Best home machine for cutting shapes in up to 1mm plastic sheets

[akis]

I want to cut a shape including circular patterns out of plastic sheets with thickness of maximum 1mm, where even 1mm is too thick so I use it as an absolute top limit.

What is the best home machine I could use for the task? I will try to use scisscors of course for the initial tries.

[Fraser]

Look in the craft shops for greeting card tools. You will find an array of shape cutting tools, both freeform and fixed shapes.  Blades are sharp and easily changed when blunted. They should work fine on plastic.

Aurora

[Fred27]

I notice you're in Surrey. I'm in Redhill. What sort of plastic and how many? Happy to laser cut some for you if the material is suitable to be lasered.

[akis]

Hello

I am in Cobham. This is the template. I am still in the investigative process so am not sure what type of plastic I will go for, however it is very likely to be 0.5mm POLYSTYRENE. Very easy to cut with the scisscors but hard to cut the shape I am attaching here. It could also be some other type like Nylon 6 or HDPE or something like that. ##

Edit: the overall dimensions of the template is 100mm x 60mm give or take.

[Fraser]

A milling machine or small router can cut that shape if you stack several sheets together and use a plywood template to follow with the cutting head. I have seen sealed cell hard foam cut with a flat bed router very effectively. The router is inverted with the cutting tool pointing up through a hole in it. The router bit guide bearing follows the plywood template.

Much depends on your intended production volume. Small runs are likely cheapest passed to a specialist template cutter. I am guessing that 3D printing of the item in ABS or Nylon is not an option ? There are many 3D printing specialists who could work in ABS or nylon material. Shapeways being a known quality company to deal with.

Aurora

[Fred27]

I quick Google shows polystyrene can be dodgy to laser. I've got some very thin mylar sheet that cuts well enough. (I used if for solder paste stencils.) If you can find something that's safe to laser I'd be happy to cut a few for you. 100x60mm should just fit my tiny CNC mill too. Otherwise if Aurora's suggestion sounds good I can cut you a template from acrylic/ply/MDF.

What's the application? It might help with suggestions on material.

[akis]

The pattern as you see it, once cut, will hold together 9 ceramic tiles of 2mm thickness each. The tiles will be glued on to the plastic template/holder. The finished item must be strong enough to maintain its own shape and not snap or bend or whatever. It should also be flexible enough to place over a football and held down with adhesive gel and some tape. Once the securing tape is removed, the item should return to its original (flat) shape. There will be no lateral forces like pulling in different directions or anything like that. The only forces envisaged will be when you try to peel it away from the "football", as the adhesive gel will resist somewhat, so removing will be done carefully.

For the plastic holder I have tested 1mm plastics, they are way too thick to flex at all.

I have in front of me polysterene 0.5mm and it looks poerfect in terms of strength and flexibility. But there will undoubtedly be other plastics I could use. I am expecting more materials to arrive tomorrow.

How is it done currently: The 9 ceramic tiles are secured together with silk tape (used for bandaging). The adhesive on the silk tape holds the tiles in place. The whole assembly is then secured over the "football" with hypafix tape, this is semi flexible adhesive bandage. Once used, the pad is removed, the hypafix tape peeled off and thrown away, and the rest (tiles + silk tape) are immersed in water in order to wash away the adhesive gel. This continuous immersion in water takes its toll and the silk tape's adhesive can only do so much before it leaks and when the water dries it becomes brittle. In addition because the silk tape frays, I have to stitch it on the sides making something like a hem.

So although I already have a working solution, I am looking to improve it.

The idea is to glue the ceramic tiles onto the plastic holder with some sort of glue, epoxy, two part, whatever is appropriate, and this glue will not be affected by water and continuous washing.

[Asmyldof]

It sounds a lot, on account of also electrodes and ceramics, like you are going to give a "football" electroshock therapy.

Make sure it's legal or have Dave remove the thread, legal systems frown on premeditation when your "football" goes vegetative in the process.

 

[akis]

I do not know what to reply to that! It sounds like coming from a dyed-in-the-wool labour voter in the UK, you know, nanny state, big brother and all that...

[akis]

A milling machine or small router can cut that shape if you stack several sheets together and use a plywood template to follow with the cutting head. I have seen sealed cell hard foam cut with a flat bed router very effectively. The router is inverted with the cutting tool pointing up through a hole in it. The router bit guide bearing follows the plywood template.

Aurora

I have a plunge router at home and lots of bits. But it turns very fast. I am afraid it would melt the plastic. Although I am only assuming.

So I turn it upside down, get a plywood cutout, secure on it the plastic sheet, and make sure the guide section of the bit follows the plywood. Am I right ?

[Fraser]

Yes that is the way I would approach it

Aurora

[Mr Smiley]

You just need to get hold of some nichrome wire (from an old toaster) and make a polystyrene cutter, if you tension it vertically you can use your template to cut around.