Cutting Polycarbonate – Circular Saw Or Jigsaw? - Tuflite Polymers

It is a known fact that polycarbonate is a highly impact resistant material that is tough and 200 times stronger than glass. It cannot be broken or cracked even with the harshest of weather, environments, and impacts like stones, hail, football, falling branches, etc. This property makes it very easy to cut polycarbonate sheets in India. Without having the issue of worrying about cracking and breaking of the sheets with excessive pressure, you can easily cut your polycarbonate sheets at home. Moreover, polycarbonate does not produce any harmful or toxic shards like in the case of glass. Thus, without worrying about touching or inhaling any such shards, you can conveniently cut your polycarbonate sheets; and all you need is a sharp toothed saw. In this blog, we will help you know how you can cut polycarbonate sheets with a circular saw and a jigsaw. Also, you will be told about all the necessary protective equipment that you will need to equip yourself with.

Cutting polycarbonate sheets with a circular saw When cutting larger lengths of polycarbonate, a circular saw makes for the best choice. It will result in a cleaner and accurate cut. Also, polycarbonate is quite insensitive to heat generation, regardless of the cutting speed and the speed of the saw; thus making circular saws an appropriate choice for cutting polycarbonates. But, you will need to choose a saw blade with fine teeth, with a standard size saw blade of 250-300 millimeters. Using such a circular saw at a recommended speed of 4000 revolutions per minute, you can get a nice smooth cut. Also, due to the properties of the material, polycarbonate will not crack or crush

around the cut. It is the saw that determines the cutting speed and thus the throughput speed, which is around 8 meters per minute, or 10 to 15 centimetres per second.

Cutting polycarbonate sheets with a jigsaw Another way to cut polycarbonate sheets is with the help of a jigsaw. But, when you use a jigsaw, it is important t hat the sheet is firmly pressed during cutting. If the sheet moves up and down along with the saw blade while cutting, it won’t result in a tight cut and desirable outcomes. Thus, you must keep the sheet firmly pressed throughout, which can be achieved with the help of an offcut of wood and glue clamps. To cut with a jigsaw, you must take a saw blade with fine teeth, made of non-ferrous metals. You need to set the saw to medium speed and allow it to slowly move through the sheet, keeping the sole of the jigsaw staying flat on the sheet.

Equipment you will need Other than the circular saw or jigsaw that you will need for cutting the sheets, there is a lot more that you will need to arrange for. The list includes wood slats for support, glue clamps, and masking tape for marking. Other than this, you will also need protective gear to protect your eyes, face, hands, and feet. Even though we earlier said that cutting polycarbonates is easy and safe, without producing harmful shards, it is never too bad to be careful. Thus, you should always have your eyes covered with safety goggles, nose and mouth covered with a mask, hands covered in gloves, and feet covered in appropriate footwear, just in case you would have to walk over the long sheets.

So now, do you want to have your polycarbonate sheets cut to the size you require, or do you wish to buy longer sheets that you will be cutting at home as and when required? Whatever your choice, you can shop for your polycarbonate sheets in India from Tuflite Polymers. Shop for the big sized sheets, or have them cut to your required size – the choice is yours. But remember, if you choose to cut the sheets on your own, you need to cut them in the right way.