Plasma Cutting Aluminum

[bilbo]

Does anyone have experience plasma cutting aluminum? I'm installing hurricane protection panels on my house and got a bunch of used panels off Craigslist from someone who replaced their windows with impact-rated. I planned to cut them with a cut-off wheel but found out they are aluminum. Aluminum panels are nice, but they don't cut well with the cutoff wheel. Because of the shape of the corrugated panel my power shears won't work and I was wondering if plasma would cut it well. I've been looking for an excuse to buy one and being it's house related it should be an easier sell to my wife. The panels are 0.050" thick and look like this:

The other option is a metal-cutting blade for my circular saw. I can do that, but it's unlikely I'll cut much more sheetmetal like this. I think the plasma cutter would get more use in the future.

 

[Roert42]

Plasmas will cut aluminum fine, but they have a leaning curve and make a mess. You will have to clean up the edges with a sanding disk and when your done.

I think cutting wheels are much easier to leave a cleaner/ straighter cut, especially on real thin material.

 

[Shran]

We cut aluminum all the time at work with a normal wood blade (on a miter saw, but it works fine on a circular saw too.)

Plasma will work too, it cuts differently than steel. Fast & messy is my experience, dialing in your cutter settings is very important.

 

[Roert42]

Yeah, the plasma settings and also travel speed/ torch angle is important.

Normally would use a large piece of angle or something for a straight endue, but could be tricky on a piece of corrugated.

 

[ericbphoto]

I believe there are cutoff wheels made specifically for non-ferrous metals, ie; aluminum, copper, brass. They might work better than normal wheels.

 

[snoranger]

I’d buy a water jet. It seems like the most logical choice.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

40tooth carbide blade on your circular saw. Use lots of wd-40 while cutting. If you can't cut through in one pass, flip sheet over and cut again. Eye protection and leather gloves mandatory. Lots of metal shards... be careful of kick-back.
This makes a very smooth cut.

 

[superj]

Sawzallwith a metsl blade. It will be loud. Thats how i have done it, also the saber saw with a metal blade

 

[bilbo]

As much as I'd love a water jet, I think that would not be as easy to convince my wife. Perhaps someday.

I'll probably try the circular saw. I also read to install the blade backwards. I've used that for cutting trim & soffit but it was way thinner. I tried my sawzall but it just shook the crap out of the panel. It probably would have been better if someone helped hold it down; maybe I'll try that first.

For what it's worth, the grinder did cut the panel, just slow, noisy, and spraying hot bits of aluminum around.

 

[Ranger850]

Sawzallwith a metsl blade. It will be loud. Thats how i have done it, also the saber saw with a metal blade

This would be my approach also. Maybe a band saw/ porta-band; set up a jig on a table / some clamps to hold the metal.

 

[alwaysFlOoReD]

Do NOT install a carbide bit blade backwards. You will lose the teeth. Backwards install is for veneer blades and strictly for cutting vinyl siding.
...40 years of renovation and vinyl siding experience...

 

[ericbphoto]

This would be my approach also. Maybe a band saw/ porta-band; set up a jig on a table / some clamps to hold the metal.

The throat of the portaband probably isn’t deep enough unless you’re only taking about 3” or less off the end.

 

[bobbywalter]

just buy a metal blade for your circular saw.



they make them now....they are worth twice what they ask for....the ones i use on my chopsaw are just awesome. its so nice to have consistancy with waaaaaaaaaaay less mess.

Amazon.com

 

[bobbywalter]

 

[Ranger850]

just buy a metal blade for your circular saw.



they make them now....they are worth twice what they ask for....the ones i use on my chopsaw are just awesome. its so nice to have consistancy with waaaaaaaaaaay less mess.

Amazon.com

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Early 2000's I worked at "War Eagle Boats". They specialize in aluminum hull boats. Whenever they needed to, for various reasons, like when a welder put the wrong keel on the wrong hulls, they would just use a regular blade in a hand held circular saw to cut out the bad stuff. I'm not sure they even had metal specific blades back then, but I know they kept a stack of blades handy and it would make a real racket of a bang when the teeth would break.
When I got the job at Capitol Awnings, about 5 years later, I learned of the Non-Ferrous metal cutting blade for aluminum and we used a chop saw for cutting steel. in a pinch, and very slowly, we would use a regular wood blade for small diameter aluminum pipe/tubing