Cutting acrylic - any tips?

[ElB]

After a running battle with my View 27 and some thermal issues (TL;DR version: the vertical GPU mount looks pretty, but is really poorly placed) I've come to the conclusion that venting the side panel is the best option, but I'm a little nervous about taking the step of actually cutting the thing -- does anyone have any tips for making an accurate(ish) 80mm hole? I know I could get a core drill bit, but given that I'm going to use it for about 5 seconds I'd rather not go and buy one, so are there any cheaper alternatives? Would something like this work with acrylic if I just grind away for hours?

(The hole doesn't have to be super precise as I've also bought a grille and decorative plate that'll cover up minor mistakes, so short of an actual circle-cutting tool I'm thinking of just marking out the circle and manually drilling holes around it with a thin drill bit.)

 

[Legend]

That might work, but it also might not. I've used one of these step bits myself in the past, just cover the area with masking tape first so it doesn't crack, and go very slow.

EDIT: I see you need 80mm, in which case this won't be big enough, although you could drill a series of holes.

 

[bremen1874]

It probably would work with enough patience, especially if it's attacked from both sides. You get very similar tools for drilling large holes using a stand drill.

It would have the advantage that there'd be almost zero chance of anything overheating and snagging.

 

[ElB]

Basically I suck at DIY, so something simple and safe is probably a wise plan (I like having 10 fingers) which is why grinding away by hand seems like a viable option. I hadn't even considered the added danger of heat from the cutting, so there's no harm in trying it manually -- if it doesn't work it will at least make enough of an impression to act as a guide for a more drastic approach.

(Of course there may be an other option I've not thought of, so here's the full story in case anyone has any better ideas: I have a View 27, and if you use the vertical GPU mount (which was the specific reason I went for this case) there's only 10-15mm clearance between the card and the panel so there's pretty much no airflow. My 980Ti hit its thermal limit in about a minute under full load, and it was hot enough to soften the acrylic which then got sucked inwards and hit the fan. I've swapped it out for a hybrid-cooled 1070 which copes a lot better, but I have to run the blower at 100% and even then it gets warmer than it ought to when I push the clock up so I'm basically going to expose it directly to the outside world.)

 

[Rroff]

Funny timing - I was working with some earlier - put too much pressure on and shattered it grazing my hand doh. Was being lazy and trying of avoid using the dremel and paid for it lol.

 

[martin363]

I have done similar before by taping the area to be cut with masking tape (an old tip from school) and then using a 120mm hole saw to cut the hole with a low rpm speed to ensure no heat build up. the key is to ensure the panel being cut is supported on a pine block underneath, which you can also cut into, and that the saw does not 'drift' whilst you cut.

do not apply much pressure either otherwise heat will build up and you will get melt burrs. Use a new saw and let the teeth do the work.

 

[ElB]

In the end I went for the "drill lots of small holes" option; I sort of perforated it as best I could, and then held the drill at a slight angle and used it almost as a grinder to finish the job. It took a while, but it worked pretty well considering I was making it up as I went along.


https://imgbb.com/

Yes, I know the bolts are too long, but a) they're all I had to hand, and b) I'm debating chucking an 80mm fan on there.

Ambient temperature has gone up a few degrees since I tried it pre-mod this morning (this weather is offensive) but even with that GPU temp is down a couple of degrees, and as long as I can keep it below 50 at full throttle I'm happy.