The Professional acrylic CNC machining services offered by IN3DTEC, specialize in the production of high clarity and precision parts made of PMMA (Polymethyl Methacrylate) or commonly known as acrylic. This thermoplastic transparent material is an ideal material to be used as an alternative to glass due to its many benefits, such as being strong, light, shatter resistant and offering excellent optical properties. It is widely used in many industries including architectural and display applications, and is easy to cut or machine using CNC provided the correct cutting parameters are selected.

Principal Advantages:

1. High optical clarity

2. Strong rigidity and dimensional stability

3. Excellent UV and weather resistance

4. Lightweight compared to glass

5. Good machinability with polished finish

There are many reasons why acrylic is a good choice for making parts for diverse applications. The properties of this thermoplastic material make it a very versatile material for various purposes.

Acrylic CNC machined parts are used by our customers in:

•      Lighting– Custom lenses, diffusers, light guides

•      Medical & Laboratory – Transparent panels, biofluid devices

•      Consumer Electronics – Enclosures, interface displays

•      Automotive– Interior trim mockups, light covers

•      Retail & Display – Cosmetic stands, product showcases.

•      Prototyping– Visual models and test-fit assemblies

We use high-precision 3-axis and 5-axis CNC machines at IN3DTEC for the production of acrylic parts made from acrylic. All machined parts are finished with smooth cutting edges, precisely drilled holes and crystal-clear surfaces. We produce parts from CNC milled and turned acrylic blocks and sheets in all clear, colored and frosted variations.

•      CNC milling of acrylic (in block or sheet form) as well as turning of blocks of acrylic.

•      Clear, colored, or frosted acrylic options

•      Tight tolerance machining (±0.05 mm)

•      Polishing for optical or aesthetic finishes

•      Small or mid-volume production — No MOQ

We can also finish the acrylic parts you produce with us to match your design requirements.

• Polished – Glass-like clarity for transparent components

• Matte/Frosted – For anti-glare or diffused appearance

• Flame polishing – Especially for curved edges

• Edge smoothing & deburring. Sharp edges can cause injury, but by us smoothing and deburring the edges of your parts we can give them a nice surface finish.
• Painting- Creates colorful acrylic parts

Acrylic can be a very delicate material and can very easily be damaged during the CNC machining process if not carried out correctly. In order to avoid any potential problems with your parts, we have outlined below the steps to be taken when cutting acrylic and the most important settings to use in order to achieve perfect results and avoid any possible damage.

Tooling

• Single-flute or O-flute endmills made of carbide (1.5mm-6mm)

• sharp tools are less stressfull for acrylic and cause less surface clouding.

Machining Parameters

•      Spindle speed: 12,000 – 18,000 RPM

•      Feed rate: 500 – 1,500 mm/min

•      Depth per pass for roughing parts: 0.5mm to 1mm, for finishing parts: 0.1mm to 0.3mm.

Cooling

•      Use air blast or mist coolant

•      Flood cooling (flood cooling) can create micro cracks in the surface of the acrylic part or hazing on the surface.

Post-Processing

•      We offer polishing (mechanical, flame, vapor- to reach desired transparency.

•      Bonding and gluing for transparent parts that are transparent (assemblies).

Other ways to make transparent prototypes exist and for some of them even more recommendable options exist, to create transparent prototypes. Like SLA 3D Printing service, IN3DTEC has industrial SLA 3D Printers, which can make transparent prototypes and production parts that resemble acrylic very accurately.

Many years of experience in CNC machining as well as in processing plastics allows us to efficiently and cost effectively help our customers all over the world. Our core competency are short delivery times, precision in processing and the best possible communication with our customers. We deliver worldwide.