Routing metal

[blackbeard52]

I know my 4x4 router (PC690) could run through the acrylic.

I cut aluminum all day long with a router using an Onsrud single flute cutter with good results

Unibiker

I can too but he has a MDF machine, I am assuming by his first post above....Didnt think it could take the vibration of a single flute...Any aluminum cutting will have to be in small cuts and probably not very profitable.

Bob

[Unabiker]

I should have prefaced that by saying that I am running 7.5 hp.
When I got started with this machine, I was using 2 flute cutters. I had fits getting a decent edge with them, as I was not able to take a big enough chip to effectively remove the heat fast enough. I would get chips that looked thin and wispy. This resulted in the bit getting hotter and hotter, and the cut getting crappier and crappier. Switching to the single flute bit took care of this and I get nice .006"-.007" chips.
The Onsrud catalog had a page with all different kinds of useful formulas for figuring chip load per tooth, rpm, and feed rates.

[fatal-exception]

Originally Posted by Trell Cut at about .05 to .08 ipm and at .1 inch deep per pass.

Are you serious? At that rate, it would take 4, 8 hour days to go around my small table. If you need to go that light with cutting, I would suggest maybe .001" doc and maybe 20 inches per minute.... You won't gain anything, but it would be more interesting to watch, and the heat build up would be less.

Paul

[ronateah]

Do you use cooling and lube for your work with alu? Also could you tell me about chip removal? Would you concider plasma over a router for work with 0.0625 to 0.25 sheet alu in a trailer shop.

[Unabiker]

I use CoolMist diluted 4oz to a gallon of water. It's delivered via a mister, blowing just hard enough to blow the chips away from the tool bit. The coolant evaporates very fast leaving dry chips to deal with.
As far as chip removal, I generally let them sit until the end of a run, then blow 'em off the table with an air gun. After that, they get swept up, shoveled into plastic tubs, and toted off to the scrap yard.
I don't have enough experience with plasma to comment on it vs. a router. For trailer type work, a router could really kick out the parts.