Acrylic

[Luke Puckett]

Had someone contact me about engraving on acrylic. We haven't done any acrylic engraving yet. He is wanting a logo on a piece of acrylic that he can put outdoors. He wants the biggest piece possible. We have a 16x30 bed so thinking about doing a 12x24 piece for him. Just wanting to know what acrylic is good for engraving and outdoor use. Who is the best supplier to buy this from? Thanks in advance for the help.

[Keith Downing]

Lots of threads on this over the last year. I don't have time to give you the full run down now, but if you search "cast vs extruded acrylic" you will get more results than I'm sure you care to read.

Good luck with the sign.

[Mike Null]

I would use cast acrylic.

[Phil Noakes]

Luke,

This is Phil Noakes with Rowmark. Please visit our website at www.rowmark.com (http://www.rowmark.com). We manufacture acrylic engraving materials and have a selection of products that are outdoor weatherable and UV stable that should meet your needs. You will also find a list of our distributors that will take care of you. Please call me at 1-800-243-3339 with any questions.

Good luck.

Phil

[Ross Moshinsky]

Assuming they want clear acrylic with a frosted logo, you'll get 1/4" thick acrylic (don't go thinner) and engrave it from the back with a mirrored image. Stand offs are one of the better ways to mount a sign like this.

[Kev Williams]

What Ross said :)

In addition, a little advice--if the logo will have large expanses of solid engraving, be sure to do some test runs first. What you're looking for (or to avoid) is 'banding', which are visible vertical or horizontal bands which result from beam overlap or other anomolies. There are ways around this in most cases, but it's best find out beforehand...