First Attempt to machine 6060 Aluminum on TAIG CNC Mill Milling Machine

[BADFISHHHHHH]

Coolant helps.

[muttsaball10]

way too slow man. wrong cutter to. Grab a 2 flute high helix carbide cutter. run coolant (M8) 5000 rpm @ 30 inches

[dabigjokeoftheday]

I RUN A VACUUM SET UP..WAY LES MESS ;-)

[rasoros]

i would also get in there and sweep the chips every so often. this is a big problem with 6160.. you might try 7075 with a t6 hardness.

[rasoros]

maybe I'm just old school but I lubricate my cutters... with aluminum and cuts like this one, a spray bottle of wd-40 every so often to keep the cutter fresh and smooth.

[123PSI]

Couple comments:

1st: I agree with psfree40b, but be careful w/ climb milling if you have a quite a bit of backlash (probably not a problem w/ a new mill)

2nd: I'm constantly surprised at the capability of the taig. You can be a bit more aggressive, I usually cut aluminum with a 1/4" 2 flute end mill at a depth of 50 thou and a feed rate of 20 ipm, which is rather conservative. If my steppers were better, I would use a 4-flute and a feed rate of ~40 ipm.

[COROVICD]

I have the same problem with space as you.

Can mill be used as lathe, to cut threads on the round stock?

[captain2231]

yes! It's called a thread mill

[psfree40b]

Two Rules for the second half of this vid.

1. Always use at lease two clamps. One clamp can tip the block up very slightly.

2. Climb milling is king! The milling direction should have been clockwise. This puts less stress on the cutter and less vibration, which way it moved (along with the lack of clamps), and you get a better finish.