Is it possible to route out a 3/8" thick 6061 aluminum plate on this machine? I think it would be possible since you can set the machine to go through the material in steps. Just curious if anyone has tried or done this, I am going to try and make a sprocket guard for my 660 raptor on it instead of paying a crap load for one.
-
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 ...
CNC routing 3/8" 6061 Aluminum with Kongsberg
- Thread starter dethsky
- Start date
SebastienL
New Member
From my personal experience as a machinist, I wouldn't venture making precise machine parts on a router. For a sprocket, you need a very precise and rigid machine. I don't think ANY cnc router have the precision or rigidity to accomplish this. You might be able to machine it just fine, it will look like a sprocket. But I doubt it would work. The distance between each cog MUST match the chain. I assume you have calculated the diameter of the sprocket according to the pitch of the chain?...
At the very least, don't put a brand spanking new chain on it!!
At the very least, don't put a brand spanking new chain on it!!
MikePro
New Member
a sprocket guard need-not be that precise, it is just a cover after all.
I am unfamiliar with that machine outside of the print/cuts i've seen on gatorfoam/pvc BUT you should be able to route one no problem assuming you have the right bits for the job.
carbide tipped spiral O upcut, and a lotta passes & coolant.
big fan of a rough-pass offset from the true shape, that allows more room for the chips to flow from your final cuts, for a nice clean edge.
I am unfamiliar with that machine outside of the print/cuts i've seen on gatorfoam/pvc BUT you should be able to route one no problem assuming you have the right bits for the job.
carbide tipped spiral O upcut, and a lotta passes & coolant.
big fan of a rough-pass offset from the true shape, that allows more room for the chips to flow from your final cuts, for a nice clean edge.
synergy_jim
New Member
the short answer is no. We used to machine it in our 1000 series multicam, but even it was a stretch. Now our new 3000 series, I think would run it without issue.
Ditchmiester
New Member
I wouldn't Run it without coolant. If you have coolant it is all going to come down to Speeds (RPM) and Feed (IPM). We route 6061 Aluminum all day long here but we have a different brand Router. 6061 cuts like butter with the correct Speeds and Feeds
ChrisN
New Member
Man, that's a hefty guard! One thing I've noticed with the Kongsberg is that it is not as rigid and powerful as a true CNC router/milling machine (which is understandable). Even at low speeds with low acceleration, corners aren't very precise. The machine cannot corner nearly as fast and precisely as a true CNC router, which causes wavy lines after a sharp corner. You can tell it a whole lot faster when routing because the bit takes away material on all sides as opposed to knife cutting, where the only cut is in the knife direction. So, it might be possible, but it's not what the machine is meant for. Even with coolant (I wouldn't want coolant all over my Kongsberg's cutting mat), you still won't get as good a part as a machine that's designed to do that.