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Cutting phenolic sheet on a CNC machine.

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FritzW

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jan 30, 2011
Messages
3,896
Location
Las Cruces, NM
I did some "trial and error" testing today to find a good combination of RPM, feed rate and depth of cut for cutting grade L phenolic sheet (the typical kind you get from AS&S).

Phen1.jpg Phen2.jpg Waiex canopy latch plates.

I used an 1/8" HSS 2 flute bit (not recommended for phenolic but seemed to work fine)
6000 RPM (5000 or even 4500 might have been better)
40 IPM (would have gone much faster but the part was small and the machine didn't have room to accelerate anyway)
3/32" depth of cut (sheet was 3/16" so I did it in two passes)

The tool didn't get hot and it made a nice clean cut.

...just some starting numbers so the next phenolic neophyte (like me) doesn't have to start from scratch. If anybody has more refined numbers please let me know, I've got a butt load more phenolic parts to make.
 
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