Five Things to Know Before You Start Carving

The table compares five key parameters for metal and plastic engraving, including cutting speed, temperature, and tool selection. It helps engravers and professionals quickly master the processing points for different materials, improving the precision and efficiency of their works, and avoiding material waste or equipment damage caused by improper parameter settings.

Why are material parameters so important?

The right material is only the first step, the real key to success is the cutting parameters.Metal is too hard and the blade will break, while plastic will melt at high temperatures.Below we will take a look at how to adjust the parameters for carving metal and plastic.

The secret of temperature control.

The temperature of metal engraving.

For metal engraving, the temperature of the main shaft is generally kept between 50 and 80 ° C, and for soft metals like brass it can be reduced to 40 ° C.The key is to continuously cool the work surface with coolant, otherwise the cutting tool will wear down very quickly.

The red line of plastic sculpture

ABS and acrylic, which are commonly used plastics, begin to deform at temperatures over 120 degrees Celsius.I suggest that the temperature of the cutting head be kept in the range of 90-110 ° C, while also maintaining ventilation in the working environment, in order to avoid the material boiling.

Balancing speed and accuracy.

Metal sculpture reference.

For carbon steel, 800-1200mm / min is recommended, while for stainless steel it should be reduced to 500-800mm / min.In terms of speed, it is best to control the speed of carbide tools at 8000-12000 rpm.

Plastic carving speed techniques.

Acrylic and other brittle plastics can be cut at high speeds of 2000-3000mm per minute, but the speed must be reduced to less than 1500mm per minute when cutting flexible materials such as polypropylene and polyethylene, otherwise they will be stretched and deformed.

Choosing the right tool

The features of metal-cutting tools. (2)

For metal carving, a tungsten steel blade is the first choice. It is recommended that the blade be sharpened to an angle of no more than 30 °.Don't forget to periodically check the coating on your cutting tools. If the coating has worn more than 0.2mm, it's time to replace it.

The mysteries of plastic carving.

Single-edged spiral knives are particularly suitable for processing plastics, as they can effectively reduce the amount of material that sticks to them.When carving thin plastic sheets, try using a cone-shaped bit with a chip-clearing groove.

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This is a necessary solution for the cooling of metal.

Aluminum requires water cooling, while stainless steel is best with a mist cooling system.When cutting deep grooves, remember to raise the coolant pressure to 0.3MPa or more in order to flush away the chips effectively.

The secret of nonstick plastics.

When carving sticky materials such as PVC, applying a thin layer of release agent to the blade is more effective than using liquid cooling.If the surface area is large, you can try using compressed air to assist cooling.

Avoiding the pitfalls.

Finally, a word of caution for those just getting into the field: Don't use the same parameters for plastic and metal. The elastic modulus of the two materials differs by a factor of ten!They recommend starting out with scrap material, and slowly increasing the parameters until you find the sweet spot where the blade doesn't get clogged up, but doesn't get damaged either.