cutting 1/2 aluminum plate

[gillian]

I have broken a bit trying to profile cut some plates. My feed rate is .5 and my plung .06 and I am only cutting .10 per pass. It looks like it is rewelding the chips to the edge once it passes through the first cut. My rpms is 1400.
Looking for any and all advice

[Brady Watson]

Set your Feed rate to 1.00,0.5 IPS. Set RPM to 13000. Stepdown .025 to .04" per pass. Use a single spiral-O flute with the smallest length to get the job done. I would use a 1/4 or 3/8" diameter. You can also use a 2-flute HSS end mill, but the O-flute works out better with a router.

NEVER EVER plunge straight down into the cut - ALWAYS do an XZ or YZ ramp into the material at each stepdown. You can choose this option in the Vectric software. You are fine to machine dry with the spiral-O tools. Make sure the material is held down really well. Do not rely strictly on carpet tape as the AL will heat up and it will fail.

Also - not really optional - put a pair a safety glasses on and keep them on until you have the part completely off the table. Static charges can get built up and when you lift the part from the table it can shoot chips into your eyes from the change in static polarity.

-B

[kartracer63]

Now that's what I call a helpful answer.

[blackhawk]

For metals, you want to be sure your bit is an upcut style.

[esoro]

Brady

I just tried the machine parameters for Aluminum from your post and they worked out very well. I am using an HSS 2 Flute endmill 0.75 ips feedrate; 13000RPM, and 0.03" stepdown. No coolant required. Very smooth finish. I may fine tune as I become more familiar with my set up.

Thanks.

eto

[kg4mon]

Brady is dead on, once again.

[God's Girl]

My husband and girls are going to cut some 1/8 " 3003 aluminum. We still don't have a vacuum set up and I'm leary about all those chips being embedded into my spoil board and messing up my "wood creations" down the road. I have the PRS Alpha.
Questions: best cutter? single O flute (like Onsrud 62-610 @ upcut dia 1/8, flute 1/2", shank 1/4", OAL 2? OR 63-060 @ upcut dia 3/16, flute 5/8, shk 1/4, OAL 2?)
best way to protect my spoil board? one huge sheet of plastic about the thickness of a kitchen cutting board? screwed on top of the spoil board? (of course, I would ask where on earth I would find that:0)
13000 -15000 rpm

[twelchPTM]

to add on to what brady said... leave the glasses on until you have finished cleaning all the chips off the piece AND off yourself and your bot. Twice in the last year i had to have a chip removed from my eye. both times I was cleaning up, the first was a stray chip I brushed from my hair, the second I was brushing of my table top amd i actually watched the chip pop off the table and fly into my eye. Metal slivers caught under your eyelid....well, I can't use that word on the forum.