I had a gentleman call me today wanting me to put serial numbers on some billet aluminum for him. What bit would you use what speed and what programs would y’all used to do this?
I use Fusion360 for all of my engraving work, as it provides me with the features I like, but anything will work.
Too many variables to make all of those suggestions.
I employ a great many endmills, what amounts to a single flute engraving tool, multi flute scoring tools, square endmills, different cutter angles. I use a variety of tip sizes, I think my smallest is .005" - great detail, fragile. I typically program them at minimum chip loads, depending on depth I’ll add a step down, and spring pass. Depends on the font, size, depth, material flatness, desired effect, required finish quality, material ect. Another option is a drag bit, if its results fit your customers requirements, its probably the most forgiving. Regardless, I think it will require some experimentation on your part. Of all the tool paths, it is probably one of the simplest, but I believe it is also one of the trickiest to initially setup.
NYCCNC has a video on engraving. They tested engraving endmills, ball-nose, chamfer, and I think another variety. They all worked, some better than others so check out their video. I’ve engraved aluminum before with a chamfer tool and an engraving bit and it worked fine. I would go for a high degree engraving tool (60 degrees or greater) so you don’t have such a dainty point.
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