Anyone doing alum? question on feed, speed, Doc.

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ROTM
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Anyone doing alum? question on feed, speed, Doc.

Post by ROTM »

Good day.
2 of the material I do most is wood and alum.
Usually on wood a 1/4" bit it is recommended to have a doc of 1x to 2x the bit size.

What would a good doc for alum on a 1/4" bit? 1 flute or 2 flute?

Attached a pic of one of my Amana 3/16" alum bit. setting.
Let me know if the setting would be in the right path or I can improve on it.

On profile and pocket toolpaths.
On which on would be the climb and or conventional be more effective?

Thank you!
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amana.JPG

Vlad
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Re: Anyone doing alum? question on feed, speed, Doc.

Post by Vlad »

It depends on type of aluminum and if you use coolant.
How ridgid your machine is.

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sharkcutup
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Re: Anyone doing alum? question on feed, speed, Doc.

Post by sharkcutup »

First and Foremost I am NO Expert but I do have a bit of experience under the belt. I mostly Carve Wood and have on occasion carved HDPE, Acrylic, and a small amount of 6061 Aluminum with Success through Experimentation/Trial/Error using my CNC Machine. Sure I have had Failures in fact, I do not think there is anyone here on this forum who has not had a failure or two using their CNC Machine. It all comes with the territory of learning through doing!

Not all CNC Machines and Controllers are created EQUAL!

So with that being said ---- There are too many variables to be able to provide a GIVEN Speed and/or Feed. The best way to accomplish Feed and Speed for your specific CNC Machine is to find a CHIP LOAD Calculator to calculate the CHIP LOAD of a particular bit carving in a particular type of material. Also Many Manufacturers of router bits provide the recommended Chip Load for a particular router bit but just remember that is just a recommendation you may have to tweak that for your particular CNC machine. You want to create CHIPS --- NOT DUST and/or SMOKE! Of course too you also want to use the correct Bit for the Material that is to be carved. Experimentation through Trial and Error using your settings in your Material of Choice until you are satisfied your CNC Machine is creating CHIPS!

Just Some Thoughts! :)

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tomgardiner
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Re: Anyone doing alum? question on feed, speed, Doc.

Post by tomgardiner »

On my machine I would run those numbers more or less. I have an FMT 4 x 8 that weighs over 2000 lbs. I have to limit my speed and depth of cut because of work holding ability and machine rigidity. Going on memory I have run 6061 at 60 ipm and 12000 rpm. Rewelding chips is a risk so compressed air or a misting of isopropyl alcohol or WD40 is a big benefit. Can be done with a hand held spray bottle

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Leo
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Re: Anyone doing alum? question on feed, speed, Doc.

Post by Leo »

OK - I know - a lot to read, but this is all good information to help you understand.

In industry I spent my entire career cutting all kinds of metals from various grades of aluminum, brass, steel and some plastics. BUT - that was all done on heavy duty industrial metal cutting machines.

In my hobby shop I also cut aluminum, brass, even steel - BUT - (and there is always a but) - my machine is a relatively rigid machines as hobby machines go. I have an all welded steel frame and gantry. It is absolutely NOT an industrial machine. My machine is a little more heavy duty than an Avid machine made out of aluminum extrusion.

Your Avid machine IS a decent machine and should be able to handle aluminum brass and even some steel. Before I bought my Chinese maching I was seriously considering AVID Pro level. Keep in mind that there are as many different kinds of aluminum as there is wood. Well, maybe not but there are differences in machinability in the different kinds. The most popular alumunim is 6061-T6 which has a good machinability factor. Some are super gummy like 6004. Some are harder but cut really nicely on industrial machines - like 7075. I recommend 6061.

The settings in your tool dialog box look reasonable - BUT - it all depends on your personal setup - machine, workholding, cutters, aluminum grade, machine rigidity, spindle. Keep everything as rigid as possible including cutter sticking ou of collet as stuby as possible.

USE some sort of cutting fluid - Tap Magic is designed for tapping where lubricity is highly important, but it is also very good at all metal cutting - COOL TOOL is another really good option. I use both. The cooling oils help to reduce chip welding and to evacuate chips which is super important.
https://www.amazon.com/Tap-Magic-Cuttin ... 104&sr=8-8

Keep the chipload up in the recommended range. It is .0044 in your tool dialog box. Keep that. You can go a tad lower, but stay above .003 and make it a last choice to change. Maybe lower RPM and increase feedrate but maintain chipload. Higher RPM produce friction which causes heat. I have cut 6004 aluminum at 25000 RPM but that was on a $350,000 Onsrud machine.

Best thing you can do --- DOIT -- get in there are give it a go. You may break a cutter or destroy the piece but do not quit. Try - TRY - try again. You can do it, but just maybe not the first time out.
Imagine the Possibilities of a Creative mind, combined with the functionality of CNC

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