Polycarbonate(PC) CNC Machining Service

When you choose a reliable polycarbonate CNC machining service provider, you should focus on understanding whether the company has plastic material processing experience, stable precision processing capabilities, clear quality control processes, and good project coordination efficiency.

The cost of polycarbonate parts is affected by many elements such as the cost of raw materials, the difficulty of machining, the dimensions of the part and the amount of machining time needed. If you require special processing such as anti-UV or scratch resist coating, the price will be increased.

First, when cleaning polycarbonate parts, you should use a gentle technique to prevent scratching the surface of the material. Second, you may prepare a cleaning solution with warm water and a mild soap (like dish soap), but avoid using detergents with abrasives, alcohol or ammonia as those solvents may harm the material’s surface. When you wipe, you should also choose a soft lint-free cloth or sponge, soak it in the solution and gently wipe the surface of the polycarbonate. Then you need to rinse with clean water, and dry with a clean soft cloth.

It usually depends on the complexity of the part structure, machining quantity, dimensional requirements, tolerance standards, surface treatment and material preparation.

When machining polycarbonate sheets, you need to prioritize controlling heat, stress, and cutting stability. Additionally, after processing, you also need to pay attention to deburring and edge polishing methods.

Under normal processing conditions, the tolerances for Polycarbonate parts can generally be controlled within ±0.05 mm to ±0.10 mm.

The tolerance of polycarbonate machining generally depends on the machining process, the precision of the equipment, and the complexity of the part.Generally, the tolerance can be controlled between ±0.1mm and ±0.2mm. However, for some precision parts, the tolerance of ±0.05mm or even better can be realized.

You should choose the tools according to the thickness of the polycarbonate sheet. Polycarbonate sheets with a thickness of less than 3mm can be cut with a Utility Knife by scoring a number of times along the line. After alternatively deepening the knife marks, you can snap off the sheet. For sheets thicker than 3mm, I suggest you go for power tools (such as a circular saw or table saw) with a carbide saw blade to get a clean cut.

Polycarbonate material has excellent properties, but it also has some defects. Polycarbonate is not scratch proof and can be easily scratched or treated with abrasives. And it is also readily attacked by chemicals like strong acid and alkali. Besides, the Raw Materials of Polycarbonate is much more expensive than other plastics (PP, PE) and the processing cost is also higher.

PP, an abbreviation for polypropylene, the characteristics of it are cheap, good chemical resistance, light material and easy to processing. PC also known as polycarbonate, is a high strength, good toughness material, has excellent impact resistance. Polycarbonate material can be used in high temperature environment and maintain stable structure. Besides, PP is highly transparent. So if you need cheap and chemically resistant parts then go for PP material. But if you want high performance, high strength parts, then I recommend PC.

Yes. Polycarbonate is a material commonly used for products like food containers, water bottles, and baby bottles. Only under certain circumstances, polycarbonate will release trace amounts of BPA. So, if you want to purchase items in this material, better opt for polycarbonate products that say “BPA-free” or don’t use them at high heat.

Yes. Polycarbonate is a type of plastic that can be recycled. It is typically categorized as plastic #7.

The strength of polycarbonate is greater and it is more resistant to pressure. It can be used in high temperature. But, acrylic has really good optics (can let light through up to 92%). Besides, the acrylic is more scratch resistant, UV resistant and yellow not easy.