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Clean edges on cnc routed dibond

jhd

New Member
I have the Gerber Dimension 200 up and cutting... Works great. Any tips on achieving smoother edges when routing? I'm using a Gerber gold, .125 bit (p50521B). I know its a combination of things, but any help would be appreciated.

Thanks, Mike@JHD
 

Ken M. Klein

New Member
Go to the local hardware store and buy a de-burring tool to finish the edges by hand after routing. We've been doing that for years and it works like a charm.
 

ikarasu

Active Member
We usually use a sandblock and go over the edges once or twice when we cut with a table saw. Our cnc comes out smoother... But I don't know if you can ever get perfectly smooth with ACM.
 

Brian Guthrie

New Member
I know this sounds crazy, on square pieces I coin the edges over by rolling across vinyl holding steel roller set. Makes a beautiful edge that just forms the burr over so that no sharp edges remain. Ok shaped pieces quick sand to knock the burr off is fast.
 
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Superior_Adam

New Member
We cut 3mm and 6mm ACM a lot with our Zund and the edges come out clean as can be, no need to do any sort of work after. I would check with Gerber and see what they recommend for that material as far as bits and speed settings.
 

GB2

Old Member
We cut 3mm and 6mm ACM a lot with our Zund and the edges come out clean as can be, no need to do any sort of work after. I would check with Gerber and see what they recommend for that material as far as bits and speed settings.
A router is a router.....sure would like to know what bit, feed and speed you are using if it is coming out perfect every time
 

Superior_Adam

New Member
A router is a router.....sure would like to know what bit, feed and speed you are using if it is coming out perfect every time
Different routers will have different settings. Not all routers are created the same. We are at a router speed of 46,600 moving at 8 in/sec using a Zund 154 bit. I will caution you that there is a very good possibility those setting wont work for your Gerber. A lot of the setting are based on the actual router capabilities itself. Zund came out with a 3.6 kW router about a year after we bought ours and I know it will route faster than the one we have.
 

jhd

New Member
Sure, i have a de burring tool, but I'm not talking about a little edge to knock off... My edges are coming out like tuna cans...
 

RyanT

Director of Entropy
Besides trying sharp bits with different flute counts and rpms, hand held deburring tool with swappable bits:
(McMaster-Carr)

mcmaster-carr pn 4289A11
upload_2018-4-9_9-53-40.png


Depending on the thickness, these bits (L) will debur both sides at once (mcmaster-carr pn 4289A86)
upload_2018-4-9_9-49-4.png

This is from metal machining background, not really a sign specific tool.
 

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Sandman

New Member
I've been cutting ACM for 8 years. The right router bit makes all the difference. My favorite bit is a Belin 33635. It is a solid carbide 1/4 inch single flute up cut spiral O. I cut at 14,000 rpm at 120 ipm. The bit leaves very little edge to worry about. Put the good face down so cutting letters would be a mirror cut. If it ever leaves a sharp edge it's on the back side and a quick pass with a deburring tool takes care of it. Onsrud also makes a high quality single O flute bit but I feel the Belin cuts just a hair cleaner. The Belin bit has a tighter ripple pattern on the backside of the bit, but I'd be happy with the results of either one.
 

Sandman

New Member
Besides trying sharp bits with different flute counts and rpms, hand held deburring tool with swappable bits:
(McMaster-Carr)

mcmaster-carr pn 4289A11
View attachment 133807

Depending on the thickness, these bits (L) will debur both sides at once (mcmaster-carr pn 4289A86)
View attachment 133805
This is from metal machining background, not really a sign specific tool.
I don't think a deburring tool will help him if his cuts are coming out like a tuna can. He needs the right router bit with the right feed and speed.
 

jhd

New Member
I've reduced the rpm to 5600 and I'm getting better results for sure. Edge is still mushroomed a bit, which makes using the deburring tool dificult. Right now im using a Gerber Platinum One flute upcut O flute bit .125"
 

Patentagosse

New Member
AluPanel is .030 and their lighter version, AluPaneLite is .20... Sure the thicker the better to avoid waving on the edges...
 

Bly

New Member
We always get a bit of a burr after cutting on our Zund.
A quick go over with a cordless sander soon fixes them up.

We tested a few brands to see which routed cleanest and one .3 skin did cut cleanly but as we use a lot of this stuff for a price sensitive customer decided to go for a cheaper product.
 

GVP

New Member
Here we use a 1/8" straight bit from Centurion Tools
We run at 150ipm and 15,000 rpm. One pass, climb cut. Using climb cut, the chips of material stay in the kerf, alleviating the need for tabs, and also stick to the waste side of the cut (mostly) I'm sure others have better methods, but it works for us. YMMV.
 

Emd2kick

New Member
No burr whatsoever on our Colex, either cut through or engraving...maybe call Gerber, because dibond is not a difficult route...
 
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