polycarbonate

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Sue, to "polish" the cut or scored edge, the heat from underneath is OK but keep the heat source moving and away from the material. Yes, it will burn but not violently. You just want to warm the cut edge with the remains of the score or saw tooth marks enough to soften the plastic a bit. It will go slightly liquid and stay that way after it cools. That's all you want to heat it. A heat gun would be overkill. You can use a soldering torch (most irons don't make enough heat to work on a big enough area to be effective) and keep the flame way away and moving quickly to do the same thing. A lighter does work about the best.

Did you remove the really thin film that protects the polycarbonate from scratches and other handling marks diring fabrication?? I would leave this on for sawing and remove it after that. You will cut the film on one side during scoring, then cut the other after snapping.

You do have the right idea by playing with it a bit to see what it really will do under various conditions.

Henry in MI