584,841 active members*
4,289 visitors online*
Register for free
Login
Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    58

    Pressure Foot

    By far the most challenging parts are ones involving thin ( < 0.125" ) aluminum sheets. I keep a healthy stock of 1/8 inch bits single flute carbide bits because I break them so often. I tried multiple feeds and speeds combo, and go through WD40 like crazy. My suspicion is that my hold down is not sufficient to prevent the material from pulling and vibrating during cutting leading to quickly dulled tools, chip welding, and eventually breakage within seconds.... Getting a good setup for doing sheet metal 1 offs would be great. I started noodling on a hold down system tied to the spindle head. Then I found these.

    CNC Pressure Foot Clamping

    CNC Pressure Foot Clamping Attachment for CNC Router Spindle

    Factory Supply Spindle Diameter 80mm Auto Pressure Foot Fixture Holder for CNC Router DIY Accessories CNC Plate Clamp-in Wood Router from Industry & Business on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

    I am leaning towards the Chinese style ones, since the using ball bearings instead of a teflon block seems like it would work better skimming over metal chips.

    Anyone have experience with this type of device?

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Posts
    323

    Re: Pressure Foot

    Thanks for starting this! I've been trying to deal with thin wood that wants to cup on me and this is the perfect solution.

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    509

    Re: Pressure Foot

    I use a pressure foot most of the time and only occasionally use tape for hold down, no vacuum bed on my machine! I made my own.

    The thing I have to watch for it the foot catching on the edges of material and scratches from chips getting stuck under the foot. Other than that it works great.

    Shannon

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Aug 2005
    Posts
    58

    Re: Pressure Foot

    Quote Originally Posted by Big S View Post
    I use a pressure foot most of the time and only occasionally use tape for hold down, no vacuum bed on my machine! I made my own.

    The thing I have to watch for it the foot catching on the edges of material and scratches from chips getting stuck under the foot. Other than that it works great.

    Shannon
    I would love to see an image of your setup. I also have been hesitant to look into a vacuum setup due to its limitations.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2012
    Posts
    378

    Re: Pressure Foot

    I have been wanting to put one on my machine, but have not tried it yet. Several other things you can also try:

    Use 3/16" bits if you can. They are much stronger.

    Use bits with 1/4" or less flutes so they are stronger.

    Make sure you are using correct feed and speed and are not exceding the rigidity of your machine. On my router I use mostly single flute cutters because I can't slow down the router enough to match the max speed I can move the axis motors.

    If you have a lot holes drill them first then put small screws in them to hold your material down to a wood spoil board. Add holes if necessary. This is a huge help on thin metal.

    Try downcut spiral flute bits. Do a test cut on just the spoil board first and give yourself a slot in it for the chips to go into.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    509

    Re: Pressure Foot

    Quote Originally Posted by infamous_panda View Post
    I would love to see an image of your setup. I also have been hesitant to look into a vacuum setup due to its limitations.
    Here's a couple, I also have a dust shoe that clips directly onto the foot plate itself, but I don't seem to have any pictures of that. I use the plate with the smaller hole for smaller cutters, it sometimes limits the amount of dust removed by the suction but sure holds the material down well.

    Shannon.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2006
    Posts
    107

    Re: Pressure Foot

    I searched the forum but couldn't find much on pressure foot hold downs?
    I cut a lot of thin aluminum, like .025" 6061T6, sometimes on dedicated gasketed vac boards, that works great, but obviously making the dedicated board is time consuming.
    For lower volume jobs that won't warrant a vac board, I screw the material down to the MDF spoil board, that's time consuming too.
    Has anyone here used or made their own ball bearing pressure foot like this? Did it work? Did it trap chips that then scratched the surface?

Similar Threads

  1. Replies: 1
    Last Post: 08-26-2015, 07:07 AM
  2. Leblond / Fanuc OM Lube Pressure No 2050 Oil Pressure Alarm
    By alcarinc in forum Uncategorised MetalWorking Machines
    Replies: 5
    Last Post: 01-13-2015, 03:02 AM
  3. Looking for someone to build me 12 foot x 12 foot cnc table
    By omegasea21 in forum Want To Buy...Need help!
    Replies: 6
    Last Post: 11-04-2009, 05:55 PM
  4. Backer board and pressure/vac foot suggestions?
    By ecotectoo in forum MetalWork Discussion
    Replies: 0
    Last Post: 06-17-2008, 11:39 PM
  5. I need to cut a 20 foot sheet on a 10 foot table. How? Indexing???
    By Apples in forum Waterjet General Topics
    Replies: 3
    Last Post: 11-11-2005, 02:27 PM

Tags for this Thread

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •