Cutting Aluminum Sheet Clean

To cut the sheets of metal rathe.

Cutting aluminum sheet clean. Probably the preferred method for cutting intricate or thick aluminum the water jet focus a very thin stream of water mixed with abrasives at extraordinary pressures and very high speed into the sheet metal. If you use metal shears to cut thin sheet metal such as duct metal it curls and can be difficult to flaten properly. Clamp the aluminum down. Sheet aluminium can be cut without the need for a guillotine or tin snips which tend to deform the metal.

Set the piece of aluminum on a table or over sawhorses and position it so the cutting area has open space underneath it. With the aid of a straight edge and a sharp knife score both sides of the aluminium sheet. The illustrations are for a small bracket but i have cut 3 foot. Place the fracture line over the edge of a table and bend the overhang slightly downwards.

This jet of water eats away at the metal and leaving a clean smooth edge. This weakens the aluminium and creates a fracture line.