papabil
Well-known member
Hi. I would like to know aprox. drill speed for drilling 1/2 in soft aluminum plate.(fast or slow). thanks bill
drill speed for aluminum
- Thread starter papabil
- Start date
general rule of thumb, soft material fast, moderate pressure, hard material, slow speed, hard pressure, except for plastics, which is slow and moderate pressure. fast speed will melt the plastics.
Best is just to look up the drill speed chart.
Best is just to look up the drill speed chart.
I usually go around 200fpm for aluminum. Depending on drill diameter will set your speed.
RPM = (200*3.82)/drill diameter in inches.
You can go up or down depending on tooling and setup rigidity. Use a little WD40 for cutting fluid. Really feed it, don't linger and you shouldn't have friction weld issues.
RPM = (200*3.82)/drill diameter in inches.
You can go up or down depending on tooling and setup rigidity. Use a little WD40 for cutting fluid. Really feed it, don't linger and you shouldn't have friction weld issues.
Aluminum is a very forgiving material of speeds and feeds. For the most part with a manual machine you will not be able to run fast enough to meet the optimum speed and feed. When working with a manual machine one must consider safety. Part of machining safely with manual machines is chip control. that can be difficult at the optimum speeds.
fredybender
Well-known member
- Joined
- Apr 16, 2012
- Messages
- 141
What is your drill, HSS? Co? point?
Usual SFM for Al in drilling for HSS is around 600SFM
600x3.82 / 0.500 = 4500 RPM approx
The worst enemey of Al is B.U.E. (build up edge)
Meaning that Al will stick to the tool, and prevent cutting action.
The way to prevent this is to bump up the speeds
Also You can spray WD40 While drilling, this does wonders in drilling and tapping in Al...
Hope this helps
Fred
Usual SFM for Al in drilling for HSS is around 600SFM
600x3.82 / 0.500 = 4500 RPM approx
The worst enemey of Al is B.U.E. (build up edge)
Meaning that Al will stick to the tool, and prevent cutting action.
The way to prevent this is to bump up the speeds
Also You can spray WD40 While drilling, this does wonders in drilling and tapping in Al...
Hope this helps
Fred
ibedayank
Well-known member
don't have a Machinery's HandBook?
Get one, it has the answer for just about everything
couple older versions online for free
Gut feeling is that if the OP had a machine of that caliber, he or she wouldn't be asking this question in the first place.
kazlx
Well-known member
Fast and a little squirt of WD-40.
tdkkart
Well-known member
Thank you....WD40 does next to nothing well, LOTS of better alternatives out there.
Works pretty well for cleaning off old grease and oil before you put a new proper lubricant on it. But that's about it.
Because it works great for Aluminum and it's readily available at half the price of Rapid Tap.
E12-535iTurbo
Well-known member
Got that in metric as well?
kazlx
Well-known member
Works perfectly fine for aluminum, can be had anywhere and chances are the OP already has some at home. But continue the WD bashing for no reason...
Interesting...you don't say....
WD40 is the best fluid if you're only going to have one. It's not the best rust buster, label remover, anti-seize, clock oil, contact cleaner or gear lube. But it is more versatile than any of the products that are the best at any of these tasks. -- but I do keep Tap Magic and Engine Bright around too.
Oh, yeah, and it's available everywhere.
Sometimes I'm almost tempted to suspect snobbery is at work ..." if it's really, really popular it can't be any good". IF there are any snobs out there, you're in good company. Tchaikovsky absolutely hated The Nutcracker Suite just because everyone else loved it.
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WD40 is the best fluid if you're only going to have one. It's not the best rust buster, label remover, anti-seize, clock oil, contact cleaner or gear lube. But it is more versatile than any of the products that are the best at any of these tasks. -- but I do keep Tap Magic and Engine Bright around too.
Oh, yeah, and it's available everywhere.
Sometimes I'm almost tempted to suspect snobbery is at work ..." if it's really, really popular it can't be any good". IF there are any snobs out there, you're in good company. Tchaikovsky absolutely hated The Nutcracker Suite just because everyone else loved it.
I keep WD-40 in my truck, but it's beside Rapid Tap, fluid film, and brake clean. I just find it a bit not right to recommend using a meh product when asked something so specific.
I mean just spitting on it would work about as well as WD-40.
Alchymist
Well-known member
Just a point about yea nay Wd40, this is best, that is best:
Had to cut some 3/4" sections from 1/2" 6061-T6 aluminum with a hole saw.
Cutting without lubricant wasn't getting it. Cut perhaps 1/32" and tool was hot, gummed, and ceased cutting. Now, WD40 would work, but it's rather messy, so, what to use? Ha! Windex glass cleaner to the rescue. Worked a charm, I tell you. Cooled the saw and the aluminum, and the chips just seemed to flow out of the groove. Cut continuously, lift the saw occasionally & flood the work, then spritz as I drilled (sawed?). Left the pile of chips sitting there, next thing I know, all dry.
Had to cut some 3/4" sections from 1/2" 6061-T6 aluminum with a hole saw.
Cutting without lubricant wasn't getting it. Cut perhaps 1/32" and tool was hot, gummed, and ceased cutting. Now, WD40 would work, but it's rather messy, so, what to use? Ha! Windex glass cleaner to the rescue. Worked a charm, I tell you. Cooled the saw and the aluminum, and the chips just seemed to flow out of the groove. Cut continuously, lift the saw occasionally & flood the work, then spritz as I drilled (sawed?). Left the pile of chips sitting there, next thing I know, all dry.
Mud
Well-known member
Kerosene as lubricant