Lexan thickness for control panel covering

Ed, first off get a drill bit designed for plastic. They have a much narrower angle. That will eliminate chipping. Thats said Lexan doesn't chip easily like acrylic. 1/8" would be fine but look for lexan meant for glazing. It has a hard coat finish to resist scratches. 

 

 

Pete

I think we used 1/8" or 3/16" whatever they had at Lowes. It wasn't 1/4" though. Use new, sharp drill bits and you won't have a problem.

I used 3/16" on mine.

Thanks for all the tips.  I am comfortable now using the 1/8" or 3/16".  I have blades meant for plastic for the sabre saw but never thought about, or knew there are drill bits meant for plastic.  That certainly will help make nice clean holes.

 

I appreciate the advice.

Ed

1/8" LEXAN/Polycarbonate is good it's a .118 product and if you have a strong metal brake it can be bent from 0 degrees to 135 degrees; 1/4" Polycarb. is .220 and will need to be heated for bending. You can cut both on a table saw with a carbide blade or with a Jigsaw with a plastics blade.  Also check some of your glass shops they may carry it as well.  When drilling with 1/8" use a medium speed and always watch that the bit doesn't catch.  You can also use a sander on the edges(60-220) and then take a straight razor blade to scrape & clear off any residue.

the lexan at my lowes is .093" thick.  Do they carry .125" thick lexan at lowe's?

Ed, use a step drill, chucked in a drill press (to keep it straight).  Place a piece of wood under the Lexan for backing and drill at a slow speed.  The step drill scrapes the hole opening instead of cutting it like a regular drill bit.  I got mine at Harbor Freight pretty cheap and it works great.

Darrell - great tip on the drill press and step drill.  I have both but never gave a thought to using them for the Lexan.  I need to find a smaller step drill as mine starts off too large for the holes I need.  I am using bi-color (red/green) LEDs  as power indicator lights for the roundhouse sidings and other on/off indicators so I need something that will drill the size of the LED holder.  

 

Thanks,

Ed

Hi, Ed.  It's almost 1 am here in Utah and I just got out to the shop to check the sizes of my 3-pc set of titanium nitride coated step drills.  They range from 1/16 to 3/4 inches,  The set is on sale, on-line, for $13.99 now.  Hope this helps.

Lexan is pretty tough, I've used a 3/8" thick piece as a backstop for target practice.  Never put a hole through it, although you could feel the "melted" lumps where the bullets hit and finally did break a corner off after repeated hits (misses actually).

 

Not sure what speed to use for drilling a hole in it that would prevent it from melting around the drill bit, maybe a machinist or machine shop could tell you.

Darrell - thanks for the info.  I just ordered a set. That should work well in the drill press.  I should be able to hit all the spots I need on the Lexan using the drill press. I can set the  depth to the size I need and turn down the speed. 

 

Bob - I don't know a thing about Lexan but I have to say I am really surprised that it can withstand some shots from a gun.  Just out of curiosity what caliber and distance were you shooting at it.

 

thanks,

Ed

Ed,

 

We were shooting 44cal. black powder pistols and my Ruger .22 Mk1, and a couple of 22 rifles.  I can't recall the distance, but probably regular pistol distance up to maybe 50 feet or so.

 

I used to work as a draftsman at a machine shop at I think the piece of Lexan we had was scrap left over from us making a shield that went behind the front seat of a squad car.  My co-worker had in-laws in North Carolina and they had a "range" set up on their property.

I guess one factor in your thinking about thickness should be the lengths of the barrels for the toggle switches. 

 

George