Second Aluminum Test

[fastpcuser]

First Cut with aluminum wasn't so good so after re-aligning the machine and ordering different bit I was able to cut aluminum like a cheese .. went pretty smooth. I tried to router clamp out of 3/4" thick piece and cut .7" of it then I made a little mistake so have to cut it again. But just want to let you know its cutting good ... I will post pictures later .

[jharvey407]

First Cut with aluminum wasn't so good so after re-aligning the machine and ordering different bit I was able to cut aluminum like a cheese .. went pretty smooth. I tried to router clamp out of 3/4" thick piece and cut .7" of it then I made a little mistake so have to cut it again. But just want to let you know its cutting good ... I will post pictures later .

Good news about your cut going well. When you get a chance please post specifics about your tooling, spindle, depth of cut and speeds please. It's always nice to learn from the experience of others.

J

[fastpcuser]

Good news about your cut going well. When you get a chance please post specifics about your tooling, spindle, depth of cut and speeds please. It's always nice to learn from the experience of others.

J

I'm Using Ridgid R2401 Trimmer with 1/4 2F TiAN Coated Bit. Running it at 10 in/min and Depth of 0.03125 going to try little deeper later.

ok here are some pics of the cut piece.

[bjesson]

I'm Using Ridgid R2401 Trimmer with 1/4 2F TiAN Coated Bit. Running it at 10 in/min and Depth of 0.03125 going to try little deeper later.

ok here are some pics of the cut piece.

I was able to go 1/16th depth cuts at 10 IPM with no issues. If those are the colt clamps you are cutting you will need to add a 0.25" spacer between the clamp and the Z block, If I recall correctly I also used spacers for 2401 clamps.

billj

[fastpcuser]

I'm tryng to go slower just because of having only one clamp at this moment.

Maybe I'll get some from you later on or I'll try to make mine.

also those are R2401 clamps.

[bjesson]

I'm tryng to go slower just because of having only one clamp at this moment.

Maybe I'll get some from you later on or I'll try to make mine.

also those are R2401 clamps.

For one clamp it is doing a good job, and with on clamp 1/32nds will probably be about the deepest you can go. That second clamp is really a must if you want to do decent aluminum cutting and not lose squareness of your bit. If you want to make a set of clamps with your current setup try making them with 3/4 inch Acetal (delrin). You can cut it easier and it is almost as good as aluminum structurally. Or, I just so happen to have a set of 2401 clamps right next to my machine with your name on them

Billj

[fastpcuser]

here is my new test with my new router clamps.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8CPtKZ1NDYg"]YouTube - ‪DIY CNC milling aluminum‬‏[/nomedia]

[bjesson]

here is my new test with my new router clamps.

Looks pro! I just ordered a bunch of new endmills, I am going through them faster then expected but I have my machine running about 40 hours a week these days. Half the time machining parts for profit and the other half cutting the parts for the larger CNC I am building. Will post some pics in the near future.

billj

[fastpcuser]

It was 5/8" thick aluminum Cutting at 10 IPM at full speed of the router which I think is 25000 ? and 0.0625 deep cuts, going to try 3/32 .

bjesson,

where do you get your mills at ? mine are TiaCN coated don't know if they going to last longer or not .... also I think R2401 has little bit of runout too that's why I think I'm not getting that good finish and actually having some stair steps. or maybe I just didn't align the router correctly ?

This is wha I was cutting:

[louieatienza]

It was 5/8" thick aluminum Cutting at 10 IPM at full speed of the router which I think is 25000 ? and 0.0625 deep cuts, going to try 3/32 .

bjesson,

where do you get your mills at ? mine are TiaCN coated don't know if they going to last longer or not .... also I think R2401 has little bit of runout too that's why I think I'm not getting that good finish and actually having some stair steps. or maybe I just didn't align the router correctly ?

This is wha I was cutting:

fastpcuser, cool part you're cutting! i would recommend however you up the feedrate as much as possible even if it means taking shallower doc, if your router is runnung full tilt. I have endmills that I've used for months hat are still sharp, and they're all uncoated, though I have some ZrN coated bits I've yet to try.

The main thing is that your quality of cut can actually suffer going too slow, because you're just heating up the bit, which causes it to dull faster. The heat should leave with the chips; if you got pelted with one it should be hot. The other thing is clearing all the chips away from the bit. Flood coolant mught not be an option here, but compressed air or a vacuum helps, especially if profile cutting.

As for stairstepping: if you're not losing steps, and you believe it's axis misalignment (which it might just be) you could tell the direction the z is off by looking where the stairstepping occurs.

Back to cutting: don't be afraid to up the speed, even if it means shallower cuts. I would try 40-50ipm, taking .010 pass, then add .010 until the cut quality suffers, and then back down about 5-10 percent. I havevn't built my Momus yet, but I have all the parts. On my current machine I cut at 72ipm at .125"doc pocketing, and .063" profiling. Don't get too enamored with high-helix bits, 3-flute bits, and such because the flutes aren't as deep, and they aren't as free-cutting as standard bits. The cheap Atrax CNC carbide endmills that Enco sells works jsut fine...

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JVpKLBXvtSs&feature=channel_video_title"]YouTube - ‪DIY CNC Router, cutting BMX chain sprocket, Part 1: Pocketing‬‏[/nomedia]

[fastpcuser]

thanks ...


I was thinking of getting SuperPid controller but not sure yet.

[louieatienza]

thanks ...


I was thinking of getting SuperPid controller but not sure yet.

It's been a big help for me. The speed control most all routers have are not as accurate, and not as fast at maintaining speed and power under load like the SuperPID.