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I’m interested in cutting aluminum sheet found HERE. I don’t want to just sheer it straight, but want it in shapes (hence the cnc). I plan on leaving tabs and then knocking them out, as well as going from the back to the front to preserve the sublimation side.
I’m aces on the sublimation, but I’m not sure what to start with when cutting aluminum, as most of the info I’ve found is for milling large pieces, but not cutting through thin pieces.
I know that the bit is important, and cooling? As to settings and speed though I’m completely lost. Can somone with more experience with aluminum help a lady out here?
I have the 500mm X-carve with the Dewalt 611 Router and Nema 23 motors.
For something that thin, I’d also be tempted to look at a down-shear bit to help keep it pressed to the table. If necessary, you can always use a sacrificial backer board, and just replace it after every couple cuts to make sure you have a good, clean through cut. .045 aluminum is VERY doable on the X-Carve, and with the 500mm version, yours will be good and stiff as well, so less chatter than the 1000mm versions.
definitely invest in some digital calipers and measure your material. Never trust what a material thickness is advertised as. It is almost always different than it states. Set your cut depth just a bit more, like .002.
