Routing PVC Hexagons

ROUTING PVC

While working on a trophy project I learned a lot about cutting PVC on the CNC.
Generally the stuff cuts like butter, is strong and can result in a smooth and rugged surface finish.
I also successfully finished it with custom custom acrylic colors.

THE MATERIAL

PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) Sheet, Opaque White, Standard Tolerance, UL 94/ASTM D1784, 1/4" Thickness, 12" Width, 24" Length

THE BIT

I used a compression bit for the first time and it worked well.
These up/down bits are inexpensive:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B073RKCWGH/ref=oh_aui_search_detailpage?ie=UTF8&psc=1

I would expect that this OnSrud 63-703 bit would also work well and since it is 1/16 will remove less material. It is however more expensive.

THE SPEED

Spindle:
Feed Rate: 30ips

TABS:

I tried tabs but would not recommend them unless you want to do a lot of cleanup. The tabs are hard to file off while keeping a smooth finish.
I use tape to hold the material to the bed so I found that tabs are really not necessary.

GLUING

Any kind of CA glue works well gluing this material to itself. The use of accelerator greatly enabled accurate assembly.

FINISHING

The parts were airbrushed with acrylic paint obtained from HD. You can get small quantity samples mixed for $3.00.
The acrylic was thinned 1/3 and some floetrol was added for flow.
The acrylic was sanded and then primed before final coats.

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