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I always thought a 0.005 inch finish pass was good enough for aluminum parts
For years I'd leave a 0.005 inch stock on the walls for my final pass, thinking it saved time and tool life. Then I watched a guy at a shop in Dayton run a 0.002 inch finish pass on a similar job. The surface finish was way better, with no chatter marks. I tried it on a batch of 50 parts last week and the quality jump was real. It only added about 30 seconds per part cycle time. Has anyone else found a sweet spot for finish passes on 6061?
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kaid5920d agoTop Commenter
That jump from a 0.005 to a 0.002 inch finish pass is a perfect example. I see this everywhere, where a tiny change in process makes a huge difference in the final result. It's like adjusting the heat by just a few degrees when cooking something tricky. You don't know how much better it can be until you try the smaller number.
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murphy.linda19d ago
Forget the tool runout for a second. The real magic is in the MACHINE itself holding that tiny cut. A lot of older or worn machines just can't do it, they'll chatter like crazy. So that perfect finish isn't just about picking the right number, it's about having a rig that's tight enough to actually pull it off. People chase these tiny specs without checking if their equipment is even capable. It's a total system check, not just a programming trick.
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Honestly, I bet your tool's actual runout plays a bigger role than most folks realize.
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