Plexiglass forming/drilling?

[Warborg]

Ok, I know the preference for CPs is for a lexan sheet, but I am thinking of using Plexi as it has a bit more of a sheen, and I was thinking of thermoforming it to my metal CP on my showcase...

Question is, what is the best way to drill/cut holes in the plexi (for the buttons/stick, and also for a 3" Imperial trackball)?

Also, who has experience thermoforming it?  My Showcase has a metal CP that has a bend toward the back, and was thinking of forming the plexi so that it will cover the entire thing...  The CP is shaped kinda like this if you look from the side:

/\_________


Any help would be great...  I'm not sure if I should attempt this or not, and if I do what the best way to do it would be...

[Xiaou2]

mount the plexi to wood... as if it slides while cutting, it will shatter.

Use the highest speed - but pressing down VERY SLOW. (it will kinda melt through)    

  You can use a metal hole saw for buttons.   For large holes, Ive also used a roto-zip bit in a regular drill.  And even later,  I found a roto bit that fit into my router than worked even more awesome!  

 For straight edges... you can score the line several times with a utility blade.   Ive used a table saw, and that worked as well... though, the edges were a tad bit chipped, and it needed some sanding.

  May be better to just stop at the angle rather than to try and form it.   Ive never tried that.  Wonder if heating the stuff in an oven first might help...   though the heat may cause the plexi to turn white... or change the surface texture.

  Good luck : )


     

[SNAAAKE]

you cant bend plexi..end of story .

For cutting....all you gotta do is get a plexi glass cutter(good one) and score couple of times then snap and use spade bit for holes and go backward...dont try to drill plexi forward..you will break it..i am tellin ya .

Thats about all I know.good luck with your show case cabinet(lucky ba$tard..If i remember right...you got it really cheap and we were all like..."AHH...thats the best deal ever".

[RacerX]

I drilled mine with the drill in reverse.  It melts the plexi more than drilling it, and since the bit is going backwards, it does not grab ahold of the plexi and snap it.

Forming it is another matter.  That's going to be tricky.  I remember one time I had some formica formed to a curve, and the store that I got it from used what amounted to a very hot metal pipe.  This thing was electric, and the formica just wrapped right around it.  I assume that something similar would work on plexi, but if it was too hot, it might melt it too much.  There may be better ideas than this, but it's the only thing that I can think of at the moment.

[Warborg]

Yeah, I got the Showcase for $100, with the glass, sticks, buttons, and 4-player coindoor...  

I spoke with a guy at a local plastics shop, and he said that the plexi could be formed the way I wanted with no problem, they would do it for me for $15 if I chose, or I could pick up a heat gun and do it myself...  He also said I can stop by and ask for him, and he will give me some scraps for self-adhesive vinyl (to coat a couple of areas of the cab) and also he would give me some scraps of Plexi that I could experement with forming at home to see if my ideas will work before I actually spend any money on the full-size sheets...  

I've actually been pretty lucky on this project, because on top of all that, I had a friend give me a complete Dreamcast system to put into it for free, and another friend sell me all the extra parts I needed to put an Athlon XP 1700+ in it for $50, and I've also managed to cook up a spinner design that is very cheap to build and spins VERY nicely (Note:  I did get some inspiration from the Cheep Spinner and Twistygrip for elements of my design).  The nice thing about the spinner is it has a great feel, it's solid, and there is almost NO fabrication involved, just bolts together.  I might put up some pics/docs as to how I built it if anyone is interested...

[neuromancer]

Drilling Plexi:

WEAR GOGGLES.

I clamped mine to a piece of wood and used spade bits in a drill press. No real problems. A bit of "tear out" on the edges of the holes, but you can't see the edges anyway.

Bending Plexi:

Heat gun and take your time, because it burns. Use some scrap to practice.

Bob

[AGarv]

For drilling, a hole saw works best on plexi, absolutely no chips around hole.  Make sure you have the plexi clamped securely to a similar sized sheet of wood or mdf to add stability.

As for cutting the plexi, I first scored mine, but the results were so-so.  Maybe it was due to a cheap knife.  Next time I had it cut to size where I bought it.

BTW if you ever put a big crack in the plexi, try spray painting the underside; the effect on the entire piece is awesome, and it will fill in and make invisible cracks and chips.  The underside of my plexi is sprayed gloss black, and it looks like panel is made of obsidian.  No dust is ever visible beneath the plexi either.

Could you post the pics of your spinner?

[gtjoe]

I heard of people sandwich the plexi between 2 pieces of wood to eliminate chipping when drilling it

[mravett]

I sandwiched my plexi between my predrilled mdf board and a scrap piece.  With the predrilled board on top, I never had to worry about lining up my holes, and the bottom board helped keep the acrylic from chipping and cracking.