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Any CNC or laser cutting services for digiplate?

Started 4 months ago | Questions
Khalaful Forum Member • Posts: 62
Any CNC or laser cutting services for digiplate?

I'm trying to make my own digiplate but the problem is I dont know any places or services. I do found SendCutSend, OshCut, Xometry, Ponko, and HUBS but none of them works due to the high price or lack options especially tapping holes.

Finding a right place to use CNC or laser cutting to make a digiplate is challenging. The material has to be 6061 aluminum at 17x11 inch.

I wonder if anyone knows any CNC, laser, or even water jet cutting service I can check?

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ProfHankD
ProfHankD Veteran Member • Posts: 9,146
Re: Any CNC or laser cutting services for digiplate?

Khalaful wrote:

I'm trying to make my own digiplate but the problem is I dont know any places or services. I do found SendCutSend, OshCut, Xometry, Ponko, and HUBS but none of them works due to the high price or lack options especially tapping holes.

Finding a right place to use CNC or laser cutting to make a digiplate is challenging. The material has to be 6061 aluminum at 17x11 inch.

I wonder if anyone knows any CNC, laser, or even water jet cutting service I can check?

Making just one? Got a drill press and a hand tap? They'll cost less than getting one plate made by somebody else...

Nothing is going to tap the holes any better than a hand tap, so you'll need to do that pretty much no matter how you get the holes cut. Water jet cutting is probably the cleanest, although any mill (CNC or not) can easily do it... I think that size would even fit in my little $650 CNC mill/engraver.

BTW, when you're done, you probably want to coat it with something like Birchwood Casey Aluminum Black to get a good approximation to a black anodized finish.

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jlafferty Senior Member • Posts: 1,625
Re: Any CNC or laser cutting services for digiplate?

Try trade schools or colleges in your area and see if they’ve got a CNC and a student you can pay for their expertise.

Your measurements are a little small if you intend to work with a 16” laptop, but probably fine for a 14”. For 16” you should go closer to 11 x 17.5

McMaster Carr sells ¼” 6061 but it’s pricey. You can find additional vendors on Amazon.

Make sure your bottom side holes are chamfered at about .5mm for a tight fit with the right accessories (FainiMade, LSDigi, etc.) You do this ahead of threading.

If you get flustered looking to DIY, I’ve still got some stock of my plate

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