How to cut aluminium on a CNC machine.
Cutting aluminium on a CNC machine
Aluminium is a soft metal. With the correct tooling and procedures, our CNC machines are more than capable of cutting aluminium cleanly and precisely.
Known as a soft sticky metal, aluminium needs lubrication to ensure a high-quality finish.Â
Lubrication
Having a lubrication system in place firstly prevents your tool from overheating and secondly, it stops the soft metal from sticking to your tooling. The lubrication system can be manual or automatic. We recommend the automatic lubricating system if aluminium is to going to be the main material being cut on the CNC machine.
General Tips
- Lubrication is a must on any CNC machine when cutting aluminium regularly.
- Use the correct tool specific for aluminium. On a CNC machine, a dry cut tool can be used if you are cutting aluminium infrequently.
- Slowing down the spindle speed will improve the overall cut and finish.
- Setting the correct feed rate for the tool and the material will improve the cut and help keep the lifespan of the tool.
- Smaller pass depths than standard materials such as wood and plastics will give less stress to the tool. By ensuring smaller passes reduces the risk of tool breakage and material moving.