just to give you an idea;
the material list has an asterisk next to aluminum.
it’s on the brink of the capabilities of the machine stock.
the 500mm x carve is better suited to machine aluminum once some upgrades are performed. \
it’s all very doable, but there’s a decent learning curve and the process is slow as these machines are not built for aluminum.
something like the tormach 440 as mentioned before is better suited, a more expensive/rigid/powerful machine.
Thanks I’ll keep ordering the molds from China.
I am thinking about getting a used machine for use for wood projects. I found one for $800 but not sure if its worth it. Inventables totally discouraged by used equipment and say they won’t give tech support and warranty is non transferrable.
Is there anything that goes wrong with these machines?
And most parts like motors/drivers/switches etc are common and cheap/easy to get.
SO what makes the unit soo expensive if its made of cheap parts?
It all adds up and someone have done the job for you.
And better machines cost considerably more.
they did all the homework and provide the support to get you up and running in no time.
tbh, the instructions get you so far then this community (the forum) takes it from there, ha
Thanks, so I bought it yesterday and now trying to figure out which bits and clamps to order (I don’t have any). Currently planning to use this on very thin wood and also with 1" thick wood. I would like to get high definition out of it. Not sure if I need to order a Vbit.
I’ve been able to cut half inch aluminum (using the aluminum default cutting settings) with an 8th inch straight cut bit. From inventables. I poured mineral oil on it, and refreshed it semi regularly. It was extremly slow, but it worked fine.
I am considering cutting aluminum sheets with the carvey for small wall decals. Which bit is recommended if I want to completely cut out aluminum thin sheet?
The smaller diameter top the better the detail (curve radii) are possible. The bigger the bit the more abuse it can take.
Choose the biggest one you can, with cut length = at least the thickness of your plate - but not much more.
1flute upcut preferred.
The rest is up to RPM/feed rate and machine rigidity.
Hello,
Can someone recommend a bit for cutting through aluminum? I want to make my favorite quote on a small piece of aluminum but want the letters cut out. Also, is there a minimum thickness for aluminum sheets that can be used on carvey?
Thanks!
