[fuper]

Hi,

I am going to purchase a few large pieces of aluminum plate, approx 10"x18"x1.5" and the other two about half and a quarter that size approximately. I don't have a means to square the blocks up so I was thinking of having a local shop square it up for me. Afterwards I will layout and drill whatever holes I need at home.

I need the plate to be flat to within +/- .001 per 12" , so I was thinking of using mic-6 which I am familiar with and have worked with before in the past.

My question then is, if I am going to have the pieces squared professionally do I even need to use mic-6? Would i be better off just using regular 6061 plate which is cheaper and having them mill it flat?

I typically use mic-6 for larger pieces as all my tools are benchtop and I lack the skill to machine parts of this size.

Cheers,
Shane

[JWH]

Shane,

I would go with MIC-6.

Jim

[keebler303]

MIC-6 is stress relieved so it doesn't move when you machine it. 6061 can move around a lot when you start facing it so I'd still go with MIC-6.

I'm not sure what kind of accuracy you need but the supplier I use gives +/- 0.020" standard and can get more precise on request. You may be able to just buy the plates from the supplier and have them arrive ready to roll.

Matt

[fuper]

Thanks guys,

I think I will go with mic-6 given your recommendations. I need it squared up to layout holes on my surface plate and want it flat enough as I will be mounting linear profile rails [was going to go with new 15mm hiwin profile rails, but found the exact length and quantity I needed on ebay used, as this is a hobby project I went with it].

I usually order my material from ebay but this time I was going to order from discount steel as they are cheaper. Their tolerances are + 0.1" on the cut which I assume is from a bandsaw and will need to be squared up.

Shane

[keebler303]

I buy from these guys: Alro Processing Capabilities - Aluminum Plate Saw

Precision plate sawing