Recommendations

The following includes some recommendations for common router operations that may be useful to first time users.

Work Holding - Sheet Material

Sheet material, such as aluminum and plastic, is simple to hold down in the OMIO CNC Router. When cutting sheet material a spoil board is highly recommended to be used. This allows for the material to be attached to the wood board and to be cut fully through and not damage the machine bed.

All that is required to hold down sheet material is a few screws around the area that will be cut. For extra security, add screws in to the part that is to be machined before the perimeter of the part is machined. This will prevent the part from popping up when it is fully machined.

Work Holding - Tubes

Cutting tubing on the OMIO CNC Router is a good way to get precision holes if a CNC mill is not available.

For holding tubing on the router, a set of small machine vises or the OMIO CNC Tube Fixture are the recommended way. The tube fixture makes this process easier since it is one piece and does not require aligning multiple vises.

Cutting Feeds and Speeds

Below are some recommended feeds and speeds to start with. These are just a general idea of where to start. Material type, end mills, and work holding all play a factor in the feeds and speeds that will be run. These are a good starting point for figuring out the right ones for the job. Start at the low end of the recommendations and then work up to the desired speeds.

Running on the lower end will improve tool life and on the higher end will result in shorter run times. It is also recommended to add a ramp at the beginning of a cut rather than plunging directly into the material. If that is not an option, then plunge at the lower end of the recommendations

The below recommendations are for slotting in aluminum using WCP available endmills with appropriate coolant and air to clear chips. These values could be doubled or tripled for softer materials such as plastic or wood.

End Mill Size	RPM	Feed/Tooth (inches)	IPM	Depth per Pass
4 mm	24,000	.002” - .004”	50 - 100	~0.06”
5 mm	20,000-24,000	.003” - .005”	60 - 120	~0.09”
6 mm	20,000-24,000	.003” - .006”	60 - 140	~0.125”