Aluminium cutting

[routercnc]

Hi Bush flyer,

I recently cut some elongated slots with a 3mm carbide bit without any problems. I don't use the 3mm cutter much (tend to use 6mm) so haven't experimented but the following settings worked OK:

DOC 0.3mm
rpm 12,000
300mm/min feedrate
30mm/min plunge rate

The 4 slots were 5mm wide, 15mm long, and 10mm deep (other side is pocketed 10mm). See photos below.


(I was actually surfacing the whole part in this photo - hence the 6mm cutter in the collet, not 3mm, but you can see the slots I was refering to)

I flooded the holes with duck oil as soon as cutting started. There was no smoke, no screeching, just a soup of very small chippings swirling around in the pocket as the cutter did it's job.