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My first aluminum part looked terrible, 6 months later it's like a different machine
Back when I started running CNC at this shop near Toledo, I cut a little aluminum bracket that came out looking like a chewed-up soda can. Surface finish was garbage, tool marks everywhere, and I had chatter so bad the whole part vibrated off the vise. Fast forward 6 months and I just ran the same part tonight, same material batch and everything. The difference is mostly from learning proper speeds and feeds plus using a better rougher toolpath. I also switched to a 3 flute variable helix endmill and started using a mist coolant setup. Anyone else look back at their early parts and cringe at how bad they were?
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hill.hugo4d ago
Oh man, that puke comment is spot on lol. My first aluminum parts had that same rough, splotchy look where the finish was just all over the place. I remember running a simple flat bracket that came out looking like I chewed on the corners myself. Once I figured out chip thinning and stopped being scared of pushing the feed rate, my parts started looking way cleaner. The machine sounded happier too, less of that scary grinding noise.
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