By Hand - A hacksaw with a steel blade or preferably a Tungsten or Diamond gritted blade for easier cutting
Band Saw - Fine toothed blades for wood can be used but the blade will loose sharpness quickly
Circular Saw - Preferred option for volume cutting. Optimum cutting speed 3000metres/minute
Either Ceramic Blade with water jet to avoid burn marks. Slurry collection required for the sawdust
Or Electroplated Nickel with Diamond. Use water jetting with slurry collection for longest blade life. Dry cutting requires dust extraction equipment.

Routing

For best results use an electroplated diamond blade

Shearing and Punching

Wider punch clearances preferred and for large quantities special punching pultrusion formulations can be formulated.

Special Tools required - This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

Fastening

Self-tapping screws in pre-drilled holes or normal nuts and bolts. Crimped and/or bonded tube ends are also satisfactory.

Drilling

Normal high speed twist drills using the same feeds and speeds as for aluminium. Special drills can be obtained for modular drilling.

Sanding

Standard woodworking machines are used. Dust extraction is recommended.

Bonding

Surface must be abraded and degreased prior to bonding. Epoxy adhesives give good results.

Painting

Stoved or unstoved paints can be used. Epoxy undercoats give the best adhesion, but polyester and polyurethane undercoats also give excellent results. Any compatible top coat can be applied.