Aaron from ROC-TECH here. We just finished a run on one of our 4x8 routers cutting 6061 plate, 3/8" and 1/2". A few guys at a trade show last month asked me to post the details, so this is the real-world version.
Setup is a 6kW spindle, single-flute 6mm carbide for roughing and a 3-flute for finishing. We ran mist coolant instead of flood, mostly because nobody in the shop wanted to deal with the mess. Feed around 2800mm/min at 18k RPM, 0.6mm DOC per pass. Surface finish came out clean enough the customer skipped a secondary op.
Honest take. Aluminum plate on a router is doable, but spindle torque and rigidity are where the cheap machines fall apart. Seen it both ways.
Question for the group. Anyone cutting 1/2" aluminum on a router regularly, and what’s your DOC and feed sweet spot? I keep hearing conflicting numbers and I’d rather hear from people actually running parts than from spec sheets.
Happy to share the toolpath notes if anyone wants them, just ask.
And yeah, I work for ROC-TECH, so take the machine comments with the appropriate grain of salt. The cutting numbers are from a real job though.