Cutting Aluminum With A Router

The cutting parameters and quality of cut will depend a lot on how rigid your machine is.

Cutting aluminum with a router. 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. 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. The pilot location is reversed when using the bit with a router table.

Generally a cnc router is a computer controlled machine used for cutting wood and plastic which are comparatively softer than metals. While using the router on aluminum the tool may at times get into some places that are. Due to the bit sticky nature of aluminum the cnc router is the best tool for cutting it without making any mess. Now it is also used to cut weak metals like aluminum.

A normal carbide bit would be enough. 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. Used a basic 1 4 shaft wood edging router bit to quickly trim the edge of 1 4 thick 6160 aluminum sheet.

So you need to know the right way to do it. Pilot location describes the position of the pilot when the bit is used for hand routing. Small hobby routers and the big 100k machines are very different. However cutting aluminum using a cnc router is not a walk in the park.

All bits have a pilot to guide cuts. The thicker the material and the greater the depth of cut the more important it is to follow these tips. Cutting aluminum with a cnc router is very easy. If you push it too fast you might actually be able to see your machine flex under the load if not rattle loose.

Your router should be well supported when cutting the aluminum material and ensure it has a level base. Cnc router aluminum sheet work is different than cnc routers cutting aluminum plate. Therefore in this case you need to be particularly precise when calculating the feeds and speeds. Bottom pilot bits trim material from an upper layer of the workpiece so that it is flush with the layer below.