Robot-cell guarding
10 mm acrylic · interlock cutouts
Custom Plastic Machine Guards & Acrylic Safety Panels
Acrylic machine-guard panels and mounting features are fabricated to a reviewed drawing. Material, thickness and fabrication scope depend on the machine hazard assessment and guard design supplied by the responsible engineer.
Reply within 12 hours · free DFM feedback
Framed clear acrylic machine guard panel
PMMA and polycarbonate can both be fabricated into transparent panels, but their impact response, optical properties, chemical compatibility and service limits vary by exact product grade and finished configuration. A qualified machine designer or safety engineer selects material and thickness from the hazard assessment; fabrication to a drawing does not establish guarding compliance.
Plastic guard types we fabricate
- Flat barrier and perimeter guarding panels, machined to frame dimensions
- Formed (thermoformed / bent) guards wrapping moving parts
- Splash and chip shields for machining centers and lathes
- Sliding and hinged guard doors with hardware fitted
- Sight windows for metal guard enclosures
- Machine covers and dust hoods for enclosed equipment
- Replacement guards reverse-engineered from worn originals
Illustrative guard-layout renderings do not establish the suitability or safety of a completed machine guard.
Curved rotating-machine guard
Thermoformed wrap · polished edges
Robot-cell safety enclosure
Framed clear panels · controlled access
Acrylic vs polycarbonate for guarding
The most common question we get. Short answer below.
| Factor | Acrylic | Polycarbonate |
|---|---|---|
| Impact strength | Compare grade-specific test data and hazard assessment | Compare grade-specific test data and hazard assessment |
| Optical clarity | Verify the selected grade and thickness data sheet | Verify the selected grade and thickness data sheet |
| Scratch resistance | Good | Poor without hard coat |
| Cost | Project-dependent: grade, thickness, machining and quantity | Project-dependent: grade, coating, thickness and quantity |
| Best for | Splash shields, barriers, low-impact | Flying-debris & impact zones |
Rule of thumb: if the guard keeps hands, coolant or dust out — acrylic. If it stops ejected parts or tooling — polycarbonate. Many machines use both. Full comparison in our acrylic vs polycarbonate guards guide.
Fabrication specs
| Thickness | Specified in the released guard design after hazard review |
| Max panel size | 3000 × 2000 mm |
| Tolerance on mounting holes | ±0.1 mm |
| Forming | Line bending up to 3000 mm, thermoforming for wrap guards |
| Edges | Machined + polished — no sharp edges to the operator |
| Marking | Laser-engraved safety text and part numbers |
Standards and responsibility. We fabricate the guard components to the approved drawing and the hazard, access and impact criteria supplied by the customer. OSHA 1910.212, ANSI B11.19, EN ISO 14120 and EN ISO 13857 can inform that design review, but a fabricated panel by itself does not establish installed-machine compliance. The machine owner or integrator remains responsible for the risk assessment, safety functions, installation and validation. Available material documentation and agreed inspection records can be supplied for the project file.
Guard RFQ inputs
For a useful design-for-manufacture review, send the hazard and impact duty, panel dimensions and unsupported span, frame and mounting details, required access, interlock or opening constraints, coolant or chemical exposure, quantity, and the drawings or safety-file documents the order must reference.
Manufacturing and inspection scope
We review material choice, hole and edge geometry, forming, hardware and assembly against the approved drawing. Machined-feature tolerances are confirmed by size range during drawing review; inspection requirements and required material documentation should be stated before quotation. This manufacturing review supports the customer’s safeguarding design but does not replace the installed-machine risk assessment.
Use our OSHA machine-guard material guide, acrylic guard thickness guide and machine-guard mounting guide to prepare the hazard, span and fixing details.
FAQ
How thick should an acrylic machine guard be?
There is no single thickness that makes a machine guard safe. The responsible machine designer or safety engineer must assess the hazard, impact energy, opening, support span, frame and applicable standard. Send the released frame drawing and hazard requirements; we quote panel material and machining against that review.
Can you copy an existing guard without a drawing?
Yes. Ship us the worn guard (or send detailed photos with measurements) and we reverse-engineer a manufacturing drawing for your approval before machining.
Do you supply guards with hardware installed?
Yes — hinges, handles, latches and gaskets are fitted in-factory so guards arrive ready to bolt on.
Acrylic or polycarbonate — can you supply both?
We fabricate PMMA and polycarbonate panels. The quoted source is stated: in-house cast PMMA is our standard cast sheet route; polycarbonate sheet is sourced from an affiliated mill. Material selection must follow the project hazard and environmental requirements, not appearance alone.
Do your acrylic guards meet OSHA and ISO 14120 machine-guarding standards?
We fabricate panels and mounting features to an approved drawing, but we do not certify the completed machine-guard system. The responsible designer or safety engineer determines the applicable jurisdiction, risk assessment, material and guard design. Include those requirements with the drawing so the quotation can state the fabrication scope and available material documents.
Is acrylic or polycarbonate better for machine guards?
Acrylic suits visibility and appearance when impact exposure is moderate; polycarbonate is the honest answer for strike zones, and we quote whichever material the hazard requires.
How accurate are guard hole positions?
Hole and machined-feature tolerances are reviewed against the drawing and feature size. The general machining basis is GB/T 1804-2000 / ISO 2768-1 by size; ±0.1 mm is the confirmed working band for machined features, and ±0.05 mm applies only to drawing-called critical features within the confirmed 5-axis range and is verified at first article. State hole datums and frame revision in the RFQ.
How are guard edges finished?
Edges are flame or diamond polished, and appearance described as clear / glass-clear / optically clear is judged against the approved master sample per the appearance acceptance standard.
Is acrylic or polycarbonate the right material for machine guarding?
Acrylic suits visibility, appearance and cost-driven guarding; polycarbonate is the honest answer for strike zones and high-impact exposure. We quote whichever material the hazard requires, and guard panels are machined to the frame dimensions with polished edges and drilled mounting holes.
CNC-cut, edge-finished and polished in our own plastic & acrylic fabrication plant. Related: equipment enclosures, counter & hygiene screens.
Get a guarding quote
Send your guard drawing — an engineer replies within 12 hours.
Evidence and verification
- First-article reports, dimensional reports and material certificates are supplied on request per order; impact values are confirmed against the grade data sheet.
- A certificate of conformity or batch COA can be supplied per order on request.
- Guard fabrication, material and safety-boundary statements on this page are company-declared by AcrylicFabWorks unless stated otherwise.
- Applicable product grade: Cast and extruded acrylic (PMMA); polycarbonate on request
- Fact owner: Engineering and quality review, AcrylicFabWorks
- Last reviewed: 2026-08-28
Technical details
Factory & quality system
Acrylic machine guarding along an automated production line
Acrylic machine guarding along an automated production line
Aluminium-framed acrylic machine guards around a robot cell
Aluminium-framed acrylic machine guards around a robot cell
Clear-grade sourcing statement
Calypto cast acrylic sheet, cast in our own Suzhou facility, is the sourcing statement behind the clear guard grades we quote; Mitsubishi or Lucite optical-grade PMMA is supplied when the order specifies a branded material.
Technical details
Ordering & lead times
Lead times and hardware
For guard panels, Engineering review and quote within 12 hours on working days, then Sample in 48 hours, production runs in 7 days with hardware fitted and crating arranged.
Technical details
Choosing the right route
Guard panels we fabricate
Company-declared
Acrylic versus polycarbonate
Acrylic suits visibility, appearance and cost-driven guarding; polycarbonate is the honest answer for strike zones and high-impact exposure, and we quote whichever material the hazard requires.
Cast versus extruded for guards
Cast acrylic recommended for machining-heavy parts, extruded for flat sheet: guard panels with many holes and bonded frames are quoted in cast, simple flat windows in extruded.
Guard thickness by size
The overall fabrication range is 3–100 mm, but that range is not a guard design recommendation. Panel thickness and support are specified from the hazard, span, frame and material grade by the responsible engineer; quote scope is confirmed against that design.
Tolerance bands for hole positions
Guard hole positions follow General tolerances per GB/T 1804-2000 / ISO 2768 by size span; Machined features to ±0.1 mm (holes and machined features) are typical, and Critical dimensions on the 5-axis CNC to ±0.05 mm are confirmed per drawing plus first-article.
Appearance for view faces
View faces follow Appearance described as clear / glass-clear / optically clear against the approved master sample, with A and B faces named on the drawing.
Annealing and cracking risk
Machined parts annealed with the cast-acrylic industry–standard schedule, and guard panels are stress-relieved with this cycle around holes and edges; soak temperature and dwell time are confirmed per grade and not published. Annealing reduces but does not eliminate cracking risk under impact, fastener or thermal load.
Large-format panel coverage
Large-format panels up to 3000 × 2000 mm cover oversized guard windows and full-height panels.
Guard material choice by hazard
| Choose this when | Do not choose this when | Option | Claim IDs |
|---|---|---|---|
| The guard needs optical clarity and cost-effective protection from dust, chips or splash | The guard faces repeated heavy impacts | Acrylic (PMMA) panel | AF-C18 |
| The guard is in a strike zone with high impact risk | Visibility and appearance dominate | Polycarbonate panel, quoted per application | AF-C18 |
| The panel is flat and large | The panel carries many holes and a bonded frame | Extruded acrylic sheet | AF-C15 |
| The panel needs precision holes, slots and bonded corners | The panel is a simple window | Cast acrylic, machined and bonded | AF-C15 |
Guard fabrication capability and boundaries
| Property | Value | Unit | Product grade | Thickness specimen | Test method / standard | Evidence status | Qualification | Claim IDs |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Panel thickness | Fabricated parts 3–100 mm; guard design selected from hazard, span, material and support | mm | PMMA or polycarbonate | Per panel | Per drawing and hazard review | Company-declared fabrication range | No universal thickness recommendation; engineer-approved guard design required | AF-C05 |
| Max panel size | 3000 × 2000 | mm | Cast acrylic sheet | Sheet dependent | Per order | company-declared | Transport and crating limits per order | AF-C04 |
| Hole and feature tolerance | ±0.1 mm typical; ±0.05 mm drawing-flagged critical | mm | Fabricated panels | Per order | GB/T 1804-2000 / ISO 2768 plus first-article | company-declared | Per drawing, never a whole-part band | AF-C01, AF-C02, AF-C03 |
| Edge finish | Flame or diamond polished | n/a | Fabricated panels | Per order | Appearance acceptance standard | company-declared | A/B faces per master sample | AF-C16 |
| Hardware | Hinges, latches, stays, gaskets fitted in-factory | n/a | Fabricated panels | Per order | Per drawing | company-declared | Mounting pattern per frame | |
| Safety scope | Panel fabrication only; system certification by buyer’s engineer | n/a | Guard assemblies | n/a | Applicable machine-guard standard | company-declared | Material machining does not equal certification | AF-C18 |
| Lead time | Quote 12 h, sample 48 h, production 7 days | hours / days | Typical guard panels | Per order | Working hours Mon–Sat 09:00–18:00 GMT+8 | company-declared | Volume orders evaluated separately | AF-C09, AF-C13 |