Router cutter for Melamine

[meccarroll]

Hi all just sharing a type of cutter that I found which is designed for Melamine machining. It's an end bit used in CNC machining which I recently tried out on some scrap melamine faced chipboard my CNC and I was pleaseantly suprised with.

I used an 8mm bit to cut a board 400mm wide by 500mm high and it cut both sides with excellent results. It's made from solid carbide steel and cost around £12 from Alixpress.

I have a kitchen to make and have a panel saw with scribing blade but wanted to see how well my CNC coped with cutting melamine and I was really pleased. The advantage of the CNC is that all the machining can be done in one go on the CNC including drilling shelf holes and the position of the draw runners and hinges. Blum have an online cabinet configurator in which you build a cabinet then add their hardware and the configurator works out all the machining positions for you.

Some pics of the machined melamine:

 

[meccarroll]

Here are some screen shots of the BLUM CABINET CONFIGURATOR, PDF DRAWINGS AND CAD DRAWINGS.

You configure your cabinet using the Blum software online then download the PDF and CAD drawings you want to work from and from there you can take the drawings to either your panel saw and other machines or use a CNC for machining:

 

[Jonathan]

Would be appreciated if you could share link to the Ail express seller.
Jonathan

 

[Pete Maddex]

I have a couple of solid carbide slot drills I use in my routers they seem to never go blunt.

Pete

 

[meccarroll]

Would be appreciated if you could share link to the Ail express seller.
Jonathan

The below link will take you to one of the sellers I use. The bit is priced at £18 but you will not need a bit 28mm long so could buy for less.

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100....order_list.order_list_main.10.6f111802mrLRHu


Here is another link for same type of cutter but for less:

https://www.aliexpress.com/item/100....order_list.order_list_main.38.6f111802mrLRHu



A bit of research suggests that a lot of CNC users use a compression bit. You can buy a dimond bit too.

It is important to use the correct speed on the router as too fast and you end up blunting the bit and so making it usless (same for all bits) second is the feed rate don't make this too slow as you end up with lots of dust which creates heat.

People seem to suggest running the RPM of the router/spindle at about 14000 RPM and a feed rate of around 12,000mm a minute. and this should prolong the life of the bit.

Mark

 

[Jonathan]

Thanks Mark

 

[meccarroll]

Thanks Mark

Hope the links help, the ARDEN bits in the second link are supposed to be good.

Some people use the compression bits too (in fact a lot do) they have an up cut on the bottom and down cut above giving a clean cut on both edges.

The bits are supposed to create chips not dust. If the RPM speed is too fast you get dust and burn the bit, if the feed rate is too slow you get dust and yep burn the bit so getting these right will prolong the life of the bits you use.

Mark

 

[meccarroll]

I have a couple of solid carbide slot drills I use in my routers they seem to never go blunt.

Pete

In my tests I used normal 5mm HSS steel drill bit to drill out shelf holes and it worked well but your suggestion of carbide slot drill could be even better.

 

[Eric the Viking]

I had no idea how nasty Melamine is to deal with, until some years ago...

... I now have a 2-flute carbide-tipped 15mm straight bit (Wealden) with notches in it, after I unthinkingly used it to cut a rebate in the back of a B&Q (economy-grade) kitchen cabinet. There was nothing wrong with the Wealden cutter, and nobody was more surprised than me.

I still use the cutter occasionally, as 15mm holes are common in flat-pack (for those turnbuckle things), and being Wealden, it has the third edge for making square, blind holes easily. The end has stayed sharp, too, even though it's plunged through the Melamine surface.