Computer hardware and software
Can a CNC router equipped with a laser or plasma cutter cleanly cut aluminum diamond plate?
Question : Can a CNC router equipped with a laser or plasma cutter cleanly cut aluminum diamond plate?
I’d like to cut some designs in aluminum diamond plate and I was curious to know if a CNC router with a laser or plasma torch could do the job. I know a waterjet works pretty well, but the price of the machine is currently not in my budget. Thanks!
cnc router
Best answer:
Answer by poolplayer
Should do the job, depending on the thickness of the diamond plate, and the power of the laser or plasma torch. Not sure if it’s any cheaper than the water jet. I think the water jet would give a cleaner cut, unless you did the cutting underwater?
Not a pro in this area though.
Due to the high thermal conductivity of aluminum it takes a lot of laser power to cut it, so if you can’t afford a water jet I don’t think you can afford an aluminum cutting laser either.
But plasma should work well. and relatively low cost systems are avaliable
Or if your volume is low, it might be more cost effective to send the work out to a water jet cutter, and not tie up you money in a machine, even a low end CNC plasma cutter will probably cost several thousand dollars.