Full Version: Engraving aluminum
From: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#1]
8 Mar 2007
To: ALL
This is something we are doing more and more of....
A local airplane manufacturer has us to deep-engrave & color fill some aluminum parts with text.
We're engraving about 0.025" deep per their spec (pretty deep) with a 0.020" profile tool.
Three questions:
1) When engraving aluminum like this, do YOU use coolant? If so, what do you use? I've tried WD-40, mainly to get the chips out of the engraving.
2) How fast would you run (in inches per second)?
3) How deep would you go per pass to keep from breaking tools?
My suspicion is that I was going overboard, and doing too much, too slow. However, I'm down to ONE 0.020 tool now....so I didn't want to take any chances.
TIA,
Cody
From: PenTrophy (PENINSULATROPHY) [#2]
8 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#1] 9 Mar 2007
We run parts like you describe with a 2 fluted spiral cutter at .3-.35 inches per sec and 15,000 rpm 3-4 passes. The fourth pass is more of a clean up. A water mister will surfice as a coolant. The 1/8 x 1 1/8 cutters run about $ 13.50 each and are very durable. Our parts go on Electrical Towers.
Hope this helps.......
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#3]
8 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#1] 9 Mar 2007
There are problems with carbide cutters and aluminum. Aluminum sticks to carbide and you end up engraving with aluminum not carbide. For routing you cannot get a diamond bit, maybe High Speed Steel would work better, not sure.
Aluminum has a high parting speed, when I do license plates I use 20,000 spindle speed, (max speed on my machine). I also only go about .002 deep so that is useless info for you.
The milling bit suggested is HSS and should work better, just watch out for too high a feed rate.
From: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#4]
9 Mar 2007
To: PenTrophy (PENINSULATROPHY) [#2] 9 Mar 2007
I have some semi-fluted tools.....is that what you're referring to?
The only problem with them is that their cutting angle is too steep for the small letters that I'm engraving (letters would be too fat for the proper depth).
With the feed rate that you mentioned, how deep are you cutting per pass?
From: PenTrophy (PENINSULATROPHY) [#5]
9 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#4] 9 Mar 2007
From: Chewbarka [#6]
9 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#1] 9 Mar 2007
Check the aluminum alloy, a 3005 alloy will cut differently from a 5052 alloy. I found the hardness is also a factor, H-14 hardness engraves easier than a softer grade.
I can send you samples of the different material to try. I would stick with a very sharp non-carbide cutter, a little soluble oil helps!
Frank
www.chewbarka.com
EDITED: 9 Mar 2007 by CHEWBARKA
From: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#7]
12 Mar 2007
To: ALL
Fortunately, this guy is smart.
He told me that we will start seeing a BUNCH of these parts, and that the next set will be anodized aluminum instead of raw aluminum!!
YIPPEEEEEEE!!!!
Once we get the layout set up in Corel (it's in XGW now), we can do runs of these parts in just a few minutes. It took about 30 minutes to do one from start to finish on the Xenetech (engraving, paint-filling, cleaning, clear-coating, etc.).
Because of the shape of these parts, we'll still have to spend some time on a setup....but they don't mind paying for that service (thankfully).
As an added bonus - I no longer have to clean up aluminum chips from all over the workroom!!! Yahhhhoooooooooooooooooo!!!
From: Tony (ANTE) [#8]
12 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#7] 12 Mar 2007
Setting up this job in Corell leads me to belive that you will be Laser engraving these plates. If there was color filling requred, using Laser will not cut deep enough for this option.
As for aluminum chips all over the shop, what I do is lower cutter far enough and still use nose cone with vaccum on but nose cone is not riding on material (check "NO CUTTER SET AT START" on download).
This way nose cone is 10 to 15 th. above sheet and vac is sucking chips wich eliminates mess around the shop.
Tony @ MCE
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From: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#9]
12 Mar 2007
To: Tony (ANTE) [#8] 12 Mar 2007
I've tried that method too, which works fine as long as you're not using a cutting oil or coolant, in which case the vacuum doesn't have much effect on picking up oily/wet chips.
From: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#10]
12 Mar 2007
To: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#7] 12 Mar 2007
Hopefully it will be a dark colored anodize (black?).
A clear anodize won't give much contrast, and neither will light colors. I assume he understands that the engraving will turn the color to a light gray, which will have a different look than color filled mechanical engraving.
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#11]
12 Mar 2007
To: Dave Jones (DAVERJ) [#10] 12 Mar 2007
From: Tony (ANTE) [#12]
12 Mar 2007
To: Stunt Engraver (DGL) [#9] 12 Mar 2007
Yes David, fogot to add no cutting oil/coolant.
Tony @ MCE
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From: James (TILER02) [#13]
12 Mar 2007
To: ALL
Message 6278.14 was deleted
From: James (TILER02) [#15]
12 Mar 2007
To: Andrew [#14] 12 Mar 2007
I read the post, I know what it said. The end of the post was talking about laser engraving anodized aluminum.
I do not reply to many posts here for that very reason. I do not like to be told I do not know what I am talking about. I am sorry my post offended you. I will offer no more replys or try to help.
EDITED: 12 Mar 2007 by TILER02
From: Harvey only (HARVEY-ONLY) [#16]
12 Mar 2007
To: James (TILER02) [#15] 12 Mar 2007
James,
Please do not take that track. Someone missed what you replied to, and made a mistake. You did not. Forgive him his mistake and stick around with posting. Our community would be lessened without even one of its members.
Harvey
From: Andrew [#17]
12 Mar 2007
To: James (TILER02) [#15] 12 Mar 2007
No offence meant James, and you certainly didn't offend me - I have a slightly thicker skin than that! I checked your profile before replying and this gave me no clues as to your background.
I never questioned that you do not know what you are talking about. I am relatively new to this industry and when posts come up on mechanical engraving they are of high interest to me. They are few and far between with the majority of post being on laser engraving.
I do not reperesent this board - it would be a shame for one person to upset you to the point of you no longer contributing.
From: Cody (BOBTNAILER) [#18]
12 Mar 2007
To: Tony (ANTE) [#8] 13 Mar 2007
Tony,
I'm ashamed that I didn't think to do that!! In my feeble little mind, I thought that the nose cone and manual cutter depth were mutually exclusive!! DOH!!
That's sad....I was trained better than that!!
To answer a question from another post - the "new" items will be black anodized aluminum. I simply forgot to mention the fact that they will be black. Laser engraving these things will make life soooo much better!
Thanks to all for your input!
Cody
From: James (TILER02) [#19]
12 Mar 2007
To: Andrew [#17] 24 Mar 2007
EDITED: 12 Mar 2007 by TILER02
From: logojohn [#20]
12 Mar 2007
To: James (TILER02) [#19] Unread
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