Makita is bringing their CA5000X aluminum groove cutter to the USA. It’s a relatively new saw that seems to have been released internationally in early 2016.
So what’s an aluminum groove cutter? I didn’t know, but Makita UK’s promo video helped clear things up. I’ve embedded it at the end of the post.
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In short, an aluminum groove cutter cuts a special V-shaped groove into aluminum composite material panels that allows the panel to be bent to a perfect right angle. There is also an optional cutter that allows for 135° angles.
Basically, it cuts a mitered groove.
This allows for easy bending, but also seamless edges.
Makita says that applications include:
- Architectural cladding
- Partitions
- Facades
- False ceilings
- Wall linings
- Stairways
- Elevators
- Shop fitting
- Sign making
The tool allows for on-site panel fabrication. (How are aluminum composite panels typically fabricated for fitment?)
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The aluminum groove cutter is compatible with Makita’s guide rails.
This is the cutting blade that comes with the saw. There’s also a blade for 135° grooves.
The blade can also be swapped out for a wood-cutting blade, turning the groove cutter into a plunge-cutting saw that can work with wood. When equipped in this way, it has a 36mm (~1.42″) cutting capacity.
Specifications
- 4-5/8″ blade size
- 13/16″ arbor
- 7/16″ max cutting depth
- 13.5″ long
- 12A motor
- 2,200 – 6,400 RPM
- Depth adjustment for 3mm, 4mm, 6mm thick panels (0.118″, 0.157″, 0.236″)
- Can cut as close as 11/16″ to an edge
- Built-in swiveling dust port
- Weighs 11.3 lbs
It’s designed for use on aluminum composite materials.
Price: $761
Buy Now(via Amazon)
Makita UK promo video:
First Thoughts
To be frank, this is a specialty tool well outside my familiarity, and the same goes for aluminum composite panels. I understand the concept behind ACP and ACM panels, which features a multi-layer construction of thin aluminum panels on the outside and a non-aluminum material on the inside as the core.
I had a computer case once that had sandwiched side panels, with steel outer layers and a plastic sound-deadening inner layer. I figure that aluminum composite panels have aluminum outer panels for strength and durability, and something else on the inside for improving the strength and rigidity but at lower cost and far less weight than if the panel was made from solid aluminum.
According to Wikipedia, the core material is often low-density polyethylene.
If you work with aluminum composite materials, is this something you would buy? What do you use currently to fabricate corners and bends?
fred
The blade looks a bit like the Rockler Miter Fold blade:
http://www.rockler.com/rockler-miter-fold-dado-set
I wonder if the Makita tool could be jigged-up to accomplish the same thing with plywood as the Rockler blade or if the cheaper Rocker blade could be used on aluminum composite panels.
Stuart
I was thinking the same!
The Makita saw is sized for up to 6mm panels, ~1/4″, while the Rockler blade capacity starts at plywood around 1/4″ thick.
Kevin
At 1:11, the video mentions that the wood blade would be 165mm, not 35mm. That’s a bit more interesting for wood.
Stuart
Just below that it says the cutting capacity is 36mm.
The blade size is 165mm. It’s cutting capacity is going to be lower.
Quite frankly, 36mm cutting capacity is better than I expected. It keeps this from being a unitasker.
Nathan
didn’t know people were using Alum/composite panels for construction. I guess for high rise or other commercial construction it makes some sense. It is used on airplanes – specifically Airbus airplanes and a few older smaller things (fokker F100’s if anyone knows of those)
and other bits. We use AL/Nomex/Fibreglass for cargo liner and impact blocks on some parts of the cargo planes. lighter than equal thickness AL plate – stronger etc.
Anywho for our uses it’s hydroformed – even for 90 degree bends. but that’s not something you’ll see on site unless it’a a very big site.
Adabhael
Interesting about the aerospace use. I specify ACP all the time on buildings as an exterior panel. It can be used in lots of ways: glazed into curtainwall mullions in place of glass for opaque panels, face-fastened directly to walls, clipped on with concealed fasteners, or even configured as a rainscreen.
This saw is neat to see because one common approach to make ACP panels is called “route-and-return” which is very similar to the v-grove method described at 0:15 of the video above. As the name suggests, in ACP, route-and-return involves cutting a pattern of grooves on the back face (in a # shape), then removing the corners, and folding the sides along the groves to produce a rigid panel with tight seams at the corners. In metal, it appears like solid material while actually being lightweight, cost-effective and providing some space for insulation or an air cavity. These can be mounted “wet” with sealant in the joints between panels, or “dry” with a specialty clip system. The fabricators we work with use a CNC router to do the cutting and the groves, which makes it possible to do a lot of custom-sized panels but still optimize the material layouts and avoid waste. The rolling and coating of the coiled face metal leaves a slight “grain” or direction to the finish, and you normally try to get them all the same for consistency. On one project we deliberately cut each panel at a different orientation from the stock, so the building appears to shimmer as each panel catches the light slightly differently, even though it is all the same color. Even with the extra CAD time to figure it out, this actually cost less since we wasted less material.
Koko the Talking Ape
Interesting! Does the material move much with changes in temperature?
Drew M
I have some aluminum honeycomb core sheet and it is amazing stuff. I looked into getting more and it is just crazy expensive. I have to wonder how this solid PE core sandwich compares for strength/weight.
Moze
The use of ACM is also huge in the sign industry. I can see sign shops using these.
Garden hose
Used to seeing CNC plasma or lasers do the cuts then put in a brake to bend the thick stuff.
Both being absurdly expensive for someone at home and obviously not mobile.
Nathan
leaned something new today. As far as I know/remember the orginal AL/Fibreglass composite sandwich sheet (sized 0.040,0.050,and 0.062) was made by Fokker in the 60’s and intended to replace rolled AL for aircraft skin sheet. As it would repair like AL, rivet like AL but have the additional strength in both directions. etc etc. It’s been used a few times in a few places but never got wide scale use on planes. No airplane ever used GLARE (glass reinforced AL as the trade name) for whole aircraft skins. Till the A380 was developed and designed to use AL/FBR/Kevlar/AL skin on the top half of the aircraft hoop. Anyway glad to see it’s used in other places because stuff is expensive but rather nifty. I keep expecting to see it in a car one day. Ok non – exotic car.
T
We have been experimenting with single and dual layer for skid plating under shielding and aero or interior paneling on a few cars. It weighs so much less than a comparable aluminum sheet of similar strength/thickness, easier to fabricate, etc… Very cool sound deadening too, when used as a liner in wheel well and floor pan areas. This saw doesnt really apply to what we do but it will be a godsend to some people doing much more with the stuff.
Blythe M
I don’t know anything about this or have need to use the material, but I would be curious to the benefits of this saw over a router w/ v-groove bit with a track adapter. If the main difference is speed then it seems like the casual user could just get away with a router that can also be used to many other tasks
Stuart
If you look at the cutter shape, the tooth profile is not quite a simple V-shape.
How easy or difficult would it be to dial in the perfect settings on the router?
I think a router might be a decent once-on-a-while solution, with some experimentation to dial things in right.
But of you work with these materials regularly, the time savings would have the tool paying for itself rather quickly.
Jimmie
It’s a darned shame nobody builds full shrouds like that around woodworking circular saws other than track saws.