Acrylic Polishing

Vapor Polishing of Acrylic

Clear acrylic machining

Acrylic can have the best clarity and light transmittance of all the clear plastics. In both the extruded and cast form, acrylic is readily polished. Depending on configuration of the component, any of the four polishing techniques may be used; vapor polishing, buffing, flame polishing and direct machine polishing.

Vapor polishing utilizes a solvent vapor to flow the surface of the plastic. This method is good for internal features however its effect on acrylic is to produce more of a translucent finish. Typically the better the machined finish the better the end result with vapor polishing. Part cleanliness is critical. We are happy to vapor polish your machined plastic parts however for best results both machining and polishing should be done by Connecticut Plastics.

Buffing of acrylic produces a good finish. Buffing is mostly used on exterior surfaces in larger components. Buffing utilizes a spinning cotton wheel with cutting compound. Being a mechanical process, the wheel leaves microscopic scratches and can leave a haze or uneven clarity on acrylic.

Flame polishing utilizes a hot flame to flow a surface. Much like spray painting, finish quality depends on the operator�s skill level. Done properly, flame polishing can produce some of the clearest finishes.

Direct machine plastic polishing utilizes specialty tooling to produce polished finishes directly from a machine tool. This method, while the most technical, can produce complicated surface profiles with near flawless finishes.

Polishing acrylic requires special skill since acrylic is a stress sensitive material and is fairly brittle. It can surface stress crack or craze due to poor machining or stresses setup from polishing. For the most stable, stress free component always specify an annealing cycle after machining, otherwise stress cracking will occur in service.