Cutting Aluminum With A Router

Small hobby routers and the big 100k machines are very different.

Cutting aluminum with a router.

Your router should be well supported when cutting the aluminum material and ensure it has a level base. Used a basic 1 4 shaft wood edging router bit to quickly trim the edge of 1 4 thick 6160 aluminum sheet. If you push it too fast you might actually be able to see your machine flex under the load if not rattle loose. All bits have a pilot to guide cuts.

While using the router on aluminum the tool may at times get into some places that are. Now it is also used to cut weak metals like aluminum. Cut layers of material flush to one another or make cuts along a template. Any normal cnc router like benchtop or table top cnc routers are strong enough to make a hole in aluminium.

Cutting aluminum with a cnc router is very easy. The pilot location is reversed when using the bit with a router table. Therefore in this case you need to be particularly precise when calculating the feeds and speeds. The cutting parameters and quality of cut will depend a lot on how rigid your machine is.

Pilot location describes the position of the pilot when the bit is used for hand routing. There s a world of difference for a cnc router cutting thin aluminum sheet vs a cnc router cutting thicker aluminum plate. Aluminum needs a lot more rigidity that wood or plastic. However cutting aluminum using a cnc router is not a walk in the park.

Cnc router aluminum sheet work is different than cnc routers cutting aluminum plate. Due to the bit sticky nature of aluminum the cnc router is the best tool for cutting it without making any mess. When cutting aluminum unlike cutting plastic or wood you would have a much narrower window for your feeds and speeds. Metal engraving bits enpoint 60 degree v bits cnc engraving tools with 2 flute straight groove 1 8 in shank 0 1mm tip carbide tipped router bits marking conical carving liner for steel aluminum brass 4 6 out of 5 stars 19.

Bottom pilot bits trim material from an upper layer of the workpiece so that it is flush with the layer below. Just make sure you are using the right sized router bit. You should also begin the routing process by first drilling a inch hole near the corner so as to avoid plunging the router bit through the material. Generally a cnc router is a computer controlled machine used for cutting wood and plastic which are comparatively softer than metals.