CNC for aluminum

[cday2021]

I'm looking to acquire a CNC that I can use to make small aluminum parts. I'd also like to be able to cut wood, garolite XX, G10 plate, and acyrlic. I'd like something with a 2' x 2' working area, but I've also considered something larger. When it comes to aluminum I've been debating an actual milling machine vs a gantry style router. A real mill would be better for aluminum, but it also comes at a higher cost and a lower work envelope. I've read a bunch and watched a ton of videos of gantry style CNC routers cutting aluminum and it looks like there are a lot of capable machines out there that can do it... but I'm looking for some real world feedback from the folks here on the forum who have a CNC router and have cut aluminum and what your experience has been. I'm also curious which machines people are using and have worked well for the materials I've listed above. There's a few machines I'm considering at the moment:

* Avid CNC BenchtopPro 2424
* Phantom CNC in a 4' x 4' size
* Langmuir MR1

I'm also trying to determine drilling performance with a gantry style router that has very high spindle RPMs vs a mill that can go to very low RPMs. Holes will typically be in the 0.040" to 0.250" range for driling... holes larger than 1/4" I would probably cut with an end mill rather than a drilling operation. If you have any experience drilling holes in aluminum with a 1/16th inch bit on a CNC router with high spindle RPMs I'd love to hear your feedback.

Thanks!

 

[DavidR8]

Hi I built a PrintNC router a couple of years back. It will mill aluminum no problem but with a 10,000 - 24,000 rpm spindle the biggest endmills I use are .25".
Unless the frame is very rigid (mine is .125 wall 2x3" steel tube with HGR20 linear rails) you will not be happy with the results.
Not sure what your appetite for DIY is but for the price of those machines you could build your own for a lot less. I have about $1800 CDN into mine.
For an example of impressive work on a gantry CNC router check out

 

[cday2021]

Hi I built a PrintNC router a couple of years back. It will mill aluminum no problem but with a 18,000 - 24,000 rpm spindle the biggest endmills I use are .25".
Unless the frame is very rigid (mine is .125 wall 2x3" steel tube with HGR20 linear rails) you will not be happy with the results.
Not sure what your appetite for DIY is but for the price of those machines you could build your own for a lot less. I have about $1800 CDN into mine.
For an example of impressive work on a gantry CNC router check out

Thanks for the great feedback! Is that you and your machine in the video? That machine looks very stout/stiff and looks like it does a great job in aluminum.

I don't think I want to dive into DIY for a few reasons... especially if it's a business expense and time is money.

Have you done any drilling on your PrintNC using small drills in aluminum?

 

[DavidR8]

This is my machine

It does a similar job in aluminum. I thought I had pics of work but I think I lost them

I don’t drill using drill bits in alumnum because 10,000 rpm is just too fast. Instead I use an 1/8” end mill and mill the holes. If I need small holes I mark the with the router and hand drill.