What are the properties of acrylic?

Acrylic is hard when at room temperature, but becomes pliable when heated. It is sometimes transparent and comes in a range of colours. It can be bent into a shape, but it can snap if bent too much. It is easy to cut and not very flexible (depends on the thickness) and takes a long time to file down. However, when machining acrylic, make sure to lower the RPM of your drill or milling machine to prevent melting the acrylic. Also, use an endmill that is not a spiral, but has a straight cutting blade to prevent shattering (a common phenomenon with acrylic).