i need a block of aluminium

[superls]

i wasnt quite sure where to put this thread but i ndde a lump of aluminium, i need a cylinder/disk 300mm in diameter and about 40mm thick, these are oversized dimensions so are only approximate, i need it to be a free turning grade if possible as i will be doing quite a bit of work to it in the lathe.

not fussed about the actual shape of it as long as i can get the 300mm diameter disk i need.

yes it needs to be 1 piece.

Cheers all

 

[bigbadbugga]

Try these guys, they list upto 8" diameter but say they can get other sizes to order.

http://www.nogginend.com/index.htm

 

[superls]

cheers, just sent them an enquiry, fingers crossed it wont be too expensive

 

[rtbcomp]

Then let us know what you do with it when it arrives!

 

[superls]

ill be sure to do that

 

[DarrenUK]

300mm, records by any chance?

 

[pidgeon chit welder]

300mm, records by any chance?

Nah ..... he's going to file it down into a five pence piece

 

[JayRS4]

Sounds like another lightweight flywheel is on the cards

 

[superls]

no reply from the company above, any more ideas?

i now have the exact dims i need, approx 10" (255mm) diameter (or square) by around 30mm ish, could be a bit thinner and a bit thicher, i ultimately need it to end up as 1" thick but need room for machining etc.

and 1 of the 3 guesses is correct

 

[Shox Dr]

RDG tools get a load of Aerospace cut offs. they'll have some fella

 

[superls]

cheers just trying them now.

 

[superls]

just found a local supplier which ive used before, a 10 inch square 1-1/4 inch thick £35. does that sound bad? never bought anything this size before?

the grade is 6082, which is the grade they told me when i asked for free machining, is this grade relatively easy to machine?

cos ive got some ally at home (not 6082) and its a real nightmare to machine, it just scrapes iff and gets really hot and leaves all the machine marks on it, its not the tool.

cheers

 

[hotrodder]

Doesn't sound too bad especially if local as carriage would likely negate any savings

6082 isn't a 'true' free machining alloy but does machine well in T6 condition (how it's typically sold) and has good weldability too unlike the proper free machining alloys. There are better alloys for flywheels (harder and stronger) but i suspect 6082 is used a fair bit for cost/availability reasons

 

[superls]

having thought about it £35 isnt too bad its only 28p per cubed inch, not too bad, only thing is its square and im wasting 20% of it, but oh well

after a bit of googling found this
http://www.azom.com/details.asp?articleid=2813

says its medium strength and is machined well, give typical uses as high stress applictaions and others, so fingers crossed will be alright,

RDG tools have a piece 300mm diameter by 45mm thick, just waiting for a price.

 

[scott0031]

Exactly as Hotrodder said, 6082 is not designated as a free machining. Free machining is designated as FMA (free machining alloy) You may of heard of
HE30, Dural or Duralumin, that is 6082. Its the most commonly used aluminium alloy for general engineering. It machines fine 'perfectly fine' Take a peek at my motorcycle gallery, in the main that's all 6082.

Dont fret or even think about it any further, Guys like me use this stuff every week. 6082 tends to swarf as apposed to chip like FMA alloys. So make sure you chip break often if possible when roughing out to prevent long strings of swarf getting tangled up all over the place. It can be made to chip with the right tooling and hitting the material in the right way, that is dependent on the machine tool, trying to make it chip is more commonly associated with production rather than one offs.

Good luck, let us know how you get on.

Edit: 35 quid sounds about right to me, looks like a minimum charge which would be right. If they are cutting your blank out of plate then they will still charge you for the whole square as they will have the little offcuts left over which are not usable. Swings and roundabouts.


Kind regards.


Scott (ward eng)

 

[superls]

rdg tools want £57 plus £5 post, so think im going to go locally, i practially drive past the place on my way home from work.

thanks for re-assuring me as to the grade,

so you think £35 is about right? its not a minimum charge as there is no minimum for cash sales, ive had stuff which has been less then £10, they also quoted me 12" square at 1.25 inch that was £45 (25p per cube inch)

just out of interest >>>THIS<<< is the place locally to me. like i say, used them in the past, usually beat everyone else hands down in my experiance.

 

[Grit Monkey]

You can try http://www.aluminiumwarehouse.co.uk...um_Round_Bar_(6082T6)_10_in/product_info.html

 

[superls]

great link, just a shame there so far away from me, as delivery is £15 + vat, good price if the delivery didnt kill it.

 

[Grit Monkey]

great link, just a shame there so far away from me, as delivery is £15 + vat, good price if the delivery didnt kill it.

Are there any users of the forum who could pick it up for you then post it on? would the postage be cheaper that way?

 

[superls]

been a while since ive been on, long story but ill not bore you all

anyway i got a lump of ally and made a flywheel

i cant upload the actual pics of it as im at work, but heres a link to the thread of it on my car club

http://www.micra.org.uk/threads/39510-flywheel-antics?highlight=