- Joined
- Sep 29, 2008
- Messages
- 10,394
Hey, I'm new, and wanted to ask about getting (custom) profiles cut. I have a design that fits in a 4.4" x 2" box. 10 blanks cut out of 1/8" D2 on a laser runs roughly $35 each. As a less-than-knowledgeable person these blanks in hand look great. They are all consistent, edges are very square, there is no burr to speak of. I sized a hole at 0.25" and my 0.2505" reamer took off barely anything at all.
Two things I'm wondering. First, the heat affected zone sucks. I have a very hard (though very thin) edge and need to get that off. Files won't touch it, so I have some flat stock and 80 grit sand paper working through it. This is taking me nontrivial amounts of time to get through. The other is price. Without having tried to compare anywhere else, is this fairly reasonable? If I put a few different things together I can get as few as 3-4 blanks at about the same price. This makes prototyping without a bandsaw or belt grinder possible with a lower per-cycle investment depending on structure.
I'd love to get the same quality without the HAZ and without changing the price. As far as I understand that means moving to a water jet. Is this possible?
Two things I'm wondering. First, the heat affected zone sucks. I have a very hard (though very thin) edge and need to get that off. Files won't touch it, so I have some flat stock and 80 grit sand paper working through it. This is taking me nontrivial amounts of time to get through. The other is price. Without having tried to compare anywhere else, is this fairly reasonable? If I put a few different things together I can get as few as 3-4 blanks at about the same price. This makes prototyping without a bandsaw or belt grinder possible with a lower per-cycle investment depending on structure.
I'd love to get the same quality without the HAZ and without changing the price. As far as I understand that means moving to a water jet. Is this possible?