[toothandnail]

I am wanting to cut some parts out of 1/8 sheet alum , parts will be about 1.5" x 2.5" with 2 holes in the center. Using a .125 end mill ? ? ? something better ?

What's the best way to hold the material ? I can cut it in strips and clamp in vise (4"). Or should I use a bigger piece and clamp directly on the table?

What about something underneath to keep from milling into the table/vise?

I will be cutting about 100 each time I setup.

Suggestions ?

[txcncman]

Best way to hold sheet material is in a punch press.

I recommend you cut blanks just barely oversize. Hold in vise with step jaws and drill 2 holes. Then use screws to fasten to a fixture plate to mill profile and any other features. Your fixture plate can be as large as you wish it to be. You can even make 2 fixture plates so one can be machining while the other is having parts removed and reloaded.

[fizzissist]

Double-sticky tape.
Wire EDM
Laser
Waterjet
Plasma

Innovative fixturing that drills all the holes in the plate first, then the plate is dropped onto a second fixture with pins that locate and restrict movement when the part is profiled, separating them from the plate.

Stacking several plates and doing a group

Send it to my shop

[Geof]

Combine elements of all the suggestions so far. Cut the plates to include as many parts as will fit within the limits of your machine. Stack several plates and drill all the holes. Make two fixture plates that the parts can bolt onto and use these to finish all the profiles separating the parts.

[toothandnail]

After further expermenting , we've decided to go the waterjet route , faster ,cleaner(less finishing) , and most important right now, we don't have the time or machine to deicate to those small parts.

We prefer to do as much in-house as possible, but the WJ guy can have them done midweek , while we'll still be finishing the setup.

[WOTDesigns]

"cleaner/less finishing" is rarely possible on WJ vs machining. I would likely wj parts that thin but keep in mind all of the edges will be tapered due to wj process. I do a LOT of re machining directly for a wj shop for parts that need flat edges or tolerance that won't allow sanded edges. I The slower they run the less visible taper there will be, there are also 5axis machines that can control taper but that gets expensive FAST. I have production parts thar are 0.25"thick I could have run practically free on a wj but instead of re machining them I stack bar stock. 3 tall, drill through holes over counter bored threads on a fixture, insert screws and cut. It comes out cheaper faster and easier for my part YMMV