Description of Yonico 31011 SC Flute Carbide Router
Used For: Aluminum. For CNC milling and routing on aluminum and plastics where a clean bottom surface edge of material is required. Premium C3 micro-grain solid tungsten carbide for a high-performance industrial quality tool. For use on CNC, table mount and handheld routers. Polished to a mirror finish from a solid carbide rod for precision & accuracy.
Stays sharp after cutting over 200 5mm diameter holes in 1/4 thick aluminum. Did a conservative cut at 10 inches per minute and 16,000 rpm because I wasn't sure about the type of aluminum.
For my application it was much worse than the Onsrud bits I used. I cut a 1/8 inch acrylic mirror and the edge was uneven, like the acrylic was chipping. I switched back to the Onsrud drill bit and it cut smooth as butter. This is probably a decent inexpensive fix for some. Materials, but I'll pay more for a better beat.
Pros
Premium C3 fine grain solid carbide for heavy duty industrial grade tools
For my application it was much worse than the Onsrud bits I used. I cut a 1/8 inch acrylic mirror and the edge was uneven, like the acrylic was chipping. I switched back to the Onsrud drill bit and it cut smooth as butter. Materials, but I'll pay more for a better beat.
I use these bits in my CNC router, primarily for cutting aluminum and plastic. 610. T-65 aluminum was used, which put the drill through more stress than traditional non-hardened metals. Regardless, this punch lasted about 30 minutes in a 3 hour run. After it broke I switched to the onsrud bit and finished the job. While I don't think this bit is weak or ineffective, it does appear to be slightly weaker than Onsrud.
I bought these as a cheaper alternative to the Onsrud and Amana O-Flute series. They totally did the job and very good value for money. Their bottom edge in the pockets is the only area they brand. They have excellent chip control and clearance in plastics as well as good surface finish. I use them in lots of HDPE and Acetal with a desktop CNC router (Axiom AR1). These bits run easily at 60-100 ipm on such a small machine and still deliver a good cut.