Aircraft Aluminum Cutting Handheld Router Thin Sheet
He shows the jig he use.
Aircraft aluminum cutting handheld router thin sheet. For years i cut aluminum plate from 1 8 to 3 8 on a table saw with a carbide tipped blade i do not classify this as thin sheet metal. Lots of coolant is necessary but with this the finish is very good. The cutting blades may dull off after several uses on aluminum and therefore you need router bits that are hardy and durable. You require the right hearing and eye protection during this process.
The largest i have used is 3 8 radius corner rounder on aluminum running at 10 000rpm and 50 or 60 ipm to do the radius in one cut. The textbook cutting speed for aluminum using a carbide tool is about 1 500 surface feet per minute at the high end and 1 000 at the lower end. Capable of cutting 16 gauge steel with a 4 stroke they can cut all types of materials. The us industrial tool router has a straight handle and a 12 000 rpm motor.
The problem with the way this thread is going is the definition of thin. There s a world of difference for a cnc router cutting thin aluminum sheet vs a cnc router cutting thicker aluminum plate. A homemade hobby router will be very different from a large router that s professionally built for aerospace composites. Aluminum sheet if you know the specifics of the aluminum sheet required you can input the data here and submit your order.
Used a basic 1 4 shaft wood edging router bit to quickly trim the edge of 1 4 thick 6160 aluminum sheet. Cnc router aluminum sheet work is different than cnc routers cutting aluminum plate. The ops question was about cutting thin sheet metal. To an aircraft worker or a roofer anything less than 0 020 is thin to a boat.
Select a fine toothed blade and don t cut aluminum with a wall thickness of more than 1 4 inch 0 64 cm. You may think of your router as a tool only for woodworking but chris marshall explains how you can use it for metal pieces as well. If you have our part number you only have to inpu. Cutting tools are available for all our tools.
Any normal working router with standard carbide bits can be used to cut aluminum. The thicker the material and the greater the depth of cut the more important it is to follow these tips. Either way there are a few starting points that might work for you. If possible choose a saw blade that creates narrow kerfs the notch or slot made by the saw.
Please enter the type thickness size and quantity required below. Use a wood cutting saw with carbide tipped blades to cut most aluminum. It is quite easy to cut aluminum using a wood router.