Acrylic lighting panels can be cut with a wide variety of hand and power saws. An easier method of cutting a thin and brittle acrylic lighting panel produces a straight cut without the use of saws. As with glass, you can score and snap an acrylic light panel using a sharp knife. The depth of the score line is important to the quality of the cut. If the score line is too shallow, the snap line will be jagged or the area of the acrylic sheet around the score line will shatter, ruining the lighting panel.
Instructions
1. Place the acrylic sheet on a firm, flat surface.
2. Measure along the acrylic sheet with the tape measure and make a pencil mark near one edge of the acrylic lighting panel at the length you need to cut the sheet. Repeat the process to place a second length mark on the other edge of acrylic lighting panel.
3. Stretch masking tape between the two length marks that you placed on the surface of the acrylic sheet. You need to ensure that you cover an area of the acrylic sheet with the masking tape that is slightly wider than your straight edge and that the tape does not cover the area where you need to score the lighting panel.
4. Align one side of the straight edge with the two length marks you placed on the surface of the acrylic light panel.
5. Apply pressure on the straight edge with one hand and place the utility knife against the side of the straight edge that is aligned with the length mark.
6. Pull the blade of the utility knife along the straight edge to start scoring the surface of the acrylic light panel. Continue running the utility knife along the straight edge until you have a no less than halfway through the thickness of the acrylic lighting panel.
7. Remove the straight edge from the surface of the acrylic lighting panel, pick up the acrylic panel and apply pressure on one side of the score line to snap the panel.
8. Run the 200-grit sandpaper along the snapped edge to remove any sharp edges left by the scoring and snapping process.
Tags: lighting panel, straight edge, acrylic lighting panel, acrylic sheet, score line, acrylic lighting, surface acrylic