(updated 03.26.2013) Fly’s revisited. (not happy) X that… Im getting happier. :)

Okay, So im at it once agin…..
pros cons.

Blue ray and or double layer disc’s have the cool blue / purple look to them and their
thicker. +/- 0.050 and yes they are indeed 2 layers of plastic.
While this may seem like a good thing being thicker and all. It turn out its a real
PItA! As, the 2 layers separate easily. be it during the cutting, cleaning and or assembly
process. they will separate. (more thna likey it starts with the plunge, the cutter enters the material.
after clearing the first layer it hits the second layer and pushes it apart. this is where it begins)

Regular cd’s burnable ones included. they have the typical silvery look.
some more chrome some more grey. some are painted some are foil coated.
they range from 0.041 to about 0.047 thick.  (quite a wide range)

They dont look quite as cool but will not separate. mixing colors adds to the look.
After combing thru the hundreds of cd’s I have collected over the years. I decided
I would take a permanent marker to some of them to add more color.

I think in the end the standard cd’s are the ticket.

While they are all made from polycarbonate. (So, I have read.) they sure seem to split/crack easily.
but mill easily too.

I made a jig to locate the cd’s. I glue them down with temporary spray adhesive.
Settling on a .0313 double flute end mill. I make one pass Rapids @ 15 -20 ipm and cuts at 5 ipm’s
any more than that and snap goes the end mill. I also decide that climb cutting work best.
Also, I use a small stream of air to keep the bit cool. RPM’s are set at 3800.

I have not broke one bit yet with all these settings. No coolant or misting.

I took care to fillet all my slots and edges. I learned this the hard way.
I cut the parts early on (no fillets) and then assembly was a Bitc#4!%!!!h.
back to cad…. add fillets re cut etc… now assembly is a charm.

Broken Flys…. separated DVD’s etc…. back to cad to resize the slots for cd’s.
Ill post my results. and files if your interested. stay tuned…

UPDATE: CD’s are the ticket for now. now that I have a grip on the pro’s/con’s
I can perhaps revisit the cutting of DL disks.  (aka: blue ray disks.)
I made some major mods. te flys are longer, beefier and all the assembly notches have been
make either longer or beefier too. the tail section has been modified too as has the back plate.
bla…bla.. every part has some mods.!

Their multiplying!