Hi, im on a first tech challenge team and we had lots of problem outsourcing aluminum from various vendors. We want to build our own CNC machine and we found that this one is really efficient and cheap to make.
Can it cut 1/8 inch aluminum with pocketing on the base design or would we have to make new upgrades?
Thank you,
kavish mehta
Welcome @Kavish_Mehta and team!
Yes, probably… Depending on size parts you need to make, and accuracy you need? Are you thinking Lowrider or MPCNC? Will you be milling Aluminum 6061?
I’ve noticed there’s a few FIRST members, mentors and Alumni here that will be happy to help your team be successful.
Not to dissuade your team from building a CNC, which will be cool, but, to save you time and money… If your team hasn’t already, consider reaching out to parents (via email from your mentor or principal maybe) at your school to see if any parents have CNCs, or access to CNCs even if they’re not officially part of your team.
The MPCNC and Low rider have both been shown to cut aluminum.
There is a learning curve, as with any CNC machine. There is an envelope of settings that will work and it is smaller for aluminum than wood. It will also be easier if you build the machine to just the size you need. It is tempting to make it very large, but the correctly sized machine is going to be much more rigid.
The MPCNC doesn’t require any milled parts, so that is an easier starting point if you self source. If you order the parts from Ryan (Collections – V1 Engineering Inc), then the Low rider is a little more expensive and capable of larger sizes.
yes, including making improved parts for the lr4. We cut the plates, I cut mine from 1/4" aluminum. Now if you plan on running Coolant, please take proper precautions!!!
I used Trochoidal and worked like a champ! but it does add time to cuts!
