CNC Routing Fatigue-Resistant 301 Stainless Steel 0.01 Inch Thick?

Greetings! This is my first post so I will start by saying hi!

My first job back in the day when I was 18 was running an old retro-fitted excellon 3 head router (as in, it used to run those tapes with the holes punched in it, lol). Back then I wrote all the G-code by hand. Simpler times, haha.

I am looking to plan out some new shop space and buy some gear so I figured I would reach out and listen to those who know far more than myself for some advice.

I need to cut Fatigue-Resistant 301 Stainless Steel that is 0.01" thick (McMaster-Carr). I need it to keep as much of its hardened/tempered state as possible. This stock will be cut into shapes (probably do this in Fusion 360), nothing too complex. 2" x 2" with rounded corners, maybe a notch or two and a few holes.

I know some people who have cut this type of stock with really sharp metal cutting scissors or shears since it is so thin, but with the precision I would like to get I was really hoping I could route these out with a CNC router.

Easy peasy? or am I dreaming? (and if I am, how would you approach this?)

Any advise/thoughts would be much appreciated.

Edit: This is technically for work so my budget is flexible when it comes to gear. A good CNC router was already on my radar for other uses, however, trying to keep things as simple as logical.

Find a waterjet shop to cut your parts. Perfect application.

no affiliation.

Mach 1 Waterjet, Inc.

2900 Main St
Alameda, CA 94501

Phone: 510-337-2753
Email: [email protected]

Dan from Oakland said:

Find a waterjet shop to cut your parts. Perfect application.

no affiliation.

Mach 1 Waterjet, Inc.

2900 Main St
Alameda, CA 94501

Phone: 510-337-2753
Email: [email protected]

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Thanks for the suggestion! I was thinking about Waterjet but I am trying to focus on being able to do this myself. The parts I run will be very low volume and sporadic at best which doesnt really lend itself well to being farmed/shopped out to 3rd parties.

I thought about getting a small "desktop" waterjet like a Wazer but the reviews seem mixed.

Thanks for replying! I was considering waterjet but for sending parts out my issue will mainly be the quantities are going to be small/sparse (so I doubt most shops will want to quote it). Preference is to get my own gear to fab it. I thought about a Wazer desktop waterjet but the reviews seem mixed.

Waterjet or laser. A quality laser will have almost no heat affected zone.

mhajicek said:

Waterjet or laser. A quality laser will have almost no heat affected zone.

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Interesting. I thought about going the laser route but assumed there would be some burn around the cutting path. Could I get this done with a C02 laser? perhaps with a higher power (150w, etc) or would it need Oxy or Nitrogen assist gas.

eastbaysteve said:

Interesting. I thought about going the laser route but assumed there would be some burn around the cutting path. Could I get this done with a C02 laser? perhaps with a higher power (150w, etc) or would it need Oxy or Nitrogen assist gas.

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I'm not a laser expert, but I think you'd want a fiber laser. It's going to cost a bit. Or you can order your parts pre-cut for pretty cheap from someone that does laser cutting for a living:

Materials - SendCutSend

This place says .030" to .500" thickness, but maybe they can make an exception if you pay extra.

FYI, a 6KW fiber laser will cut your material at north of 2500 IPM. There will be virtually no HAZ either.

It's a no-brainer really. Can your router cut at that speed?