Cutting Dibond

[dlcw]

I've never cut Dibond before and was wondering of anyone has any words of wisdom regarding bits, feed speeds spindle speeds, etc. I am bidding a job cutting 3mm Dibond so was thinking a .1875" downcut spiral bit.

Thoughts?

[jerry_stanek]

I use a .1875 up cut at 4.5 IPS. I only cut large circles for a company with a smaller ball nose relive in them.

[knight_toolworks]

if the parts are larger a 2f upcut is fine. I use a 1/8" most of the time. but if the parts are small either a straight bit or downcut works best. I pretty much use straight bits for most cuts either 1/8" or 1/16" I don't try to cut too fast just because there is no need 2ips works fine 8k rpms.

[dlcw]

Thanks Jerry.

Do you use the upcut to clear the chips better? Would a downcut spiral cause me problems with chip removal for this material? The parts I'm cutting will be mounted on another piece of Dibond so the backsides of the parts will be hidden. Would the down spiral give me a cleaner visible surface like it does in wood or doesn't it matter for this material?

I'm going to be getting one of the Widgetworks pressure foots to cut this job as some of the parts are a little small.

[jerry_stanek]

If your parts are small then the down cut would be better. I find that you can clean up the edges with a light sanding just enough to take the razor sharp.

[dlcw]

Thanks Jerry and Steve for your feedback!

[steve_g]

I do two cuts of the same file to clean off any chips that have rewelded and flame polish.

Steve

[knight_toolworks]

a straight bit makes the shavings stay put but not a big deal to remove. a downcut takes some work. if the parts are really small then going to a 1/16" straight bit will take care of it. so far I have not needed the pressure foot for dibond. though with the pressure foot you could use a upcut and then there would be no cleanup at all.