I got a bunch of scrap pieces of MIC-6 from a local scrap dealer for pretty cheap so I have been making chips and widgets out of it for a while now. It is dimensionaly stable but it does like to chip weld even more than 6061.
Another little note about MIC-6 is that if you are cutting the last little bit off a face then the exit move will break the last bit of material instead of cutting it. It leaves a little rough spot. This is due to the weaker properties of the cast aluminum vs a higher alloy aluminum. To prevent this the cut should be made smaller at exit to reduce the loads on that last little bit of material. I don't worry about it and just plow through leaving the rough spot but you may need a better finish. Jim On 2/21/2017 12:57 PM, John Thornton wrote: > Jim, > > Good to know this I have a pice of MIC-6 arriving today I need to cut up > and machine it. I usually use 6061 and 7075. > > JT > > > On 2/21/2017 11:37 AM, Jim Craig wrote: >> MIC-6 is particularly gummy when machining. I always use coolant and I >> still get a little bit of chip weld if things aren't just right. >> >> Getting the chips out of the slot you are milling is also critical. I >> would keep using the compressed air blast and i would probably use a HSM >> slot instead of a conventional slot to allow more room for chip >> evacuation. It will take more time but should provide better results. I >> get similar results to John for feeds and speeds. Use 1/8" DOC, 2 flute >> 24k rpm and 119 ipm feed gives .0024" chip and about 15-20 lbs of >> cutting force. >> >> Jim > > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ > Check out the vibrant tech community on one of the world's most > engaging tech sites, SlashDot.org! http://sdm.link/slashdot > _______________________________________________ > Emc-users mailing list > Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net > https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users > ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check out the vibrant tech community on one of the world's most engaging tech sites, SlashDot.org! http://sdm.link/slashdot _______________________________________________ Emc-users mailing list Emc-users@lists.sourceforge.net https://lists.sourceforge.net/lists/listinfo/emc-users
