Polycarbonate Inserts: CNC Laser Cut

Polycarbonate inserts can be made at CNCROi.com using either our CNC laser or CNC router, it all depends on the design and specs required by the customer.

When it comes to polycarbonate, we are able to cut it into just about anything, this is because we have amazing suppliers who can provide us with this material in a variety of thicknesses from various manufacturers such as Lexan and Makrolon.

One of the challenges with cutting polycarbonate is that it holds heat, as such, it can warp with too much cutting intensity so that’s where the image below helps spread the cutting heat, by not cutting things left to right but randomly in many different places.

For this polycarbonate insert, this is not the most efficient cutting method but it is a way to cut things with as little warping as possible in this 0.06″ thick material.

Parts made out of polycarbonate are pretty much indestructible, especially as you go into the thicker versions of this material.

Laser cutting these polycarbonate inserts at CNCROi.com might look like a rather ugly method, all the smoke and stains on both the top and bottom of the sheet of Makrolon but this is all masking that’s getting dirty, not the actual polycarbonate.

This polycarbonate insert has A LOT OF TIGHT CUTS, as such, it’s taken a few rounds of optimization to be able to cut it with as little material being warped as possible, not an easy process but the results are amazing.

When it comes to cutting polycarbonate, another thing to watch for is the edge quality, with a CNC router, it’s an unburned edge while with the laser, it has the same consistency as melted plastic would have.

We are also able to custom permanently brand polycarbonate using our fiber laser source, this will not peel, crack or fade over time, unlike inks.

For this specific project making polycarbonate inserts, it’s mostly squares and rectangles but CNCROi.com can cut any shape you want, round, sketched or completely random assortment of shapes at any size.

With most plastics there is a fire hazard when cutting them but with these polycarbonate inserts, the material isn’t very prone to catching on fire unlike acrylic which is equivalent to cutting through gas.

How tight of a tolerance can CNCROi.com produce on polycarbonate? It really depends on the material thickness and the design required on said polycarbonate but generally, the thinner the material, the tighter the tolerances possible.

Applications for polycarbonate parts made by CNCROi.com range from industrial use for custom windows into a machine for industrial use to aerospace and military applications, generally related to robotic applications.

Keep in mind that polycarbonate is incredibly strong, way more resilient than acrylic or wood but not as strong as metal of the same thickness.

The major advantage of polycarbonate is that it’s transparent and optically clear, though for this specific polycarbonate insert project, this isn’t a factor as this will be sand blasted during an actual production run to clean the surface and remove that optically clear characteristic.

When it comes to laser cutting and color changing it for branding purposes using CNCROi.com‘s fiber laser source, your design options are pretty endless and keep in mind, we can also cut this material using a router so things like beveled edges and exotic bits an come into being using that… and you can mix and match them however your budget fits for them.

Regardless of the design you need made using CNCROi.com‘s computer technology, we are able to make both small volume quantities as well as go into full-on big production cycles and just-on-demand requirements for our customers.

CNCROi.com is able to make very fine resolution work for custom stencil production with sharp inner corners.

The bright light is the instant vaporization of the polycarbonate insert where the line in our drawing matches the material under the laser head, the smoke produced is extracted otherwise this can quickly become a fire hazard as the fumes build-up.

Polycarbonate that’s laser cut is probably the ugliest right off the machine but that’s why we have masking on the front and back of the sheet, so all that ugly comes right off without affecting the polycarbonate between the maskings.

Looking close-up at the results though, the lines are straight, sharp and about 0.75 mm of material is vaporized by the laser, remember, lasers cut on the line, so this is where the tolerances need a little adjusting.

As the laser gingerly cuts through this polycarbonate insert, you can start to see the form and function of this piece produced by CNCROi.com.

Polycarbonate is a wonderful material for a wide variety of projects, from the thicker up to an inch thick to thinner for stencil use.

Below you can see the finished results, looks very good though the esthetics have much to be improved upon… masking saves the day!

Separating the scrap from the work piece, you can more clearly see the finished polycarbonate insert in all it’s glory.

After removing the masking, now you can see very clearly how clear and awesome polycarbonate is, bullet proof glass always looks great after production regardless of how CNCROi.com goes about cutting it, and this is a very handsome polycarbonate insert!

Have some polycarbonate work? Contact CNCROi.com and we’ll make it for you and ship it right to your door!