-
I want to thank all the members that have upgraded your accounts. I truly appreciate your support of the site monetarily. Supporting the site keeps this site up and running as a lot of work daily goes on behind the scenes. Click to Support Signs101 ...
Channel letter learing
- Thread starter long Liu
- Start date
Thanks. Z
I have some trouble to cut the 0.063 aluminum back. It gets bend to easy. I have a Shapeoko xxl, but it is hard to cut the soft aluminum.
Would ACM good for outdoor channel letters? What would be a good thickness.
long
Krissy Louderback
New Member
I have a Techno CNC. I cut aluminum with no misting system. I use a 1/4" bit in 2 passes. 100 ipm at 18000 rpms. We spray glue the aluminum down to a sheet of coro before cutting.
Krissy Louderback
New Member
I do it in 2 passes since I don't have a misting system. I'm sure I could get away with 1 pass, but I know the 2 passes work, and if it ain't broke....
Most things I rout (with the exception of colorcore) anywhere from 100-140 ipm and I do a minimum of 2 passes depending on the thickness of material. That where I find I get the best results.
I haven't tried an 1/8" bit on aluminum, with most channels letters being large I haven't found it necessary and why risk breaking a bit. I am self taught, so I'm quite sure there are things I can improve on, but through trial and error, broken bits and ruined materials, I've gotten to a point where things are working pretty well. Maybe if our clients didn't wait until the last possible second to place an order and put all sorts of unreasonable expectations on us I'd have more time to play
Most things I rout (with the exception of colorcore) anywhere from 100-140 ipm and I do a minimum of 2 passes depending on the thickness of material. That where I find I get the best results.
I haven't tried an 1/8" bit on aluminum, with most channels letters being large I haven't found it necessary and why risk breaking a bit. I am self taught, so I'm quite sure there are things I can improve on, but through trial and error, broken bits and ruined materials, I've gotten to a point where things are working pretty well. Maybe if our clients didn't wait until the last possible second to place an order and put all sorts of unreasonable expectations on us I'd have more time to play
Martin Denton
New Member
In the UK we tend to use 10mm foamex for the backboard if front-lit, or 5 mm acrylic if halo lit
If I am using 1/8 cutter, 10000rpm, do you have any suggestion to feed rate and cut depth? i really need to learn this, i just ruined one cutter.
thanks Long
MikePro
New Member
warping comes from rapid heating/cooling of routing, and the linear pressure of your bit pressing against the metal.
as others have stated, a misting system is ideal for cutting aluminum BUT you also, at the very least, could add an air sprayer if you don't want to afford a coolant/oil system. The rapid expansion of air coming out of the nozzle tip, concentrated on your router bit, will help keep your tool & the aluminum cool enough to cleanly cut .063 aluminum.... adding a coolant/lubricant is just the cherry on top.
also, avoid cutting with the 1/8" bit. They break often. I use it to drill/detail corners but the majority of my aluminum cuts are with my 1/4" aluminum upcut bit.
you may also have issues with tool longevity, because you're introducing glue to your route. that glue gets gummed up on the router bit, and causes more friction as you're cutting, which causes more heat. recommended you keep a bottle of adhesive remover handy and occasionally pause your route to clean the bit as you notice this happening.
as others have stated, a misting system is ideal for cutting aluminum BUT you also, at the very least, could add an air sprayer if you don't want to afford a coolant/oil system. The rapid expansion of air coming out of the nozzle tip, concentrated on your router bit, will help keep your tool & the aluminum cool enough to cleanly cut .063 aluminum.... adding a coolant/lubricant is just the cherry on top.
also, avoid cutting with the 1/8" bit. They break often. I use it to drill/detail corners but the majority of my aluminum cuts are with my 1/4" aluminum upcut bit.
you may also have issues with tool longevity, because you're introducing glue to your route. that glue gets gummed up on the router bit, and causes more friction as you're cutting, which causes more heat. recommended you keep a bottle of adhesive remover handy and occasionally pause your route to clean the bit as you notice this happening.
this is too expensive for me, thanks for the advising.
thanks
long
