Cutting (engraving) aluminum

[myxpykalix]

The sign company i did the last sign for asked if i can cut some aluminum. I have never done that. It is more of engraving then deep cutting.

The material is .25 thick and the lettering would be around 1/16th deep. Can i use my regular vbits and endmills to cut/engrave the aluminum or should i get different bits for metal?
Also should my feeds and speeds be faster or slower?

[dubliner]

Use upshear, and slow it down, but high rpms. I just cut a load of it for the first time and was shocked how well it cut. I was at about .8, .5z, and 18k rpm. Not sure about the V bit, but the principle is to get the chips out as fast as possible. They are surprisingly hot while the bit stays cool. I used no coolant at all. got a perfect edge.

[coach]

Techniques for Cutting, Drilling, Machining » Aluminum ENGRAVE
Not sure if this link will work. Don Chandler carved into aluminum valve covers.
I inquired about feed and speed but never got any information.
here is his response if link fails......
I engraved my Aluminum valve covers with a standard V tip carbide engraving cutter. Ran it 0.020 deep

[coach]

yep, link didn't work. How do you get a link to show up here?

type aluminum in google search
Let's Talk ShopBot: Aluminum ENGRAVE

It was the 6 down from top.

[widgetworks_unlimited]

@ David - Here's a page on all kinds of formatting for the forum.

http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/discus.cgi?pg=formatting (http://www.talkshopbot.com/forum/discus.cgi?pg=formatting)

The section on hyperlinks is close to the bottom.