That’s cutting 150 IPM at 16k RPM at 1/2" Depth of cut (After the helix plunge)
I really love Fusion 360 Adaptive Clearing. It works so well for stuff like this.
This was done on our Benchtop Pro.
That’s cutting 150 IPM at 16k RPM at 1/2" Depth of cut (After the helix plunge)
I really love Fusion 360 Adaptive Clearing. It works so well for stuff like this.
This was done on our Benchtop Pro.
Nice!! Whatcha making?
Chips
Nice. Are you just using air with that cut, or is there a coolant getting used there as well?
I have a coolant mister running there misting some isopropyl alcohol. I love using it because it works well, and evaporates very quickly so there’s no mess.
I’m wanting to try aluminum, but need a solution to contain the chips first. I don’t want to end up tracking aluminum all over my house. I have a 24x36 benchtop, and considering making an enclosure for it.
I made this little set of walls for mine. They work OK. A full enclosure would be best.
The best thing is just using the dust shoe when I machine aluminum. zero chips anywhere.
The only reason I don’t use it is for filming.
This is so Awesome! I couldn’t do this on my Tormach 1100, even though it weighs 2X at least.
Considering replacing Tormach with 4X8, for anyone who wants to trade.
I’ll have to go back and look at my settings but I think the WOC was .05
That’s the bit I was using.
This was 6061
Also worth noting this was done on a Benchtop Pro. That one is ball screw on all axes.
I have cut aluminum on our larger pro machines before. You can definitely do it but the Benchtop is better for that.
I have dry cut both aluminum and brass plate on my PRO4848 with great success. I just slow the feed rate down with shallow cuts and use a 1/8" O flute with ZrN coating. I have found for profile cuts that a spiral ramp works best because it presents a constant load on the bit throughout the cut. I have not tried side milling like you show in the video. I like the idea of using an alcohol mist even if it is manually applied with a spray bottle.
Using some type of temporary enclosure surrounding the work area even if it is out of cardboard I think is worthwhile. Getting fine metal chips onto your rails and into the bearing blocks is not a good thing and it takes forever to clean them up. Probably doesn’t do my dust collector filter any good either but I still use it.
How so? is it due to ability to fixturing work piece is easier on smaller bed? I would think the Pro Machine is more rigid.
What was your feedrate, depth of cut, RPM, and width of cut. I’ve always use 1/4" single (O) flute with great success, runny dry with air to evacuate chips.
Thanks
I think the Benchtop is more rigid, at least the Benchtop I have VS my pro. I have a 5x10 pro and a 2’ x 2’ Benchtop. Also the benchtop has ballscrews on all axes so there’s a lot more resolution.
I’ve had no problems with the dust collector. The chips are so big they don’t get in the filter, they just drop in the bucket. When I use the dust shoe and the dust collector there’s no mess at all.
I am pretty conservative with my cuts since I am not in a production mode. I don’t try to take more than .05" off per pass and use a 16000 RPM and a 10-30 IPM plunge/feed rate. I use a I/8" bit with a short cut length and a 1/4" shank to keep deflection down. I am sure you can use a 1/4" bit as you have with great success also but my applications have not required a lot of material removal. If I had to do a deep pocket where a lot of material must be removed I have a 1/4" roughing bit that I would probably use followed by a finishing pass with my 1/8" or possibly a 1/4" bit for large pockets. Face milling or side milling are another applications where a 1/4" or larger bits would have a lot of value but I haven’t tried to do either in metal.
I have a project coming up where I will need to drill a large grid of 6mm threaded holes in a 1" thick aluminum plate. To keep the cut time to something reasonable in this case I plan to use a 5mm spiral bit to peck drill the holes followed by a multi-form thread mill to cut the 6mm threads.
That is what I’ve used now with my Tormach. Roughing:5000 RPM, 1/4 single flute, 35IPM, .065 WOC, and .125" DOC. Finish: 5000 RPM, 1/4 Single Flute 15IPM, .005 WOC, .125"WOC.
@Eric , Thanks for the insight. This makes me want to reevaluate my decision on PRO. Maybe Benchtop 3X3 is better for my application.
What is it that you’re trying to do on the Pro?
Mostly aluminum pocketing and profiling. Trying to hold +- .001” on size and +- .005” on location.