Looking at cutting some copper and/or brass (and/or aluminum) plate on the big CNC. Thickness at or less than 1mm thick. I’ve never cut metal before on a CNC. Are there any special considerations I need to make? I have these two endmills already: OneTwo
Would one of these work or should I get another one specifically for metal? Something like this?
Not sure how copper cuts but, I’ve been cutting .032" & .02" brass with this Straight End Mill cutter
Also- spraying on some WD40 as a lubricant helps a ton - along with setting the right RPM so your piece does not burn/your bit breaks- i found out the hard way
Thanks @nadiaelyse! What’s generally your depth of cut for brass? Just not sure if the whole plate in one go is reasonable or something like 5 passes. I’ll make sure to do my research on feed and speeds before cutting anything.
A single flute o flute is great for cutting soft metals. You are probably in the 13k spindle speed and 10 ipm feed. Check out blue masking tape with super glue and activator for a hold down. It allows for even holding over the whole sheet.
I would go 1/8" dia for 1mm brass. You could get a smaller bit if you needed a tighter inner radius, but they’re easy to break. 1/4" is too large for 1mm brass, but it will work. o-flute, 2 straight, or 2 downcut.