Routing Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) Panels Like Alucobond® and Dibond®

As a professional or hobbyist woodworker, its good practice to have the correct set of woodcutting router bits for each type of material you are working with. You will use your cabinet making router bits while building kitchen cabinets just as you will use your plastic cutting router bits when working with acrylics. However, there is a unique material on the market that your woodcutting ‘V’ groove router bits will be ineffective on: ACM panels.

Alucobond® (for example), a sandwich panel, is a type of flat panel that consists of two thin aluminum sheets binded to a non-aluminum core. ACM panels are being used widely to decorate interior office buildings and as external cladding in buildings, hospitals, airports, hotels and convention centers across the world. The aluminum sheets are very strong despite their overall lightweight and may be ordered any color or designed with patterns that imitate other materials, such as wood and marble, making them very popular.

Advantages of Aluminum Composite Material (ACM) Panels:

Increased rigidity and durability Weather and UV resistance Low weight Easy forming and processing Easily cleaned Long-lasting Can be used both indoors and outdoors

When shaping the ACM panels, you must use a router bit specifically designed to groove the materials in the exact degree needed for the fold. Amana Tool® ACM panel ‘V’ Groove router bits were designed for cutting aluminum and plastic sandwich materials like Alucobond®, Dibond®, Etalbond® and more with 90º, 108º and 135º angles. All bits are designed with flat bottoms. These ACM panel router bits are manufactured with Amana-exclusive, long-lasting industrial quality carbide tips, ensuring you are working with a router bit that will not dull out after a few passes on the material.

Shaping the ACM panel is easy, when routed with the correct ACM panel router bits. Route as needed to remove the aluminum and a part of the polyethylene core with a ‘V’ shaped groove, this allows folding the remaining material by hand. The process, the routing and folding technique, makes it possible to produce shaped products of all types and sizes.

Try the above methods when shaping your ACM panels and be sure to use only industrial quality ACM panel cutting router bits by Amana Tool®.