Printable View
Hi all
I haven't CNC'd in metal before, and could do with some advice.
I've attached a sketch - how thin could I make these walls if using aluminium? The design as it stands has 6mm walls. Could that be brought down to something like 3mm, and still be rigid enough to withstand CNCing?
Thanks!
http://www.cnczone.com/forums/attach...d=335126&stc=1
Sure; 3mm walls aren't a problem in aluminum. But get a good grade of aluminum that's heat-treated to harden it. Aluminum that's soft and gummy will have a tendency to stick to the cutters, and will give you a poor surface finish.
Many thanks for your reply Andrew. That is good news. Is 3mm about the minimum I should be looking at with heat treated aluminium, for something very rigid?
The part will get less rigid as you carve material away, but depending on the intended use of these things you might be able to go thinner, if your CNC machine is rigid enough and the spindle doesn't have too much run-out. What are you planning to do this with? Some routers are advertised as suitable for aluminum cutting when they really aren't. But on a decent mill, I'd use a roughing cut in multiple low-depth passes to remove the bulk of the material, then shave away at the edges with a full-depth climb cut, assuming your tool has enough flute length. Use plenty of coolant/lube.
The machine will be a SCM Pratix 3 axis, which looks quite good from googling it. I'm sort of planning ahead here - about to start a course where I'll have access to CNC facilities. I want to get as much design done now, so I can get on with making! I'll stick to a minimum of 3mm for now...