NEWBIE: What do I need to cut 2mm anodised alu?

[futuresoundsystems]

Thanks guys! Obviously not quite the route (no pun intended) that I should take right now then. I'll carry on my quest to find suppliers. Really good to know what I should be looking for when I hopefully make the step in a few years' time though.

[DuffelBuffelWuffel]

I have done milling of alu frontpanels before and it is doable.

The scratches are from having the (secondary) front plate laying around on the workbench.
Also I try to make the "brushed" look by going over the frontpanel with some fine sandpaper.
It is much easier to buy the brushed aluminium in the first place.

This was done with a 2F endmill with the wrong coating that should not be used with alu... It was also the first thing I made with my cnc.
It is a Conrad alu frontplate 1.5? mm thick.
I also have a vacuum fixture now.

I usually have spare time in my weekend. If you want me to try something out than just PM me.

A good cnc machine for a small business is around 5-7K euro ex vat depending on the requirements.
Spending money on something cheaper is most likely a waste.

It also takes a bunch of time learning cnc'ing and setting stuff up. So If you look at the full picture you can "spend" 10k euro ex vat quite fast.
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With the correct VHM blank alu 1-2 flute endmills , some compressed air and a little lubrication it is not hard.