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Plastic Cutting

Plastic cuts differently than wood or metal. Circular, band, panel, and jig saws can all be fit with plastic cutting blades. The blades we use depend on the type of plastic.

The table saw is the most used cutting tool. We use a 10" 48 tooth carbide tipped blade with an Alternate Top Bevel (ATB) grind for Polypro ½” and thinner and for thicker polypro sheets we use a 10” 24 tooth blade with the same grind. These blades are selected because they eliminate melting the sheet.

For acrylic, PVC and polyethylene, we use 10” carbide tipped blades with a triple chip (TCB) configuration. The number of teeth depends on the sheet thickness with 60 to 80 teeth being the most common. The band saws are fit with 5 to 8 teeth per inch on widths of 1/4" to 1". Push parts through the blade in such a fashion as to produce a chip not dust. Sharp cutting edges are key in the cutting of plastics.