A variety of power saws, either table mounted or portable can be used to saw PALSUN. Shearing or punching are also possible.
Laser or water-jet cutting are less common but also possible techniques:

1. Table Mounted or Portable Circular Saws
These types of saw are widely used to saw PALSUN.
There are two major workshop types and one portable type:
● A Moving Table, Fixed Blade Bench Saw: is preferable for long, straight sawing.
● Radial Arm Saw: is generally used for “cross-cut” (width) or diagonal sawing.
● Portable Circular Saw: usually restricted for use on site for straight cutting, is slower and not as accurate as table saws. This type of saw may be attached underneath a special bench to function as an on-site, limited operation fixed table saw.

Circular Saw Blades:
Should be fine toothed hollow ground, or preferably carbide tipped, triple chipped (Alt 1 on next page) or alternate bevels (Alt 2 on next page), with minimal blade body contact with the cut material. Such blades can offer clean, good quality cut.

a. Table 9: Generally Accepted Recommendations for Circular Blade Specifications:

No.	Property	Value
1	Clearence angle  α	10-20°
2	Rake angle         γ	5-15°
3	Alternate double-bevel angle (Alt. 1)    α° Alternate bevel angle             (Alt. 2)    β°	45° 10-15°
4	Cutting speed (m/min.)                        (ft./min.)	1,000-3,000 3,300-10,000
5	Rate of feed  (m/min.)                      (ft./min.)	30 11/4
6	Thin guage: (1.5-2.5mm) Tooth pitch t (mm)                     (1/16"-3/32") Teeth per in.)	2.5-6.0 10-12
7	Heavy guage: (3.2-12mm) Tooth pitch t (mm)                        (1/8"-1/2") Teeth per in.)	6.5-8.5 3-4

Notes:
1. 2 Possible alternatives (Alt 1, Alt 2 see next page) are supplied by different tools manufacturers as alternate beveled teeth for blades intended for cutting plastics, and both offer satisfactory cuts (line 3 in the table).
2. For sawing thin gauge sheets of less than 2mm thickness, It is recommended to batch together 10 - 15 such sheets, with a
thicker (3-4mm) bottom sheet for support.
3. Shearing is a preferable option for cutting a single thin gauge sheet.

b. PALRAM Particular Circular Saw Cutting Recommendations:
These recommendations are based on technical know-how, particular tests and vast practical experience accumulated during years of work. These recommendations are to be accepted only as general guidelines.

Table 10: Saw Blade Specifications for Cutting PALSUN
up to 5mm Thickness

Diameter (mm / in.)	300 / 12
No. of teeth in blade	96
Thickness (mm / in.)	2.2 - 3.2  /  3/32 –1/8
Teeth angles	Rake- 10°, clearance 15°
Tooth appearance	Alternating: Left–right
Speed	1800 – 2400 rpm

Table 11: Saw Blade Specifications for Cutting PALSUN
6 to 12 mm Thickness

Diameter (mm / in.)	350 / 14
No. of teeth in blade	108
Thickness (mm / in.)	2.2 - 3.2  /  3/32 –1/8
Teeth angles	Rake- 10°, clearance 15°
Tooth appearance	Alternating:
Speed	1800 – 2400 rpm

Notes:
1. Teeth shapes sketches are not to scale. They should be considered to serve only as an indication.
2. The PALSUN should be placed on a firm flat base and clamped into position during sawing.
3. When sawing PALSUN it is recommended to leave the protective PE film on.
4. If the cut sheet vibrates during sawing, cardboard sheet padding may be placed beneath it to absorb the vibrations.
5. When sawing thin gauge palsun it is recommended not to cut single sheets by themselves, but saw a pack of 5-10 sheets at the time, clamped firmly together to a steady base.
6. Low to moderate feed rate should be used when the sheets approach the blad, or vice versa. A feed rate that is too high
can cause gumming, splitting or breaking of the sheet edges.

No.	Property	Value
1	Clearence angle  α	10-20°
2	Rake angle         γ	5-15°
4	Cutting speed (m/min.)                        (ft./min.)	1,000-6,000 1,950-3,300
5	Rate of feed  (m/min.)                      (ft./min.)	20 13/16
6	Thin guage: (1.5-2.5mm) Tooth pitch t (mm)                     (1/16"-3/32")       (Teeth per in.)	1.5-2.0 12-18
7	Heavy guage: (3.2-12mm) Tooth pitch t (mm)                        (1/8"-1/2")          (Teeth per in.)	2.5-3.5 7-10

Notes:
1. A band saw is suitable for cutting curved lines and 3-dimensional, formed parts.
2. For cutting a few formed objects of the same shape, they must be firmly clamped together.
3. A band saw cutting usually yields rougher finished edge, which must be smoothed by sanding and polishing.
An endless belt sander is a preferred tool for such an operation.
4. We recommend using a circular saw for better-finished edges, whenever possible.

3. Portables: Jigsaw or Saber Saw
Portable saws of these similar types use short movement, reciprocating blades, instead of one-direction orientation, continuous movement blades like those of circular or band saws, and are much slower in operation.
● Jigsaw or saber saws are usually used on site, for limited cuts of irregular shape, or relatively short, straight lines.
● Jigsaw or saber saw blades are usually made of high-speed steel, with slightly set teeth. Specially designated blades, intended for rigid plastics, with alternate beveled teeth, are available.
● A slow feed rate (speed depends on sheet thickness) of about 1.5 mm/sec. and maximal reciprocating speed (about 800 oscillations/min.), yields acceptable results for smoothness of cut.
● Due to the reciprocating blade movement, it is necessary to clamp the sheet down firmly when cutting, to steady it during saw operation.
● Thin gauge sheets are better sawed stacked together to a total thickness of 10-12 mm (0.4 - 0.5 in.), with the pack clampe down firmly to steady it during sawing.
● Jigsaw or saber saw cutting usually result in inferior finish of the cut edges, worse than the results achieved by a circular saw. We recommend that sanding and polishing of the cut edges should be used as a regular practice. An endless belt sander is the preferred tool for such an operation.

4. Sawing Tips
Chipping and gumming are among the most common problems when sawing.
● Chipping: Various sized chips are broken of on both edges of the sawing line, leaving the cut edges rough and uneven.
● Gumming: Chips and splinters from the advancing saw blade overheat during the sawing process, melt and create heaps of cooled down material in front of the blade and on both sides of the cut. The swarf sticks to the edges leaving an ugly, rough edge finish, difficult to clean.
Gummed material may also stick to the blade itself and cause seizure.
The same uncontrolled heat that creates gumming, may also induce undue internal stresses along the edges of the cut, necessitating annealing of the sheet.
 
Recommended Remedies:
● Choose the correct tooth size and pitch.
● Select a more appropriate saw speed.
● Lower the feed rate.
● Examine the sharpness of the blade.
● Examine the blade alignment.
● Cool the blade with compressed air when long cuts are required.
● Take frequent pauses during long production runs, to let the saw blade cool down.
● Begin sawing with the blade already running at the full recommended speed.

5. Finishing Recommendations for Well Done Sawing and Cutting
Unintended saw marks, rough or jagged corners, or uneven, drawn edges created by imperfect shearing may result in crazing and cracking, that can develop further to failure under load.
We recommend finishing the edges of cut PALSUN sheets (or all types of plastics) by finishing the edges to a smooth appearance.
This will ensure that no cracks will develop from the irregularities at the edges.
Smoothing techniques are discussed in Section VII (page 23).