Aha. The spindle pressure on my machine is generally set to minimum. For my work nothing more is needed. I make sure to keep the X-Y speed low enough to not get *any* float at that setting. I feel that If the depth of cut varies I am pushing the cutter beyond the limits of a clear cut. (You really have to push the X-Y speed to do that.) My default speed is 2" per second except on large bits and metals. Routing metals I use about .7" per second on small bits and less on over .040. It gives a really clean cut.
The big exception is aluminum. That usually needs more care. Max spindle speed, shallow cuts, .003 per pass and less if you are going deep. Even then you will get scratching, (shadows), on paint or plastic that follows that job. The solution is to engrave a pair, (sometimes more), of 3lRoman M's about 4" tall, with no bit, on the back of a piece of melamine. The aluminum chips stick to the bottom of the nose, (aluminum is funny that way). Rubbing it on the melamine wears off the minuscule chips that attach to the nose and do virtually no wear to the nose itself.
You would not want to engrave a license plate then do an acrylic piece without a cleaning of the nose. (License plates I usually engrave between .003 and .004, depending on the paint thickness. I believe that I am taking only about .001 of the aluminum off the plate.)
Philadelphia, PA (Really Bensalem)
Harvey's Tips Page When you finally understand it completely... it changes. |