Drill Through Acrylic Sheet

Plastic drill bits shave or scrape plexiglass acrylic or plastic away layer by layer.

Drill through acrylic sheet. Place the drill perpendicular to the acrylic sheet and set the drill to medium speed immediately. The plexiglass drill bits have geometric structures different from the traditional drill bits that allow them to puncture easily through the acrylic. First you need to drill a small diameter pilot hole to get started. Press only lightly on the drill the drill must sink itself through the material.

Here is a video on how to properly drill through acrylic plexiglass. Plexiglass is arguably the most popular replacement for normal glass. These bits come in a variety of diameters at home improvement or hardware stores. Plastic drill bits can drill through plastic.

The chip should break off immediately. Ensure you go slow stop often to cool the drill and always support the sheet. Standard metal drill bits will work but without extensive modification the metal drill bit will crack and chip the brittle acrylic sheet. Drilling holes in acrylic requires the use of a drill bit specially designed for use with plastics.

These metal drill bits have ground flukes with 90 degree points and 0 degree rake. This way the drill bit enters the plywood when it exits the plastic and avoids chipping the surface on the bottom. It is possible to drill acrylic with regular metal drill bits. If you just drill a pilot hole then jump right to a big size bit you will likely crack the plastic.

If this is not the case the drill is too slow. Very excited to have some of my old music up on spotify finally. However the likelihood of melting chipping cracking or breaking the acrylic is much higher. Before drilling it s best to clamp down the plastic securely to a solid surface and back up the piece you are drilling with a spare piece of plywood underneath.

Plexiglass also known as acrylic sheet poly methyl methacrylate lucite perclax or perspex is popular for its features which enhance its performance.