I do not cut a lot of aluminum, maybe 2 or 3 blanks a month for letters, .080 to .25 thick max. Just to be clear I am not an expert and I know 75% of this group can advise you on bits moreso than I can.
We had the same problem with the endmills working thier way out of the collet.
Fortunately we had a local rep for Fastenal who came in to look at the router and returned with a 2 flute end mill specifically designed for cutting aluminum.
Night and day performance. I can cut at almost the same feed rate as hard wood now.
If you have a local rep for bits its worth the time to have them come by and recommend bits for each cutting application. We now have specialty bits for wood, aluminum and acrylic that outperform the standard 4 flute endmills.
I'm sure some of the others in the group can point you at some great online resources for saving money on bits - but again I recommend the onsite tour so your rep can get his hands on the machine and materials.
gl.
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