How to Cut Corrugated Polycarbonate Roof Panel?

Ceiling make up your house in every way, whether adding value to your property or ensuring its safety. But using suitable materials makes the rooftops reliable and secure, and polycarbonate sheets are a good option. They are best known for their strength, lastingness, and versatility, which has made them a preferred choice amongst the proprietors. So, are you planning to install a polycarbonate rooftop with its sheets but do not know how to cut corrugated polycarbonate roof panel? Then, this segment is meant for you to gain accurate info about cutting the sheets effectively and safely.

An Overview of Polycarbonate Sheets

Before you begin, read here to learn more about polycarbonate sheets to avoid the hassles while you cut the panels. Polycarbonate is typically a lightweight element yet a solid plastic with great longevity. While exploring for an undestroyable, water-resistant, and crushproof rooftop material, polycarbonate sheets will be your best choice. They are ideal for roofing applications, greenhouse boards, and protective barriers, as this material provides UV protection.

How to Cut Polycarbonate Boards With Different Equipment

Appropriately cutting down the polycarbonate ceiling panels is vital to ensure a long-lasting fit for your ceiling installation. You can read further to explore how to cut corrugated polycarbonate roof panels using the tools and pieces of equipment. This will help you to achieve a clean and accurate cutting for your requirements. It goes as!

1. Utility Knife

While you cut a polycarbonate panel, stick to the following method:

1. First of all, keep your panel on a flat or stable surface. 
2. Then, mark cutting portions using a marker or a grease pencil. 
3. Place the ruler or straight edge along the cutting line.
4. Next, score with the line using the utility knife while putting a firm pressure and repeat this until you make a deep scrub. 
5. Lastly, you should position the panel along the vertices of the surface and snap it with gentle pressure. 

Note: To reduce the uneven breaks and obtain straight cuts, repeat the scoring process more than once to grove deeper before snapping.

2. Fine-Toothed Circular Saw

To cut your polycarbonate sheets with the fine-toothed circular saw, you should follow the following steps:

1. Stable your sheet on a flat surface using a clamp to avoid shifting. 
2. Further, measure the ends and draw the cut lines. 
3. Fit the circular saw with a fine-toothed blade with at least 60 teeth for a suitable grip. 
4. Now, slowly cut along the line while not exceeding the speed to avoid overheating. 

Tips: It is essential to maintain a moderate speed to prevent the melting of the material caused due to the frictional heat. Also, you can use masking tape over the cut lines for minimal chipping.

3. Band Saw

You can cut the polycarbonate boards with a band saw by:

1. Placing the sheet on the workbench. 
2. Make the desired shape and plan the cuts. 
3. Feed the sheet through the marked line using a fine-toothed blade bandsaw. 

Tips: Note that a sow feed rate would reduce the risk of jagged vertices. The band saw effectively cuts thicket materials and complex patterns due to its precision.

4. Jigsaw With Fine-Toothed Blade

A fine-toothed blade jig-saw can also be used for cutting the polycarbonate roofing panels by:

1. Secure the sheet with clamps over a stable, flat area. 
2. Then, you should draw the desired line or shape to be trimmed. 
3. Start cutting the panel using a jigsaw that has closed-spaced teeth and finer blades. 
4. Precisely follow the curves and keep trimming at a deficient speed along the noted lines. 

Caution: To get a perfect shape, you can pause to cool down the blade and control the jigsaw to avoid cracks and damage.  

Cutting Wheel Dremel

The Dremel with a cutting wheel helps make quick adjustments and detail the polycarbonate sheet. To use it, follow the below-noted steps:

1. Draw the lines for the area to be trimmed or adjusted. 
2. Then, fit the cutting wheel and a rotary tool effectively for cutting panels. 
3. Give control and gentle pressure to avoid cracking and go slow.

Here’s How to Choose the Right Width for Your Panel

To begin with the polycarbonate roofing panels, you should start by finding the correct proportion spacing for the installation. Indeed, this is one of the most critical factors for effective fits and appropriate ceiling insulations. Additionally, you should consider the other aspects, including exposure, location, sheet thickness, and structural requirements. You can calculate the spacing using the following formula:

Sheet Width= Rafter Spacing- (1 *  Expansion gap)

Account for expansion gaps between every rafter to manage the glazing bars; the fasteners would vary by type. Consider the Snap Fix Glazing Bars that require more than the Self-supported Glazing Bars and Aluminum Bars. While placing an order for pre-cuts, you should ensure that an additional adjustment width offers accurate trims without moving the rafters.  

Precautions to Take While Cutting Polycarbonate Sheets

Apart from this, here are some of the top precautions you should take while cutting down the panels. To reduce the risks, follow the below-mentioned measures:

1. Wear protective gear like gloves and glasses to protect from dust, sharp vertices, and debris. Also, put-on ear protection such as earplugs or earmuffs to minimize the noise exposure for louder cutting tools like saws. 
2. Make the cut lines accurately with a pencil or marker or marking tape and cross-check the measures for accuracy while leaving a gap of 1-2 mm. 
3. Use a toothed blade to avoid cracking and other damages without creating rough vertices or panel splits. 
4. Start cutting the panels in clear and well-lit workspaces to reduce the risks of accidental slips or mistakes. 
5. Secure your polycarbonate sheets firmly with clamps to avoid unnecessary movements and vibrations for a cleaner cut. 

Wrap Up

By now, you must have got your answer to how to cut polycarbonate corrugated roof panel. Indeed, the procedure is not time-consuming and requires minimal effort. Polycarbonate is an excellent ceiling material for you if you are a DIY person due to its minimum weight and ease of handling. You can ideally cut out the board into required sheets without any difficulty. But yes, it is essential to stick with adequate planning, follow precautions, and use the right equipment. Hence, you can cut down the boards and install a fresh ceiling by keeping everything perfect. 

Generally Asked Questions