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Drilling Into Acrylic

Jo Hill

Jo Hill

New Member
Hey guys!

I work for a small sign shop. We do mostly vinyl signs and banners.

I have a customer who has requested a 2'x3' Acrylic sign mounted onto a wall using standoffs. Sounds easy enough but we have a problem with the material cracking when drilling the holes!

The material is 1/4" thick.

Does anyone have any tips, tricks or suggestions?

Attached is an example of what my customer wants.

Thank you fellow sign makers!
acrylic-sign-transparent.jpg
 
J

JasonP

New Member
Jo Hill said:
Hey guys!

I work for a small sign shop. We do mostly vinyl signs and banners.

I have a customer who has requested a 2'x3' Acrylic sign mounted onto a wall using standoffs. Sounds easy enough but we have a problem with the material cracking when drilling the holes!

The material is 1/4" thick.

Does anyone have any tips, tricks or suggestions?

Attached is an example of what my customer wants.

Thank you fellow sign makers!
acrylic-sign-transparent.jpg
Click to expand...
Buy drill bits that are specific for drilling into acrylic.
 
Zeke Ford

Zeke Ford

Manager of Wide Format Production
They make a plastic cutting drill bit that has a sharper point and less pitch than a conventional drill. I've also seen a suggestion for using like water or something while drilling so that you can keep the material from getting to hot and possibly melting. You will want to drill slowly to avoid stress cracking. Maybe practice these suggestions on a scrap piece to see if they work for you first to keep from ruining the project.
 
Texas_Signmaker

Texas_Signmaker

Very Active Signmaker
DrunknMonk said:
we just use standard bits for drilling steel, if your drilling like a 10mm hole start with a smaller bit and work up.
Click to expand...

Use these and it won't crack. Do some test holes to get the speed and pressure correct. I used this exact set to do 3/8" standoff holes in 3/8" material and it went just fine. If you buy on amazon, don't just buy any old thing.. some of the reviews were not good on there. These were the only ones that had good reviews and I am one of them.

https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-plex...ords=acrylic+drill+bits&qid=1576012373&sr=8-5
 
Last edited:
Moze

Moze

Active Member
Bits for acrylic and Polycarbonate typically have a 60° tip.

I've drilled hundreds of holes in acrylic/poly and the step bits work the best (even better than bits intended for plastics, in my opinion). I use these from Harbor Freight and they work great. If you're not near a Harbor Freight, grab a cheap set off Amazon like these.
 
MikePro

MikePro

Active Member
not a fan, but its possible to use regular steel drill bits. used/dull bits are actually better than brand-new ones. since the cracking comes as result of the sharp tip catching the acrylic and wanting to shove itself right-into it... attempting to split it rather than cutting/shearing.

So as stated above, start small work-up.
I actually do it with a twist: for larger bits, I drill in REVERSE!
Piloting with an 1/8" bit, drilling per usual, but then when I load up the 3/16">1/4">5/16">etc. bits, I throw my drill into reverse and "melt" the hole. sounds silly, but it works.

added tip: if you needed a 3/8" hole, like most standoff hardware, you'll want to have your final hole to be with a 7/16"-1/2" bit to allow for a little wiggle-room when installing. if you try to drill it exact, you'll always wind-up being just a little off when you go to hang the acrylic, and you can't just shove it in since tension + acrylic = potential disaster.
 
bigben

bigben

Not a newbie
Moze said:
Bits for acrylic and Polycarbonate typically have a 60° tip.

I've drilled hundreds of holes in acrylic/poly and the step bits work the best (even better than bits intended for plastics, in my opinion). I use these from Harbor Freight and they work great. If you're not near a Harbor Freight, grab a cheap set off Amazon like these.
Click to expand...

We use step drill too and never had a problem. Even if it is a newbie doing it.
 
R

Reveal1

New Member
Texas_Signmaker said:
Use these and it won't crack. Do some test holes to get the speed and pressure correct. I used this exact set to do 3/8" standoff holes in 3/8" material and it went just fine. If you buy on amazon, don't just buy any old thing.. some of the reviews were not good on there. These were the only ones that had good reviews and I am one of them.

https://www.amazon.com/Plastic-plex...ords=acrylic+drill+bits&qid=1576012373&sr=8-5
Click to expand...
I second that - we also use those bits and they are great along with the tip to clamp to a solid sacrificial piece when drilling.
 
ddarlak

ddarlak

Go Bills!
material underneath and on top, you don't have to clamp them, but pressure them together and a nice new bit
 
ddarlak

ddarlak

Go Bills!
JBurton said:
I agree you don't have to clamp them, but, when instructing my guys I always tell them to clamp it. All it takes is a little less pressure on hole number 4 and bang, the hole gets blown out. The kant twist is a great little clamp that has very fine control of the clamping force and it's spread across a 1x1 copper cube, so you don't have the same risks as a c clamp or the awkwardness of the 'squeeze clamps' or whatever you call that pistol grip joke of a clamp.
Click to expand...

I don't have any "my guys"....

the silence can be beautiful and deafening
 
Modern Ink Signs

Modern Ink Signs

Premium Subscriber
I’m going to assume that you are having the material cut to size....

I’d find someone in your area that has a cnc router. Work up a relationship with them on projects like this. They can cut the material to size/shape/holes/etc. Then all you have to do is your lettering/printing on the material.

I did this and now we are good friends. Works out great we did work for them and they do work for us!


If you are drilling the material yourself, as mentioned use the proper drill bit(s). Also put some masking tape on the front and back of the area you will be drilling. This will help the material from cracking
 
J

jc_0125

Creative Director
put the drill into reverse like you're taking a screw out and use a standard drill bit. Rather than drilling into the acrylic, you're basically melting it. I do this all the time. Works like a charm
 
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