[Lab] first try at cutting aluminum

[Darcy Whyte]

That one is a 4 flute, 1/8th diameter.

Okay, I'm going to set the feed rate rather than guess. Also add my vacuum
assembly and lord over it closer.





On Sun, May 29, 2011 at 11:30 AM, <bentfork at gmail.com> wrote:

> How many flutes in that cutter?  If I recall 3 flutes is standard for
> cutting Al as it is a pretty soft material
>
> The rpm / number of flutes and speed are all important.  You probably know
> this but here is a simple cheat sheet:
>
> http://www.endmilldiscount.com/end-mill/sc-feed-speed.htm
>
> When messing with aluminium there are two tricks I've learned.
>  1) Cutting fluid (oil).  You've got to keep the cutting tool cool.
>  2) Compressed air.  Keep the work area as clean as possible with a regular
> blast of compressed air.  (This may not work well with 1 in a CNC setup,
> i've only done manual mill work)
>
> On 29 May 2011 11:14, Darcy Whyte <darcy at siteware.com> wrote:
>
>>  I tried to cut aluminum for the first time last night. Pictures of the
>> results here
>> http://mambohead.com/2011/05/first-try-at-aluminum-with-cnc-mill/
>>
>> I think I had the feed rates wrong. Anybody have any idea why the endmill
>> gummed up?
>>
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>>
>>
>
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