4/15/2024 0 Comments Enroute 4 feeds and speedsHere are the basic qualities you want out of a cutting tool for aluminum: They’re different from plastic-cutting tools. Small tools work much better – but even still you need to know what kind of tool to use for aluminum. Obviously, that wasn’t going to work for a little hobby router. Small Toolsįor the heavy duty CNC milling machines at work, my go-to was a 1″ diameter solid carbide roughing endmill for tough alloy steels. Not the end of the world, but I always like to let machines run without me babysitting them. To get it to lubricate further down, you need to reapply it in that recently-cut channel. If you’re doing deeper work with lots of Z levels, wax will do a better job of lubricating just the first pass. This works amazing for work that will be done at a single or shallow Z depth, like when you’re working with sheet metal or engraving. However, this works better in some application more so than others.Ĭutting wax can be smeared all over the top surface of where you want to cut, and it’s great because it sticks on – even a downward exhaust won’t take it off. I have a water-cooled spindle so it’s no problem for me, but it depends on your setup.Īnother great option is to use a cutting wax. It’s just a little annoying because the air will blow away any oil that’s more than an inch or two away from the tool so you have to monitor it closely. You can use those little red extension tubes that come with the can to help get the oil right to the tool. It can be pretty tricky to get a decent spray around that air blast. They’ll blow a ton of air all around the tool, without actually getting air to the tool. I mean like those big Porter-Cable types of wood routers that have lots of power. There is an area where this doesn’t work the best: if you have a router with a downwards exhaust. It you’re like me, you’ve probably already got 6 or 7 half-full cans of the stuff on your shelves and in your toolboxes. Probably the simplest is just hanging out while it’s cutting and giving it intermittent sprays of WD-40. While it definitely is my preferred way to cut it, there are a few alternatives that also work great. The whole package will cost you under $100 (assuming you have an air compressor), so if you use your router reasonably often it’s a really smart upgrade. All you need is a kit, compressed air and a bit of oil. I use mine all the time for plastics and metals. If you want to do the upgrade and have the resources to pull it off, I’d definitely recommend installing one. There are a lot of websites and forums that say that oil mist is required for cutting aluminum. If you’re planning on letting your router buzz away for 4 hours unattended, don’t expect your cutter to still be in one piece when you get back if it’s run dry. You can get by without anything for a short amount of time, but it’ll be riskier the longer you go without. Let me know if this helps or if more information is needed.but this should be a good starting point.You’re going to want to use some kind of lubrication for aluminum. The above chipload was in the middle of the range.we suggest you test a piece first to see fit and finish before cutting the final part. Increase the feed rate until the piece finish starts to deteriorate.then back the feed rate down by 10%, start to then increase the feed rate at a certain increment again until the finish again falters.Īt that point, the tool is working at the best productivity level and should provide the best longevity for your tools and best finish for your part. So for this example we will use 6,000 RPM Pick a constant router speed - depending on your machine, this can vary as to the speed that the spindle can run.įeed Rate = RPM x # of Cutting Edges x Chip Load You could also use this formula to decipher the best speed and feed rate.we suggest a chip load of. You could start around 6,000 RPM at 18 Inches Per Minute.
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