Drilling a hole in an acrylic sheet requires a specialised drill bit or a high-speed metal drill bit modified to drill through acrylic without chipping or crazing the acrylic sheet. To modify a high-speed drill bit, you need to change the way the drill bit removes the material from the hole you are drilling. A high-speed drill bit gouges material as it drills, which can chip and damage the acrylic sheet. Correctly modifying the drill bit with a grinder will convert the drill bit from a gouging action to a grinding action.
Step One
Rotate the tip of the drill bit along the face of the grinding wheel to grind the tip to a 60-degree angle.
Step Two
Run one cutting edge of the drill bit along the side of the grinding wheel to decrease the biting capacity of the drill bit. Repeat the procedure on the other cutting edge of the drill bit.
Step Three
Dip the tip of the drill bit into the cold water to cool it.
Step Four
Run the back edge of each drill bit flute along the grinding wheel to taper the backside of the drill bit. This will decrease the surface contact between the drill bit and the acrylic sheet, reducing the amount of heat generated during the drilling process.
Step Five
Dip the drill bit in the cold water to cool it and complete the modification process.