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Advice on making acrylic drop seeder

Home Improvement Asked on November 28, 2020

I would like to make a DIY drop seeder like the one shown here. I am just very inexperienced with acrylic/plexiglass as a material.

  1. What thickness would you consider, looking at the video/image below?
  2. How would I go about creating those circular notches on the surface?
  3. Any considerations about cutting acrylic sheets?

enter image description here

2 Answers

A drill bit will cut holes in acrylic, but don’t use acrylic or you will probably experience breakage like your example. Use polycarbonate, a name brand is Lexan. It can be purchased in the same thickness. It is usually a bit more expensive but it will not crack even when dropped, or hit with a hammer but will preform exactly the same otherwise.

Answered by Ed Beal on November 28, 2020

I don't see notches as much as through-holes. Acrylic is easily cut to specifications by using a CO2 laser. For the design in the video, one could get away with 3 mm thick acrylic, keeping the weight down while providing enough strength for such a device.

Ed suggests polycarbonate, which is stronger and cannot be cut with a laser.

Finding a local makerspace, or posting a query on a laser forum such as Lightburn Software should find you a willing cutting resource. I've done a number of custom laser projects for members of both our local makerspace and visitors to the above noted forum.

Using a service is also a possibility, but the costs increase substantially for established industrial services one would find.

Answered by fred_dot_u on November 28, 2020

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