Can You Cut Acrylic with Cricut Maker?

You can cut acrylic with Cricut Maker. Cutting acrylic gives your products a new dimension, and as Cricut keeps developing its machines, there might be a new way to cut materials that are thicker in the future.

Like an engraving machine, Cricut Maker can engrave a variety of materials like thicker acrylic sheets, acrylic fabric, wool fabric, etc. You now have engraving tools to quickly incise the design of your choice.

Types of Acrylic for Cutting

Which of the several types and thicknesses of acrylic to know how can you cut acrylic with a Cricut maker? The two thicknesses that were ideal are listed below:

• .007 Acrylic
• .020 Acrylic

.007 Acrylic Sheets

These 12 × 12 sheets, which are incredibly thin, are ideal for Cricut crafts.
Cut them using the acetate setting and the fine-point blade. This setting allows for two passes, which was fine. if you want a super clean cut, make one more pass. Once your Cricut machine has stopped, press the green “C” button a second time to make another pass.

.020 Acrylic Sheets

The next set of sheets are.020 inches thick, which is a decent thickness and ideal for many tasks. Utilize the basswood setting that required 14 passes and the deep point blade. This was ideal for the subject matter! You should click here to learn more about the deep-point blade. When using this deep-point blade, it’s crucial to occasionally check to see if the material has been cut through.

Preparing Acrylic Sheets for Cutting

The acrylic sheets may be cut into usable goods in a variety of sizes and shapes. But you can only do this if you use the proper methods and strategies.

After receiving your acrylic sheets, there are a few preparation tasks you must complete before cutting the acrylic.

• A protective coating is applied to both sides of the acrylic sheet to keep it clean and guard against scratches while it is in packaging or on display in stores.
• Before cutting your sheet into parts, you must remove these.
• The sticky mat that comes with Cricut machines can end up contaminating the acrylic if it is not kept clean.
• If you don’t want the acrylic to get dirty, you may either clean your mat before placing the acrylic on it or use a sizable piece of felt to protect your desk from the cutting blade and use masking tape or painter’s tape to hold the acrylic sheet’s edge while you cut.

What Tools can be used to Cut Acrylic?

Although there are various instruments available for cutting acrylic plastic, the ones used most frequently are those found in improvised garages or on workbenches. A Stanley knife blade or another sharp deep-point blade can be used to score an accessory, and a spirit level or ruler can make measuring simpler. The following equipment or tools can be used for cutting:

• Jigsaw
• High-speed steel deep-point blade
• Band Saw
• Hand Saw
• Power Tool Cutter

How to Engrave Acrylic with Cricut Maker?

The procedure for engraving acrylic is much the same as that of other materials. However, before using the Cricut Maker to engrave acrylic, you should be aware of several significant variations and cutting settings.

You’d need the following items to get started:

1. Tip for Cricut Maker Engraving
2. Good Grip mat
3. Acrylic products (acrylic blanks are the most common items)
4. Lint brush
5. Painter’s tape or masking tape

Once everything is put together, follow these instructions to use the Cricut Maker to engrave acrylic:

Design it in the Design Space app.

Create the artwork you want to have laser-engraved on acrylic by using the Design Space app. Alternatively, upload the picture to the canvas from another source. If necessary, make changes to the design.

The acrylic object’s design fits inside it. Draw the object on the canvas with the exact dimensions of the real object and then insert the design to make sure that’s the case. until the acrylic is fit, resize the design.

Select “Engrave” from the Operations drop-down menu after clicking on the design, and then click “Make It.”

Set the Acrylic Object in Place on the Mat.

The next step in engraving on acrylic is accurate alignment. Place the acrylic object in the center or close to a convenient location.

Remove the acrylic’s one-sided plastic backing sheet before that. Acrylic typically includes a plastic backing on both sides to avoid scratching. The sheet must be taken off of the side you want to engrave. Leave the plastic sheet intact on the opposite side.

It’s time to recreate the acrylic object’s alignment on the canvas after you’ve done so on the mat. Drag the design to the object’s location on the mat or the center of the canvas.

Apply painter’s tape to the acrylic edges before engraving with the Cricut Maker to make sure they don’t move around.

Get the Cricut Maker Ready.

Setting up the Cricut maker for engraving is the final step. Return to Design Space and choose “acrylic” for the material, followed by “thickness level.”

Put the engraving tip in the “B” carrier when prompted, then move the white star wheels to the edges.

Place the mat into the machine, then press the “C” button to begin engraving.

Use the lint roller to polish the acrylic item once the design has been engraved. Your acrylic has now been inscribed!

Why Would You Use a Cricut to Cut Acrylic?

Due to its adaptability and durability, acrylic is a popular material for crafting and home décor projects. Making ornaments, transparent cake toppers, shadow boxes, and transparent rewritable signs with them are very common.

Although the edges of Cricut Maker blades tend to be harsh, they can cut acrylic materials. To get clean cuts and smooth edges in acrylic plastic, you must use the correct cutting settings on your Cricut machine.

Additionally, some artisans engrave intricate motifs onto their acrylic creations using specific engraving tools or settings.

It will take several passes to cut through the acrylic smoothly, regardless of the cutting equipment you select. The deep-point blade or knife blade also needs to be sturdy enough to avoid shattering.

Instructions on Using a Cricut Maker to Cut Acrylic

• Keep in mind that neither the Cricut machine nor the company sells vinyl. Cutting acrylic that is too thick risked damaging your equipment and voiding your warranty.
• Having said that, there are a few pointers we can offer for using your Cricut maker to cut acrylic.
• Use your Cricut just to cut thin acrylic. The thickest material that can be cut with a great finish is. 02 mm thick
• Use your Cricut’s basswood setting, and be aware that it can take several passes to cut through the material.
• To cut acrylic sheets with your Cricut, use a knife blade that is razor-sharp. You have a higher chance of getting chipped or jagged edges if the knife blade is duller.
• Before you cut acrylic with your Cricut, remove the plastic layer to prevent the knife blade from becoming sticky and giving you a poor cut.
• To prevent it from shifting during cutting, place the acrylic on a purple StrongGrip mat and tape the edges with painter’s tape.
• To ensure that the acrylic sheets are completely cut use a weeding tool to carefully lift a pattern edge before removing it from the cutting mat. If not, you’ll need to add one or two passes to release your design.
• Although acrylic sheets are not the most straightforward material to cut, it is ideal for clear products like decorations and reusable ones like illuminated signboards.

What is Cutting Acrylic Sheet and What are Different Ways to Cut it?

Acrylic Sheet alludes to a transparent thermoplastic homopolymer valued for both its strength and high level of impact resistance.

Its trade name is plexiglass, and as it resembles polycarbonate more than glass, most people just refer to it by that term.

To fit the specific application, acrylic cutting with your Cricut means splitting, slicing, or piercing the acrylic material. It is a well-liked method of fabricating acrylic.

It is a typical molding technique that lots of people utilize to make various products out of this substance.

The cut acrylic pieces are typically attached to other acrylic pieces or any other materials to create a substantial product.

Some important acrylic cutting methods are:

1) Laser Cutting

This must be among the most popular techniques for acrylic cutting in the modern period. Utilizing carbon dioxide laser cutting devices and computer graphic software, acrylic may be laser cut.

The manner and location of the interface’s integration into the content are determined by these computer-controlled programming devices.

It is an invention that has been around for a while and is becoming more and more well-known every day.

By the way, it has improved as a machining substitute and can significantly reduce costs associated with manufacturing.

2) Scoring Acrylic

This is the second technique that is frequently employed to cut acrylic material. Essentially, it refers to the industrial procedure used in this situation to carve a groove into a piece of rigid acrylic.

You can either break the material along the slit with this groove or utilize it as a guideline for other activities, such as painting or decorating.

This technique is best suited for acrylic that is less than 14 inches in thickness.

3) Sanding Acrylic

It is the finest method of acrylic cutting. Primarily, it refers to the process of acrylic material cutting by using a rotary deep point blade double cloth, and sander, and moving it rapidly along the edges of the sheet.

Additionally, it is a demanding process, so you must make sure you exhaust all options in order to produce the best outcomes.

Apparently, this procedure is utilized specifically as a sequential approach for sawing and scoring methods. Using a sander, quickly sand the sheet’s edges using acrylic material.

How to Use Cricut Explore Air 2 to Cut Acrylic?

Now that you are familiar with the fundamentals, let’s examine how to cut acrylic with your Cricut Explore Air 2 machine. To consistently achieve perfect outcomes, follow the procedures below.

Prepare the Necessary Materials.

To prevent any errors from occurring, it is crucial to plan ahead for each step of this procedure. An acrylic sheet or more, scissors, a knife blade guard, a ruler, a cutting mat, and some tape are required before you start. The number of sheets needed depends depend on how many pieces you are cutting.

Additionally, you will require a computer or laptop with design software.

Configure the Cricut Device

Your Cricut Explore Air 2 should now be running. Make sure the laser cutter is set to “cut” mode after everything has been powered up.

Load the Cut File

Open the file for the project you wish to create on your computer using the Cricut Design Space program. The “Load Cut File” button is located on the screen’s bottom.

Choose Your Material

Select “Material” from the tabs. Utilize a single piece of acrylic for this example. Choose by selecting it from the list that appears, you can choose the material you want to use.

Adjust the Settings

The options menu will open if you click on the settings icon next to the material you selected. The resolution setting should be changed to 300 DPI as soon as possible. The image will be more detailed when printed if the resolution is this high.

The “Use Layer Thickness” box is the second choice that you ought to select. If you want the layer thickness to print on the printout, check this box.

Starting Cutting and Examine the Project

Click “Start” once everything is prepared.

There will be a preview window that displays the final product before you begin cutting. Simply hit ESC and then click the “Cancel” button to return to your design and make any necessary changes if you don’t like what you see.

Click “Finish” when you are happy with the outcome of the recent editing.

Print your Piece

After completion, select “Print” from the menu. The printing process will take roughly 10 minutes to complete.

What Kinds of Materials Can Be Engraved with the Maker?

Knowing which materials you can and cannot engrave on before using the Maker is necessary. Additionally, it’s crucial to keep in mind that not all materials will yield the same outcomes or the same effect and finish.

Metals: Engravings on aluminum and anodized metal look gorgeous, especially if they are colored because they show the gleaming silver underlying. Copper, brass, metallic leather, stainless steel, bronze, and pewter can all be engraved on.

Acrylic blanks: The outcomes are consistently gorgeous, clear, and crisp. Although acrylic may be made as thick as 2mm, using a blank that is 1-1.5mm thick yields the best results.

Genuine leather, imitation leather, and tooling leather can all be engraved on; just be sure to remove any rivets, buttons, or other objects that could obstruct the engraving process.

Polymers: Some plastics, such as PET plastic sheets, and panels can be engraved. The results are fantastic and they are lovely and thin but feel like robust plexiglass. Acetate and transparency film are also options. On an ancient vinyl record, you can also engrave! These items are an incredibly cheap method to hone your engraving talents.

Wood: Although Cricut balsa wood sheets can technically be engraved, it’s yet to get decent results using this material. However, artboards like kraft and poster boards can be engraved.

Laser Engraving Acrylic

Most often, laser users engrave acrylic on the reverse side to create a transparent appearance from the front. This is a common feature of acrylic awards.

A protective adhesive film is frequently applied to the front and back of acrylic sheets to avoid scratches. To avoid scratches while handling the material, remove the protective adhesive paper from the acrylic’s back before engraving and leaving the protective cover layer on the front. Since you’ll be engraving the reverse side, don’t forget to mirror or reverse your artwork before sending the project to the laser.

In general, acrylics engrave nicely with low power and high speed. The acrylic can be marked with a relatively low-power laser, and if your power is too great, you may see some deformation in the material.

What Cricut Machine Can Cut Acrylic?

The most widely used tools for cutting acrylic are the Cricut Maker and the Cricut Air 2. The Maker can cut materials up to 2.4 mm thick and is ten times more powerful than existing Cricut machines.

Because of its many features, stylish design, and reasonable pricing, the Cricut Air is the most popular Cricut machine. It can cut acrylics that are less than 1 mm thick.

Is It Hard To Cut Acrylic with a Cricut?

Learning how to use your Cricut machine and the design software you use to make your designs properly might take time, just as with everything else.

When you use a Cricut machine to cut acrylic, your design is transmitted to the machine via the Design Space software, which tells the deep point blade where to go and what to cut.

The dimensions of your design are crucial. To accommodate cut-offs without running the design, it’s crucial to bleed the borders of your design. You’ll get the hang of it after a few attempts.

Reasons Buying a Cricut is Worth It

The Cricut is unquestionably one of the best tools for creating a wide variety of items. These are just a few of our favorite justifications for purchasing a Cricut, but there are a tonne more depending on your requirements!

Versatility

The Cricut Explore, Maker, and Joy are highly flexible, to begin with.

Simply create labels for the craft room’s supplies, pieces of art for the boy’s room, confetti, personalized tote bags, journals, and shirts for a friend’s son’s first birthday party, as well as decorations for Bunco parties, baby showers, and parties with a Firefly theme.

Time Savings

Second, you’ll save so much time thanks to it. If you typically cut by hand, the Cricut can do it so much more quickly and effectively—and it will spare your hands.

Crafting is expedited by the Cricut. Party activities are more enjoyable because they can be made so much faster than by hand designing and cutting.

Personal Cricut Projects

The third option is to create your own unique projects. You can upload your own designs to Cricut and cut acrylic with your Cricut.

Additionally, you may use it to personalize gifts; receiving a birthday gift is wonderful, but receiving one branded with your name is much better!

Idea for Projects

When it comes to using a Cricut machine for arts and crafts, the options are practically limitless. To help you truly personalize each of these amazing ideas, we’ve broken them down into some of the most common materials used with a Cricut.

Paper

Create a lovely garland out of cut paper flowers and leaves by stringing them together, or add them to a wreath.

Use the writing tool to write the addresses on holiday cards or party invites. You can also use it in conjunction with our pick for the best Cricut printer to have your documents ready to mail.

In a shallow dish or flowerpot, create little paper succulents and group them together over a bed of shredded paper.

Create a garland by cutting geometric patterns out of colorful paper, stringing them together, and adding an eye-catching flash of color.

Create gorgeous flower crowns by creating 3D paper flowers and gluing them on a headband.

To make personalized gift tags, layer cutouts from cardstock, and then add elegant fonts and flair with the writing tool.

Layering huge word cutouts over contrasting colors allows you to experiment with different paper patterns. Create a few unique combos then hang them in succession on your wall.

Cardstock that has been cut into festive patterns is then wrapped around a vase. For a beautiful decoration, you can modify it with the seasons, and add complementary flowers.

Vinyl

For a unique gift, cut out your favorite word or phrase and attach it to a glass vase, wine glass, mason jar, or attractive plate.

Your favorite word or phrase can be written in a stylish font, placed on pretty scrapbooking paper, and then framed.

As a stencil, use phrases or shapes made of vinyl. On make a distressed wooden sign, apply vinyl to a board, paint over the entire surface, and then peel off the vinyl.

Apply fun-shaped holographic vinyl on a clear cell phone case.

Give ordinary objects cartoony faces, noses, and eyes to give them some personality.

For unusual party decorations, cut out enormous shapes and lettering, then adhere them on solid mylar balloons.

During the summer, decorate plastic outdoor furniture with colorful circles, stars, and suns.

Make attractive labels for spice jars and condiment bottles.

What Kinds of Crafts can you Create using Acrylic?

For laser processing, acrylic is a reliable and practical material. This material is perfect for a wide range of applications thanks to its variety of colors and textures:

• Point-of-purchase graphics
• Indications of the way
• Earrings/pendants/buttons
• Containers/boxes
• Cupcake or cake toppers
• Custom prizes
• Christmas Decorations
  plus a lot more!

FAQ’s

Is cutting acrylic challenging?

Cutting acrylic is different from cutting many other materials because precise measurements are required to guarantee that the parts fit together correctly. Always use the sharpest knife blade or deep point blade you can find when cutting acrylic to avoid making an expensive error that requires you to sand inches off the material to ensure it is even and unchipped.

Is acrylic prone to cracking?

Additionally, polycarbonate is simpler to scratch than acrylic, which is also more brittle. In addition to being less expensive than polycarbonate, acrylic can be heated, shaped, and then heated again while maintaining its premium appearance.

How much acrylic thickness can you cut?

Your laser cutter’s wattage will determine this.

Up to one-quarter inch of acrylic can be sliced through using a 30 or 40-watt Epilog device. The thickness of the material you can work with will increase as your wattage rises. You can cut through acrylic closer to 3/8″ thick with a 50 or 60-watt machine, and closer to 1/2″ or perhaps 3/4″ with two passes with a 75 or 120-watt system.

Conclusion

It is now okay to use your Cricut to cut acrylic. Simply alter the cutting settings, check that the needle is razor-sharp enough to cut through, and make sure that your Cricut mat is both clean and adhesive enough to get hold of your material.

Cutting acrylic provides a nice finishing touch to your projects, and as Cricut continues to expand the capabilities of its machines, there may eventually be a different way to cut thicker materials.