Depending on the tolerances you are looking for, it may be very tough to cut aluminum. For example, small aluminum pieces I cut are generally ~.05-.1" off, but cutting a softer material yields much closer tolerances. This probably has to do with the vibration that courses through the machine as it cuts the relatively tough material. You can improve this by getting the smaller, 500mm X-Carve, because of the shorter rails, there is less flex in the machine. Of course, there are mods out there to help this, but still the long axis have a bit of flex and twist that you just can’t get rid of.
See:
and
As for spindles, I use a DW660, but would highly advice against getting it. In my eyes, the only way to go is either the .8kw chinese VFD or a dewalt DW611 (or equiv). VFD is preferred, variable speeds and precision collets make all the difference. Also for aluminum, you will need to build up some barriers along the Y-Axis rails to block any aluminum chips from getting stuck in a vwheel or pulley or something. Speaking of the Y-Axis you DEFINITELY need to turn the pots up on the gShield. I can’t tell you how frustrated I was trying to figure out that problem, back in the early days of the X-Carve.
Also its probably worth considering having a local machinist create these out of 1/4" or thicker aluminum:
In short, while you can cut aluminum with a stock machine, you’ll either get horribly poor results or it will take hours and hours for a tiny little piece. Time is money, and if you can reduce the time you spend cutting and increase the quality as well you can do some great things with this little machine. The only way to get that is to do upgrades/mods.