Professional CNC Aluminium Cutting/Machining
Aluminium is one of the most versatile materials out there. Even though it is lightweight, it is extremely durable and also has anti-corrosive properties. This makes it perfect for trains and aircraft, and for products a bit more mainstream, like cans, electronic devices and household products.
Here at Routers Australia, we offer a precision CNC machining service, ideal for cutting aluminium sheets or large aluminium pieces of up to 100mm thick.
A major advantage of manufacturing aluminium components on a CNC router is that you can have a large sheet of up to 6m x 2m x 100mm thick on the router, which could cut out hundreds of components at once. On the other hand, a CNC Machining Centre is only able to process small batches at a time due to the smaller bed, or table area.
Because we offer easy mass production for a variety of products, we service a broad range of businesses with custom aluminium fabrication needs.
Here in this image is an example. These components are cut out of aluminium plate 25mm thick, and they can be cut on the router with a 0.2mm clearance for welding. This is perfect for final welding between the upright pieces and the base plate.
Aluminium sheets from 1mm to 5mm thick can be cut with very small diameter cutters. This allows corner radii to be as small as 0.8mm on material of up to 2mm thick, and for 2mm radii on material 2-5mm thick. This cutter diameter means that the feed rate has to be slower in most cases, due to the load on a small cutter.
At Routers Australia, we have, through years of experience, calculated the “sweet spot”, or correct feeds and speeds, to obtain a finish and accuracy, which is economical for the grade of aluminium you require for your product. This means that our aluminium CNC service is able to give you a cost efficient, professional result every time.
A great example of the precision of using small cutters is this aerospace component. A 1.6mm diameter cutter was used for all cuts, creating a component which can be folded up and fitted with instruments to the degree of accuracy that is required.
Here is a prime example of precision CNC routing of 2mm-thick aluminium by Routers Australia. These 2mm-thick pieces need to be machined with a cutter having a 2mm diameter, to create all of the holes and cut-outs. This will prevent burrs, or ridges being pushed through by the cutters. Due to the fact that aluminium is soft, these problems arise more than with harder materials such as steels and hard plastics. Flatness is of the utmost importance as these are Heat Sinks, or passive heat exchangers, for electronic components.
CNC routed plates, 300 X 350 X 12mm, from 5083 aluminium plate for laboratory equipment.
These are 5-axis, 3D CNC routed aluminium blocks for a set of creatively designed light fittings to be fitted in a new building in Subiaco, Perth. This type of component can be 3D modelled and then processed by us.
Aluminium components that have similarities such as drilling and cutting can be cut from a single large sheet accurately and efficiently.
These 50 X 30 X 11mm components, cut from 5083, 12mm-thick plate, are a perfect example. With no loading of single pieces into a CNC machine needed, these components are all cut out of a single sheet onto which they have been positioned as closely as possible, with consideration given to rigidity while cutting. This is a very efficient and cost-effective way of machining components out of aluminium.
The advantages of a large bed or table for aluminium machining in sheet form are endless, as we have mentioned. For example, long pieces of aluminium extrusions measuring 6 metres long X 200mm-wide X 10mm-thick can quickly be machined. In this video we are trimming aluminium angle from 200mm wide to 100mm wide.
Through CNC aluminium routing, these pieces can be modified into all shapes and forms with holes, slots and other openings which are either drilled or cut into all accessible faces.
This image shows varied aluminium plate thicknesses to produce an assembly for a CNC machine. These 5083 aluminium components are all different thicknesses and have been machined on a RA CNC router. Finish and accuracy are essential for this product. The 5083 aluminium gives it the strength needed, and can still be anodized
Engraving aluminium
Here is an example of engraving onto anodised aluminium. The holes and drilling in these 18-inch rack panels are both done in the same setup.
Signage
This image shows engraving into an aluminium plate for signage purposes.
A material which is commonly used for signage is Aluminium Composite Material (ACM). ACM is plastic which has an aluminium veneer, and is an ideal material for creating a wide range of signs. Our team is able to provide all of your signage cutting needs, including 3D signs.
How we select the right process for you
When machining aluminium on a CNC router, we need to first select the cutters which will suit the material for all of the operations. Roughing cutters are considered first, and they are used to quickly remove large amounts of material. This operation is extremely important, as the finishing cutter then needs to be able to maintain a constant thickness of cut to produce a smooth finish and contour. Here at Routers Australia, we have the knowledge and programs to effectively handle these parameters.
The cutter size for finishing is generally determined by the smallest radii on the job. The golden rule of speed versus accuracy versus finish will always determine how fast the job can be cut, and the grade of the final finish.
Routers Australia will be able to help you with all of your custom aluminium machining needs. Our professional team is on hand and ready to assist you so don’t hesitate to give us a call, or request a quote.