Page 3 of 8 FirstFirst 1234567 ... LastLast
Results 31 to 45 of 120

Thread: What CNC machine would work best?

  1. #31
    steve can the lower end grizzleys like we are talking about obtain 600ipm milling speeds? the mill work in the vid is at 600 ipm

    http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-X...-Machine/G0499

    jim
    Last edited by james mcgrew; 10-06-2009 at 5:23 PM.

  2. #32
    bryan i would like to try this, if you are willing send me spec on what you would like to see and i will mill it and film it on my x3

    jim

  3. #33
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    portland oregon
    Posts
    1,286
    Quote Originally Posted by james mcgrew View Post
    steve can the lower end grizzleys like we are talking about obtain 600ipm milling speeds? the mill work in the vid is at 600 ipm

    http://www.grizzly.com/products/10-X...-Machine/G0499

    jim
    from what I have seen that's not 600ipm. I may be mistaken but I doubt a thermwood could cut aluminum that thick at 600ipm. that would take a pretty powerful mill to handle that load. most cnc routers that we use here could not cut plywood that fast. most of what I ahve seein is at 50 to 200 ipm.
    Bryan have you looked at getting the pieces cut on a waterjet? sometimes they can do it for less then you could buy the aluminum for.
    Steve knight
    cnc routing

  4. #34
    maybe i missed it, these specs were posted below the video

    Software: TrueMill in SURFCAM Velocity
    Material: Aluminum 6061
    Spindle Speed: 14000 RPM (1832 SFM)
    Programmed Feedrate: 600 IPM | 15240 MMPM
    Cutting Tool: .500 Inch Dia. - Data Flute
    Axial Depth Of Cut: 0.500 In. | 12.7mm

    jim

  5. #35
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    portland oregon
    Posts
    1,286
    this thermwood video is closer to the speeds stated above. to cut aluminum at that speed you need a massively good hold down method and a very rigid machine. even cutting aluminum at 100 ipm takes a lot of hold down. the vibration is pretty bad.

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sg7s4PEBsm0
    Steve knight
    cnc routing

  6. #36
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Calhoun, GA
    Posts
    377

    Bryan

    Aluminum has the same cutting properties as plastic. Onsrud & Southeast Tool catalogs will state this the same bits will cut both. We mill (on a router) 6061 up to ¾” thick at 12000 rpm, 50-75 ipm, and on the thick stuff you saw in the video we go 0.10” per pass with a plunge rate of 30 ipm.

    Hope this helps

  7. #37
    being that we are in this disscusion (and i am learning some things) i took these pics before i left the shop, these are my new gantry plates for raising my "Z" another 2", joey milled these for me three weeks ago on a camaster cnc in georgia, the video of the thermwood at 100 ipm looks doable with a 1/2" or 3/8" bit, one should also note that in these videos there is chilled air being blown on the aluminum.

    cooling the chips is imperative i am gonna cut some bar legs soon out of 1/2" and have always wanted to build a new plenum out of aluminum, i have a new 4x4 with the x3 head and a lathe coming from camaster in the next few weeks i might be able to cut it before it gets here, every once in a while i get to go into some of the nascar racing shops above charlotte they have these big haas mils like the one in the video for surfcam, one of the things i like most about the routers i have is how universal they are, there has yet to be an application i cannot easily reconfigure for.

    jim
    Attached Images Attached Images

  8. #38
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    portland oregon
    Posts
    1,286
    if you use the right aluminum and the right bit you can get away without cooling. using the harder 6000 series is a must. I have never had the right material. I have a couple of bids right now for cutting it. one is a 3d file. it is a real pain to hold the material in place. there is a lot of force in the cutting.
    Steve knight
    cnc routing

  9. #39
    Join Date
    Mar 2005
    Location
    portland oregon
    Posts
    1,286
    Quote Originally Posted by Joey Jarrard View Post
    Aluminum has the same cutting properties as plastic. Onsrud & Southeast Tool catalogs will state this the same bits will cut both. We mill (on a router) 6061 up to ¾” thick at 12000 rpm, 50-75 ipm, and on the thick stuff you saw in the video we go 0.10” per pass with a plunge rate of 30 ipm.

    Hope this helps
    same bit but they don't cut the same. I much rather cut plastic.
    Steve knight
    cnc routing

  10. #40
    Definitely a lot of information going around, I appreciate it.

    From the information I've read and the videos I've seen, a ShopBob and CAMaster CNC Router are capable of processing aluminum. My sheets are no more than 1/8" thick and all the videos I've been seeing are processing much thicker sheets. Because I'm using 1/8" thickness, less passes will be required.

    There has been mention of how to hold down the aluminum. Would it be fair to say I could drill the four corners of the sheets and screw them into the spoil board?

    How often do spoil boards need to be replaced? What material are they? If cutting 1/8" thick aluminum, how deep would the bit go into the spoil board?

    What kind of power is required for a ShopBot and/or CAMaster; 110, 220? My garage isn't wired for 220, currently.

    What kind of noise should I expect when routing aluminum?

    Attached are two drawings of aluminum plates I manually cut on a regular basis. They are the smallest of my line-up. Others can be greater than 12" x 12" -- those are challenging to do manually, let me tell you

    Again, I'm not looking for blinding speed. I'm looking for consistency along with removing myself from the operation. I want to accomplish this for the least amount of money without buying garbage.

    I have thought about contacting local machine shops but because I cannot guarantee certain volumes, the prices are astronomical. I try to manage JIT inventory. I don't want to have hundreds of plates on the shelf just because I can save a few nickels up front.

    In addition, I like toys. If a CNC router can do what I want with aluminum, it may open up other doors for me. Like James said "one of the things i like most about the routers i have is how universal they are, there has yet to be an application i cannot easily reconfigure for"

    That's cool.
    Attached Images Attached Images
    Last edited by Bryan Cowan; 10-07-2009 at 2:57 PM.

  11. #41
    Join Date
    Feb 2009
    Location
    Calhoun, GA
    Posts
    377

    Bryan

    We cut aluminum all the time up to 3/4" 6061 we travel at 50-75 ipm at a depth of 0.10" per pass.

  12. #42
    Quote Originally Posted by Joey Jarrard View Post
    We cut aluminum all the time up to 3/4" 6061 we travel at 50-75 ipm at a depth of 0.10" per pass.
    What bit are you using? Could you use the same bit to bore the 1/4" holes as well?

    What's the smallest diameter bit I could use to route out the plates?

  13. #43
    bryan i run a fairly large shop and today is active i will show you this file tonight or so!!

    jim

  14. #44
    Awesome, let me know!

  15. #45
    it will take a minute of practice as i do not have an 82 degree bit but i can do it at 45 degrees, the screen shot is an 82 but i did not adjust depth yet

    jim
    Attached Images Attached Images

Posting Permissions

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