Chamfered Polycarbonate Windows
Custom chamfered polycarbonate windows are one of many possible applications that CNCROi.com can produce for you in any quantity, material thickness or shape you may need.
When it comes to polycarbonate, machining it to spec can sometimes be a little tricky because its such a hard yet slippery plastic that it sometimes likes to chatter along the edges, and using a chamfer bit only aggravates the situation.
Most of the applications for polycarbonate are stencils, it’s a light weight material, can be rolled-up when not in use and is transparent.
For this specific project, CNCROi.com was tasked with making 5 chamfered polycarbonate windows of two different sizes using 1/8″ thick material.
There is quite a bit of static electricity generated when cutting polycarbonate, it sticks to absolutely everything as it flies off the machine, including the router table, me and the sheet itself.
Unlike acrylic or even glass, polycarbonate will not shatter if something is thrown at it, so for industrial applications where something dangerous can happen if a piece of material goes flying, chamfered polycarbonate windows are a great way to protect the environment and the employee operating the machine.
For these chamfered polycarbonate windows, they were completed in quick succession by CNCROi.com as the outside profile spec was all the same, if the chamfer required a different profile, that’s possible too, just takes longer to produce.
CNCROi.com can produce very intricate and unique projects using polycarbonate with our laser as well as router, it all depends on the spec required.
I used two simultaneous hold-down methods when it came to making these chamfered polycarbonate windows, the first, you can see in the photos, are screws in each corner.
The screws in each corner prevent the sheet from moving in either direction during production, as routing is a full-contact method, it can push or pull the sheet off the table quite easily as polycarbonate is such a hard material.
The second hold-down method during the production of these chamfered polycarbonate windows is one you can’t see, vacuum system, so that the sheet stays FLAT at all times, any deviation in height, will produce a window that’s out of spec with a different chamfer height, something we don’t want to have happen.
Two bits were used to make this project, the first was the chamfer and the other, not shown, is the cut-out to completely remove the chamfered polycarbonate windows from the sheet.
CNCROi.com can mix and match materials as well, polycarbonate has a lot of other uses far beyond just windows, at least in our shop.
The polycarbonate sheet has a protective plastic on both sides, but one side is removed as otherwise, it can bind-up with the spinning bit, it protects the surface from scratches but during this process, that isn’t possible anyways so it’s removed on the top side.
Polycarbonate is optically clear and completely transparent, which is why it makes for fantastic windows, it’s actually clearer than glass in many ways and far more durable.
CNCROi.com has extensive experience with polycarbonate in a variety of thicknesses, including branding the surface permanently using our fiber laser source.
Polycarbonate is also called other things, such as lexan and makrolon, it’s all essentially the same stuff, just different brand and marketing behind it.
The chips you see being produced by the laser are the same weight and consistency as snowflakes, quite nice, but incredibly sticky due to static and don’t taste good neither.
Taking a good picture of the chamfered polycarbonate windows is difficult but you can sort of make-out the results of the production CNCROi.com performed and the results it makes.
After one chamfered polycarbonate window is made, the next sheet is put on the machine to be produced, one after the other, that’s how we make things at CNCROi.com!
Whether the window is big or small, CNCROi.com can make them all – and ship them right to your door or place of business within days!
There isn’t much we haven’t made at CNCROi.com using polycarbonate in the shop, from huge parts to super small ones.
Of course, CNCROi.com generally works off full 4 ft x 8 ft sheets when it comes to making projects but these were pieces we had in the shop that fit perfectly for this project so we might as well use them up first.
When CNCROi.com ships out these chamfered polycarbonate windows, we add lots of padding and plastic to protect the surface from scratches during the delivery process so the client gets something that’s as close to perfect as possible.
The process of polycarbonate machining does take some practice to get it done right, there are a lot of things that can go right and wrong very fast if you aren’t paying attention and I learned all this through trial and error over the past decade at CNCROi.com.
I really enjoy doing custom polycarbonate projects, the diversity of our customer’s needs is massive and each has a learning curve to it, and that can be cross pollinated towards other projects as well.
Need custom polycarbonate parts? Contact CNCROi.com right now!