Fluorescent light diffusers need help

[Phil Garcia]

My buddy just left me half a dozen fluorescent light diffusers that he had left over from a remodeling job.
They are Clear Prismatic Acrylic .095 , I have never tried these before. I was thinking that for some Christmas Ornaments they would look great.
Any suggested settings????

I just learned that they may be made of DR acrylic, polycarbonate or styrene. When you order them you have a choice of material. I have no clue which one they are made of. I found this link about DR acrylic www.plexiglas.com/tdsfile/209 (http://www.plexiglas.com/tdsfile/209). if this helps???

[Doug Griffith]

Never tried the stuff but...

You'll pretty much figure out what they are made of when you go to cut it. If it cuts clean, it is most likely acrylic. If it tends to have a charred, discolored edge and be kind of gooey it is probably PC. If is is just plain gooey, styrene. To get the best results, you want it to be acrylic.

As for settings, it depends on your machine. Whatever the case, you'll have to focus on the thickest part of the material. It might help to focus a few clicks in. It might also help to cut the sheet upside down. Keeping it clean will be an issue.

Cheers and have fun,
Doug

[Phil Garcia]

Thanks Doug, appreciate the info.. I have an Epilog 35Watt so I will give it a try and see what happens. In the sun these panels look great with the Prism effect they have so I think doing a Christmas Ornament in snowflakes will look great. Thanks again.

[Phil Garcia]

Ok, I did some test and it vectored clean. No funny smoke, odors and it wasn't gooey. I was right, the prism effect turned out great for the snowflakes. These panels run around $2.00 a sheet and most commercial electricians just thrown them out when change out fixtures so their free. Just an idea for you guys.