Cutting Thin Aluminum on CNC Routers
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- čas přidán 31. 05. 2024
- Have you ever wanted to know how to cut thin aluminum parts on your CNC router? Well you're in luck! In this video I discuss my methods for cutting thinner parts on my CNC router, including such topics as tooling, work holding, and feeds and speeds. Gosh!
Onsrud 1/4" Solid Carbide End Mill - amzn.to/3ITFo8b
My Favorite Tools - www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls...
00:00 Intro
00:41 Tooling Choices
01:15 Workholding
01:56 Painters Tape and Superglue
03:05 Feeds 'n' Speeds
04:39 Cutting and Coolant
05:57 Removing the Part
06:57 Finished Part and Conclusion - Jak na to + styl
Cool to see more people using the super glue and painters tape method for work holding.
My FIRST Robotics Team uses that method to cut tons of aluminum plate for our robots. We cut 1/16" all the way up to 3/8" aluminum plate.
We actually use an aluminum spoiler board that we resurface 1 or 2 times a year.
Nice! Yeah, I've done upwards of 0.5" thick I think? It can hold MOST parts just fine as long as you take light, but fast cuts.
That was very helpful. Thank you Robert.
You're very welcome!
Excellent video!! Much appreciated
A similar method to the glue and painters tape I've come across (haven't used it for aluminum, but have with other thin stock), is one side gets super glue, the other side gets accelerator (ie. Inoteca InstantBond sold at Home Depot here in Canada). Sets up really fast, no waiting around for it to dry.
Great video. you answered a lot of the questions I had as a new cnc owner.
nice!
Yes, however for this part, holes may be drilled first and used for clamping. Also, routing can be segmented (yes, kind of like tabs as you mentioned) and clamps installed as segments have been routed. Nice video, thanks.
Great point!
Great video @RobertCowanDIY! Would this method work for 3 mil copper also? If so what spindle speed and feed rate would you use?
Nice approach. At the beginning I was wondering how you square up the stock, but I see for this part it doesn’t matter. 😊
Exactly, no need to square anything up and when the part is cut free, it won't go anywhere.
That was educational I have a ShopbotMax but never wanted to use with coolant. It seemed to cut very well with just a squirt of WD. The super glue is a great process we use it with our tormach 440. Im binge watching battlebots allot a great talent this season.
Nice!
One thing I like to do if the part has holes in it, I'll just screw the Sheetmetal down to the table then bore or drill out the holes in the part and add screws to the holes then cut the profile. That's what I did when I was cutting a bunch of sheet metal on my router its pretty fast to do.
Totally. If the part already has holes, drill the hole pattern in the spoilboard, screw it down, profit!
@@RobertCowanDIY is a cnc router like this Amy good for cutting out wire terminals with the right end mill? They are pretty small. Also im looking at trying to get a cnc gantry thats strong enough to relief engrave steel. Id probably need a mill rather than a router but just need a setup thats rigid enough. Do you know of any?
@@KevinFlores-rc1lq I'm not sure what you mean by 'wire terminal', that's a pretty broad term. CNC isn't always the right solution. Let me know what you're trying to make and I can see if I can help.
@@RobertCowanDIYthanks for the reply. Im looking toget a cnc machine that can cut and engrave metal and other material. They have machines like the sainsmart genmitsu that can cut soft metals with a router and engrave with a diode laser. Im basically looking to get a machine that can do that but with tougher materials.
@@KevinFlores-rc1lq There's a LOT you're not providing in terms of details. How large are the parts? How many? You MIGHT find it's best to outsource. The sainsmart genmitsu isn't something you can really do anything beyond soft wood in reality. It 'can' cut metal, but not for any real useful purpose, it's more frustrating than it's worth. Expect to spend $10K+ if you want to cut steel. Also, engraving is VERY different from cutting. It would be best to show an example of the part you're looking to make, and in what quantity.
Can u help me to find out feed rate and plunge rate for 6mm bit cutting 3mm aluminium sheet
Thank you for your very helpfull video! What was the depth of cut using these feeds and speed ? What it all done in 2 pass? Thanks!
Check out the feeds 'n' speeds chapter, I explain all of this. I used a ramp and then full depth of cut.
If anyone does use a multi-flute endmill, make sure the ramp down angle is less than the clearance angle on the center of the endmill.
Great video bud! Question, I’m gonna buy a 4x4 table, it’s got a pretty beefed up X and Z axis. I was think of getting a 1.5kw spindle instead of the bigger heavier 2.2kw. I’ll be cutting strictly .125” and thinner aluminum sheets. I don’t need the larger collet size bc I won’t be using any cutters larger than 1/4”. Plus I figured it would help keep the weight down. Whatever I get it’ll be water cooled. What are your thoughts?
Don't get water cooled. It's just another thing to worry about and mess with. Other than that, I agree with your thoughts. With thin aluminum you don't need much power, just the speed. But I would go air-cooled no question.
Solid process for aluminum! How do you like to do your 2nd side ops after side 1, fixture plate? Do you modify this process much for other materials such as polycarbonate, G10, or carbon fiber?
This process really only works with single-operations. For flipping parts you'd need to add some holes or something and use a fixture. For polycarb or G10, you'd just use a slightly different cutter. I don't mess with carbon fiber since the dust is REALLY nasty.
I am new to milling, I have a question. Are milling bits for wood different from aluminum? In Amazon milling bits for wood are more common, can these be used for aluminum as well? Many of them being upcuts
They are different, but you can use them interchangeably with mixed results. If you look on Amazon, you can see router bits for aluminum though.
What CAM software do you use? If it's the built in Solidworks CAM, how do you like it? This video was very useful to me, Thanks. Edit - I just saw that someone else asked about the CAM software.
Yeah, HSMxpress is decent, but it doesn't work with anything beyond 2.5D, for 3D profiling, you need something else.
what range of thicknesses would you recommend for this over bolting the corners of the stock?
also, if you put bolts not only in the corners of the stock, but also on the final part itself, will that work with thinner aluminum? if so, do you still need tabs?
Good question, but it really depends on the geometry of the part. If it's 20"x20", but only 0.25", edge-clamping in a vise will lift it up. You can certainly just screw or bolt the corners, but you would need tabs as you said. Doing it this way means you can fully cut out the part and it's finished, no need for post-processing. OR, you could use tabs and then remove the tabs later. It just depends on what you're trying to do. I have another video where I just pre-drill the hole locations on the part (if you have any), then screw it down using those holes, and cut the rest of the features. It's very part dependent, no single trick is going to work for everything.
@@RobertCowanDIY thanks, this will be helpful!
I will give this a try , I make RC air planes for Matney Models. I need to make some landing gear for them out of .09 Aluminum
Oh, that should be really easy to cut. You will want to use heat to release the parts otherwise they will bend.
Great video. For a part that small, curious why you would use your Avid
Instead of your Tormach? And if it was steel instead of aluminum, would that change? I know neither of these are very heavy mills.
Believe it or not, the part is still quite large for the Tormach. With only ~6" worth of Y travel, you run out of travel REAL quick on the Tormach. Generally speaking, if it needs a vise and is small enough, I'll go with the Tormach. Everything else goes on the Avid. Also, since the Avid has a MUCH larger spindle with 2.4x the RPM, it does a better job at aluminum.
@@RobertCowanDIY Thanks. Good to know. Sounds like the Avid has more use for your needs. I mostly work with wood so that’s definitely true for me, but assumed for any metals the Tormach would be much more rigid.
@@automaticprojects I REALLY should make a video comparing them, because they are quite different. The Tormach is no doubt significantly more rigid, but for 1/8" or 3mm aluminum, rigidity isn't a concern. For any critical tolerances, I would use the Tormach, no question. For for relatively simple parts, the Avid is just quicker, since it can remove material much faster. For instance, the Tormach rapids at around 80-100IPM, whereas the Avid can easily cut at those speeds. It's just a different type of machine and each have their purposes. But if it's steel, has critical dimensions, or I need to modify a part (requiring it to be probed and indicated in properly), it's gonna be the Tormach.
@@RobertCowanDIY Thanks! That is great info. I've been using a Shapeoko 3 since 2015 that I've done all kinds of upgrades too, but I've often thought about upgrading to an Avid Pro 4848, but then I think maybe their 3x3 Benchtop Pro would work better since its more rigid and has ball screws on all three axes. Always chasing precision and rigidity. :)
@@automaticprojects I was tangentially involved with the design of the Shapeoko 3 (I have a couple very minor suggestions) and am very familiar with the machine. The benchtop Avid will be a completely different tool.
Just curious....how does the tape method compare to a vacuum table.
I haven't actually used a vacuum table, BUT the tape method is less repeatable, it's more for one-off parts. If you are running a lot of parts this way, it gets tedious. But it's also a bit quicker than a vacuum table. I would think if you have a vacuum table, you would probably just use that, but you need to be more careful about depth, plugging holes, etc. I've heard there are a lot of pros and cons to vacuum tables, they're not just simply 'magic'.
This is awesome. Have you ever tried mild steel?
I haven't. It's the wrong tool for the job. Many channels will show routers cutting mild steel, but in my opinion, it's just not really practical for actual parts. It can do it, but it's the wrong tool for the job.
What aluminum aloy is it?
im gonna give you all the best tip of all right here trust me...
Skip the tape on the waste board and only tape the stock and apply CA glue directly to the wasteboard
OOF, then you just end up ruining your wasteboard! Stray bits of CA glue get between the lines and I have to sand or chisel it off.
@@RobertCowanDIY It actually makes it much better when the waste board absorbs the CA glue because it prevents the next application from absorbing into it and it holds much better. Masking tape does not sick well to plain MDF and you waste twice as much and it takes twice as long to setup. If you apply the tape with care, you will not have any glue on the part when done. And then when you're done, you have to lightly face off the waste board again and you're ready to go. Trust me bud, I've machined thousands of parts out of sheet metal. I don't care if you try it or not, I'm just sharing my experience and what works best for me.
What CAM software do you use?
I use the HSMxpress plugin for Solidworks, which is essentially a much older and stripped down version of what's in Fusion360.
Hi there. How big is the machine ? We can’t really see it
I wasn't really showing off the machine here, but it's a 4' x 4' AVID CNC Pro. You can find more about it here: czcams.com/video/N3nNyAVFKKI/video.html&ab_channel=RobertCowan
They have a double sided tape that doesn't shift around, basically like painters tape but double adhesive. I would never use double adhesive tape with any kind of foam or too much thickness to it.
I might check into that. I do like the double-tape method though, since you can easily remove it from both surfaces.
Where did you get your metal spoilboard?!?!?!
'world of clamping' is the company.
@@RobertCowanDIY thank you! you are a gentleman and a scholar!
You shouldve taken the drop off first....its basically waste (maybe :) ) Would have def made it easier to take off the GOOD part. Great video!
Thanks.
You're using the wrong coated bits if i gums up. Improve your cuts, speed and finish, switch to DLC coated single flute on aluminium, you can dry cut with them all day long, no gumming. Another tip, drill holes and any interntal features first before cutting out the shape.
I've found that 6061 will tend to gum up on almost every bit if the feeds and speeds aren't correct. But you're right, coatings can help tremendously.
5:31 WD-40 can actually hurt, because it can dissolve the glue in your tape, should it manage to reach it.
I don't know this blue "painters tape", but I can tell you as a fact that WD-40 is fantastic for removing tapes and stickers.
6:10 Use WD-40!
Lol we also have big googly eyes on out cnc
There's a better way to remove it. Since the aluminium is only glued to the blue tape, just pull the blue tape (with the aluminium still stuck to it) off the table first. Then remove the tape from the piece
You CAN do it that way, but for thinner parts, you're going to bend them. And at least with the tape I use, for the size I showed in the video, it's VERY difficult to remove the tape from either surface. But yeah, for smaller stuff I've done that before too. If it's thicker, a few good whacks on the edge can raise it up and then peel it back from there.
Be careful when heating the glue because it evaporates and is harmful