Any Guru Tricks Working Aluminum Sheet??

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I'm doing large amounts of aluminum sheet fabrication, 0.90 and 0.125, 3003, for up fitting commercial service fleet vans and trucks. My fabrication abilities are up to speed but my aluminum welding and finishing is dated and rusty at best. My past experience was in industrial environments where quality and performance was key, not finish aesthetics. not the case now. I'm tig welding with my trailblazer and HF box, the only machine i have with AC, pure argon, experimented with gas lens, different cup sizes, 2% ther. tungsten, pure tungsten, 1/16 and 3/32. 2%-1/16 with a #6 cup, collet body seems to work best. The welds are improving but it's still a struggle. To finish grind-sand-polish I've tried tiger discs, cheap scotch brite pads on angle grinder, roll lock sanding pads on pneumatic angle die grinder, wire wheel on die grinder. All produce a rough finish that sticks out from mill finish of the aluminum. Also, a large percentage of the components are asymmetric, having to be cut out by hand. I've tried plasma, skill saw, and jig saw. Not happy with the speed or quality produced.Any advice on how I can improve my process?Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:Hey wagin,During the winter, I cut a lot of alum. for the crafts I make. I'm not suggesting you try my method..... only telling you what I do.I have a 10" table saw set up with extensions on each end to support the sheets. Generally with the 4' X 8' sheets, I have help just to support it when I'm cutting. The 4' X 4' & 4' X 5' pieces, I can do myself. My table saw is 5800rpm & I use the Irwin 80T tungsten-tipped C5  non-ferrous blades & spray the cut length with WD-40. It cuts quite smootly & a nice clean edge. Of course, you gotta acetone clean before welding. I also use MIG as that is the most productive process. I see you have an MM252, so you do have the power available. A spoolgun makes for quick applications & can be quite aesthetically nice. I will tell you that there is quite a mess of shavings on the floor, although a good shop vac will take care of that. Here's the link where I get my blades.Dennyhttp://www.cripedistributing.com/irw...9s-p-5151.htmlComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:YorkipapThanks for the reply and good info. I usually have the strait cuts sheared. Also, I have an Ingersolrand pneumatic circular saw, 4800 rpms, I think. I will check out the blades you suggested. My struggle is with the radius cuts. So far all the methods I've tried are rough and time consuming.My experience with aluminum mig was long ago. The old spoolmatic guns and dial a arc machines. They made a mess on thin material and had constant problems. I'm sure technology has improved. What set up are you running?ThanksMiller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180
Reply:for cutting the radiuses, is there a way to make a plywood template, clamp it down to the work piece and get a spiral upcut bit for a heavy weight router and cut them out that way? when i worked for the sign shop a few years back, that was my prefered method of cutting anything but straight cuts. hit the bit with stick wax every few inches to help the bit clear the shavings. lemme see if i can find a link to a spiral upcut bithttp://www.homedepot.com/Tools-Hardw...atalogId=10053migweld 250parcmate 205weldall 250piforcecut 80i plasma'07 pro 300 miller'08 trailblazer 302mm350pdynasty 700dynasty 200deltaweld 452xr-a 50ft push pull feeders and gooseneck
Reply:Hey wagin,I use a 3035 s/g(4043) & have a older CEMIG 160(5356) set up for aluminum & they work very well. As far as cutting radii, I made templates & for odd curves, I use a piece of 1.5" X 1/8" flat stock HR that I can gently bend to the configuration I need. I plasma cut(TD52) hot(45A) & fast at 80psi which leaves a very clean edge. I do grind all the plasma cut edges prior to welding. Plasma is very productive for cutting radii & takes some practice to get the optimum settings.DennyComplete Welding/Machine/Fab. ShopMobile UnitFinally retired*Moderator*"A man's word is his honor...without honor there is nothing.""Words are like bullets.... Once they leave your muzzle, you cannot get them back."
Reply:On aluminum I use a router for all my aluminum cuts.  You can't beat how easy it is.
Reply:Originally Posted by Scott YoungOn aluminum I use a router for all my aluminum cuts.  You can't beat how easy it is.
Reply:Hey Wagin,It's usually best to get back to basics. Make sure your joints and seams to be welded are chemically and mechanically clean. Also check to make sure your shielding gas isn't being disturbed. If all the welds are required to be ground, evaluate the fit-ups you are using. For example an outside corner joint can be fit up corner to corner leaving a groove to fill or closed entirely, as a square butt joint. Consider overlapping one side 70% of the material thickness and fusing the joint. With a little experimenting you can have a nice profile, good penetration and no ripples or excess material to remove. As for matching the mill finish, the only place I've seen that is at the mill. You may get close, but that kind of finish is labor intensive with usually less than desirable results. Good luck, hope there is something that helps!     Maniak
Reply:Hey Guys!Thinks for all the great info! I cut out an eccentric 56 x 56 bulk head. 0.125 aluminum. Used a variable jig saw with a Bosch 11-14 blade. It works great. For lube I tried wd-40, it worked but very messy. Switch to LPS spray, 100% better. LPS don't erase marker lines, travels better and less clean up. I bought the suggested router bit today but have not tried it yet.Thanks Guys!Miller TrailBlazer 251Miller HF-250-1Miller MaxStar 150 STLHyperTherm PowerMax 380 plasmaLincoln PowerMig 180Millermatic 252Miller Diversion 180