how thick do you make your tabs when cutting 6061? and how do you cut off your tabs might sound like a elementary question but im used to using shopbot for wood cuts rather than aluminum :D
When cutting 6061 I generally set the tabs to be 0.026" thick. However, they end up thiner than that because I set the bottom height of the cut to -0.012" below the stock bottom. I do this so that the endmill cuts all the way through the aluminum. The upshot of this is that the tabs actually end up being 0.026-0.012" thick. I generally make the tabs closer together for any sort of pockets or other small cutouts, like a servo mount. I do this because small pieces with few tabs can sometimes get loose and then break the bit, which is never fun. To cut the tabs I put the aluminum sheet on a sheet of thick cardboard, and then use a narrow flathead screwdriver and a mallet to cut each tab. I hope that helps.
@@WaringRoboticsFTCFLLbreaking bits bc of having too thin tabs sucks, it’s happened. Also I assume you just sand off the rough edges where the tabs were after punching them off with the flat head
@@josephchapa3603 We remove the rough edges with a deburring tool. We also use our grinder or sandpaper to remove the burr and remaining tab stumps. I hope your cuts work well. If you have any other questions, for example about feeds and speeds, let us know.
Awesome video!
how thick do you make your tabs when cutting 6061? and how do you cut off your tabs
might sound like a elementary question but im used to using shopbot for wood cuts rather than aluminum :D
When cutting 6061 I generally set the tabs to be 0.026" thick. However, they end up thiner than that because I set the bottom height of the cut to -0.012" below the stock bottom. I do this so that the endmill cuts all the way through the aluminum. The upshot of this is that the tabs actually end up being 0.026-0.012" thick. I generally make the tabs closer together for any sort of pockets or other small cutouts, like a servo mount. I do this because small pieces with few tabs can sometimes get loose and then break the bit, which is never fun. To cut the tabs I put the aluminum sheet on a sheet of thick cardboard, and then use a narrow flathead screwdriver and a mallet to cut each tab. I hope that helps.
@@WaringRoboticsFTCFLLbreaking bits bc of having too thin tabs sucks, it’s happened. Also I assume you just sand off the rough edges where the tabs were after punching them off with the flat head
@@josephchapa3603 We remove the rough edges with a deburring tool. We also use our grinder or sandpaper to remove the burr and remaining tab stumps. I hope your cuts work well. If you have any other questions, for example about feeds and speeds, let us know.