I’m looking for advice from people who work with engraved acrylic panels.
Right now my process works, but it scratches the acrylic and sometimes leaves paint residue. I know there must be a cleaner or more efficient way to do this.
This is my current process:
1. Remove the brown protective paper from the acrylic.
2. Mask the surrounding area with tape.
3. Spray paint the engraved letters.
4. Wipe the excess paint off using a cloth with mineral spirits.
5. Remove the tape and clean the remaining paint with mineral spirits.
6. Use a microfiber towel to remove leftover spots.
Problems I’m running into:
• The acrylic ends up getting scratched.
• Some paint still sticks to the surface around the letters.
• The final result doesn’t look as clean as other panels I’ve seen.
What I’m trying to figure out:
• Is there a better method for paint-filling engraved acrylic?
• Should I be leaving the protective film on while engraving and painting?
• Is spray paint the right choice, or should I use another type of paint?
• Would using a polishing machine with a brush or foam pad help clean it without scratching?
I’m trying to achieve clean engraved lettering with no scratches on the acrylic surface, like the panels you see on high-end boat dashboards.
I think I would try oramask 811 applied before the engraving. Engrave, Paint, Remove. I have never done it on acrylic, but it would be worth a shot. I might even apply that paint (over the oramask) with a sqeegee almost like a silk screen technique because brushing leaves uneven surfaces. The oramask combined with a thin, even coating of paint should come off cleanly.
I have not done this, try putting a ceramic coating (like the spray on car stuff) on the acrylic then Oramask then cut on the CNC. The thought process is that the ceramic coating would not allow the paint to stick or stick as well to the acrylic.?.?
No mask.
I used Acrylic Ink and a rubber squeegee on etched acrylic.
The ink is very dense with pigment, flows easily.
The squeegee forces the ink into the grooves with elbow grease.
You wipe the ink using the squeegee from the smooth acrylic. As it dries, the ink comes off like a dry eraser.
Wiping the ink with a squeegee as it dries is clever. I’ve only ever seen that done on manicures/nail art. It works exceptionally well in that application so I’m excited to try it out on acrylic.
Another trick going into the back pocket, thanks again
Get a squeegee with a durometer of 72+ . I bought a 67 and it bends too much.
A 4" squeegee works well for me, I can’t apply enough pressure with a longer one.
