Acrylic or PMMA is a transparent thermoplastic and a synthetic polymer. It is easy to process and handle and costs less. Therefore it is used in a wide range of applications like lenses for glasses, rear lights of vehicles, LCD screens, bulletproof security barriers and more.
Acrylic is lightweight, shatter resistant, strong, tough and transmits 92% of visible light. One type of acrylic sheet is the mirror acrylic sheet. This type of acrylic sheet can be used in place of glass where safety is required and the glass may be too heavy to use.
Acrylic offers good resistance against impact and shattering. The acrylic sheet mirror are reflective sheets that can be used to enhance the look of an application. As it is durable it becomes cost-effective when compared to glass mirrors.
Acrylic mirror sheets are easy to fabricate and scratch resistant. It is used in applications like point-of-purchase displays, toys, signage, decorations, and cosmetic displays.
Routing
One of the acrylic fabrication processes is routing. Routing is used when the acrylic sheet has to be cut along the contours. A router is a tool with a rotating blade and a flat base. An electric motor is used to rotate the spindle. Routers can be hand-held or fixed to a table. The different types of routers are:
Hand router
In this a precut pattern template is clamped to the mirror sheet and the router is guided along the pattern. The clamp can be moved as required. This method is used while making a replacement part or a prototype.
Pin router
In this, a double-backed tape or vacuum is used to hold the mirror sheet. The pin is directly set over a spindle that holds the router bit below the work table. The pin and the router can be activated by using a foot pedal. The sheet and the pattern are put into the router and moved at 360° from the sheet.
Circle router
A cutting fixture consisting of a fixed router and a sliding rotary table is used to cut workpieces in circular shapes.
Contour router
The required pattern is cut on the base of the contour jig to match the base guide pin. Multiple parts can be manufactured by using a contour jig on a pin routing machine.
CNC router
A CNC router is a computer control machine that moves along three axes. The router is mounted to it. In this, the table can be fixed and the router can be moved over the workpiece. Or a fixed bridge design can be used where the table moves underneath the router spindle. A hand-held style can also be used where an operator moves the machine to the work area and the machine controls the fine cuts.
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