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My offcuts bin is filling up if anyone is interested. It is the normal mix of 6082T6 aluminium and probably some 7075 and 316/410 stainless.

Normal rules, goody sized packs for the cost of postage and what you see may not be exactly what you get however it is all usable hence it is not in the scrap bin and yes, there are some guides in there however they are in the bin for a reason :(

Dave

Could use some aluminium & stainless bar for lathe work please.

David

David, PM me your address and I will ask the Viking to box some up for you.

I will take a box full up to £50.

Now I have your attention I am currently machining ceramic rod I am trying to take a 20 micron cut any ideas. If I can work it out the Company is willing to buy me a lathe to do the work it will be a top end lathe.
I'm keen to get it to work Im assuming CNC is probably the way to go. The test pieces are up to one meter in length. The work can not be outsourced it has to be done in house unless they can sign the official secrets act and a none disclosure agreement. It's a pity you were not local.


My machining skills have somewhat improved since my earlier postings on the subject. hmm whats next

Machining ceramic? if it is a Zirconium type or similar it is usually either sized whilst green or diamond ground when finished, however there are true machinable ceramics available as well which can be machined with conventional carbide inserts and I have used AL inserts and reasonably light cuts. I used to have a very good contact in Ceramics who had security clearance to a high level due to military commitments. Not sure if he still works for them however the company still exists and is doing some staggeringly good high end work here in the UK.

20 micron (0,02mm) cuts are OK and my finishing cut on some jobs is 0,01mm with a feed of 0,02mm or finer at 2000 r/min with a spring pass to finish. This is with a very specific insert and is a typical cut, measure, cut job and is when a specific surface finish is called for although it is obviously time consuming. 20 micron (0,02mm) as a general turning tolerance is quite nice and about what I would expect for many jobs we see.

It should be interesting thanks.

Package arrived today many thanks.