Ok, I am really interested in you experts feedback. Take a look at these products
They are metal accents for motorcycles. Looking at the top two, they are 2D pieces with a pair of holes in the middle. How would you guys machine such a beast? I am making something a little bit similar but for a different application. If it could be held reliably from the bottom, it could be done in one fixture. However right now I start with a sheet of 6061, drill and chamfer the holes, then use that to mount to a bottom plate that gets fixtured in a vice, then machine the exterior and the chamfer. Thats two setups. I figure I could make a fixture and maybe hold it with vacuum or tape, but tape is a PITA to get leveled perfectly and I dont want to have to do a big facing operation to keep 'em flat. I dont have vacuum right now but it may not work for such a small piece. The bottom of the part is flat.
The quicker we can make them the better. Any advice?
Also, what about finishing? I would love to have them come off the machine and just toss 'em in a vibratory finisher and have them come out with a mirror finish yet retain the sharp creases of a machined part. In other words, I think I need them to come off the machine as well finished as possible and use something like corn cob or walnut shells to polish. So whatever setup I use would need to be rigid and ideally able to let me very quickly mount the parts to the fixture.
Last but not least, if I machine them from a single sheet, there is a lot of waste around the perimeter of the part, so if I could chop them into sized bits first I could make more efficient use of the material.
Thanks for any info!