Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

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RebeccaJ
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Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by RebeccaJ »

Hey Everyone,

The next Labs project is now available for you to download from your portal account, https://release.vectric.com/aluminium-wall-art/. This month’s special edition of In the Labs features Accounts and Administration Manager Karen! She had a long history working with an Aluminium company before her life at Vectric and she simply asked me “Why don’t we make something out of Aluminium?” So after doing a little bit of research I got the courage to cut aluminium (I have never cut metal before!) and boy did I learn a lot! I have you guys on the forum to thank for the many past posts I read for advice on cutting aluminium before and during this project!

So we’ve created a three piece wall art for you to try for yourself! This project is pretty simple in terms of the vectors and toolpaths, it’s the machining that gets a little bit interesting! As we are cutting aluminium you need to ensure that you are using a form of cooler to keep the tool cool and allow the chips to simply slide out of the way without generating heat, ensure you are cutting in safe passes and safe feeds and speeds. We learnt a lot about finishing aluminium, originally I wanted to go in with the intention of creating a mirror finish, and this was proving rather difficult :oops: so I settled for a nice matt finish. Karen wanted to add a burst of color to her wall art so she had hers powder coated and it looks awesome!

I hope you enjoy this, and Happy Making!

Beki
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IMG_0127.jpg
Beki
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Leo
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by Leo »

FANTASTIC,

I just love watching the evolution of this software and the people involved in it. Nice to see the crew going after new materials also. TRY BRASS - That you can mirror polish and it is easier to cut than aluminum.

Loved the video - Love the artwork.
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mtylerfl
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by mtylerfl »

Fantastic, Karen and Beki! Great info and tips!

What was the aluminum alloy you used?
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IslaWW
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by IslaWW »

Beki...
You can put a mirror finish on most aluminum. That said, it takes a bunch of work, bring lots of elbow grease.
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RebeccaJ
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by RebeccaJ »

Hey Leo,
Thank you for your comments :) Oooh I 'll add brass to my list! Do you have any tips for cutting this in advance?

Michael,
Thank you, we used 1050A :)

Gary,
You're absolutely right about the mirror finish, with practice maybe I can master the polishing lol!
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scottp55
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by scottp55 »

Beki,
Perhaps polish it to finish while it's still a sheet...power tools :D
It's what I do with wood before I cut if wood is left on material surface...much easier to sand a board to 600G, than a small surface:)
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by LittleGreyMan »

scottp55 wrote:Perhaps polish it to finish while it's still a sheet...power tools :D
Scott, it works with wood, but aluminium chips will scratch the surface while cutting. Same issue with aluminum chips :wink:
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scottp55
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by scottp55 »

Just wanted to show my ignorance of cutting aluminium LGM :D
Noted!
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Re: Cutting Aluminium on the CNC - Free Project

Post by Samson »

Polishing aluminum isn't as hard as one may think. Using the proper equipment, it's just time and it's dirty.
Polishing before cutting is the easier method, but it can be done after as well. Just be prepared for a lot of catches on a design like this.

Scratching can be avoided with a spray of lubricant, and/or a masking. Don't wipe the chips off, use compressed air or take the part outside and flood it with water. Scratching occurs from dragging the chips across the surface.

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