface of the table and a cut is made along the ruler with a diamond along the marks. Then a nichrome wire 0.8-1 mm thick is laid along the notch line, as shown in Fig. 3, and hang a weight of 0.5-1 kg so that the nichrome wire fits snugly against the glass surface. Wires with a cross section of 1.5-2 sq. mm are connected to the ends of the nichrome wire. The ends of the electrical wires are connected to a 9 A LATR and connected to the electrical network (the voltage is first selected at which the nichrome wire becomes red-brown).

Glass breaks easily along the cut line made by the diamond.

Rice. 3. Glass cutting method

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