I’m ordering a 1515, a few questions can I cut 1 inch thick acrylic with good results? Meaning minimal edge work Does it leave a finished edge when cutting thin aluminum
I've seen great results with acrylic and other plastics from extrusion machines- depth is usually just a case of using enough passes to keep a usable depth of cut. I've only ever twice seen on here what I would actually call a "finished" aluminum edge. One was @Batcrave on a cut-down (meaning smaller, more rigid) LEAD, I wish I could remember who the other was because they did pretty well too. Didn't look like they came off a mill, but definitely much better than the typical extrusion router results. But 99% of the results I see look pretty rough to me, so this is really a case of your expectations, aesthetic intent, and perhaps willingness to accept long finishing op times?
Thank you for quick response! The aluminum I work with is .020” thick, the finished edge just needs to be non abrasive to the touch.
Awesome, thanks guys! Any suggestions on which spindle to choose? I was leaning toward the dewalt 611, if I can find one
I have got some good edges as of late on aluminum. But I have been cutting it a lot so I have been dialing it in. I like either a two or four flute 1/4" endmill for cutting out the part. Two is preferred, but I hit a clamp with mine and so now it is dull so the 4 was what I had left and it is working great. 1/8" is not as clean. Too much flex and vibration (I think). Not perfect, but I am getting it dialed in little better every attempt.
It is 1/4" (actually 6.5 mm) aluminum. It is weird. I go buy aluminum and sometimes it is 6.5 mm and sometimes it is closer to 1/4 inch. As for your spindle choice, I use a Makita because it has a wider RPM range. It is comparable to the Router11 CNC Kit which is a new product. I wish it was around 5 years ago. I had to spend an additional $150 to get a variety of precision collets from Elaire. I have 1/8, 3/16, and the 1/4 inch plus the 4mm, 6mm, and 8mm sets. I love the 3/16" and 1/4" for aluminum. I try to avoid 1/8" if at all possible. They just do not "sound" right to me when cutting and boy can I break them easily. If you look at the Router11, it appears to be a version of the Makita with better bearings and it comes with a variety of collets. Best part is that you can easily get other ER11 sizes. Here is some 1/2" black acrylic. It had a weird "grain." I honestly feel safer cutting aluminum because I don't worry so much about it melting to the end mill. I cut this piece with a single flute endmill at 2500mm/min then did a full depth finishing pass.
