3 important Tips for Cutting Aluminum with your CNC Router

Most people often use the CNC wood routers to cut wood or acrylic. But CNC routers also can cut aluminum. Here are 3 tips to help you.

1. Use Carbide router bits
Carbide-coated cutters can handle the high RPMs that you need for routing aluminum. Even HSS won’t be able to handle the job. Don’t forget to tell you feed and speed calculator that your bit is carbide-coated; it will give you more RPMs.

2. Feed and Speed Rates
Cutting Aluminum is different with wood cutting. This is why you need to calculate your feed and speed rates. The best way to do this is to use and online feed rate calculator.

3. Use Fewer Flutes
You may be used to using a four-flute cutter for your woodwork, however when you’re cutting aluminum, a three-flute cutter is your maximum. This will prevent overly large chips which can cause your router to jam. The fewer the flutes, the better performance to cut aluminum. If you have 4 or more flutes, chips jam your flutes, and your bit breaks.

From the above, if you want cut Aluminum, a specialized CNC aluminum router bits are your best choice.For example: solid carbide, single flute upcut, specially designed for aluminum or aluminum composite panels milling.

Good luck to your work!

And lubrication.

Alu need chips cleared at mininum, so air blast is good - the odd drop of WD40 or similar goes a long way to help keep the alu from gumming up on the cutting tool's edge. Google 'Built up Edge' or BUE.

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Originally Posted by Chaz

And lubrication.

Alu need chips cleared at mininum, so air blast is good - the odd drop of WD40 or similar goes a long way to help keep the alu from gumming up on the cutting tool's edge. Google 'Built up Edge' or BUE.

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That's right, to remove chips and cool the cutting tool at the same time.

Thanks for the tips, much appreciated!

I often use solid carbid single flute upcut router bits for aluminum cutting, because they can maximize the remove of chips to provent "Built up Edge".