CNC Routing Guide

How to Cut Vinyl Album with CNC Machine

Vinyl records are flexible PVC, not wood or acrylic. That changes the tool, the speed, and the way you hold the disc down. This guide walks through six steps to cut vinyl album with CNC machine setups that keep the groove safe and the edge clean. Written for engineers running prototypes, display pieces, or reworked records.

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PVC-specific feeds2-3 flute end millsVacuum + clamp hold-down0.1-0.3 mm depth per pass

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Key takeaways

PVC cuts cold, not hotHigh spindle speed melts vinyl. Stay near 8,000-12,000 rpm and let the tool cut, not rub.

Climb milling on the finish passConventional cuts grab the edge. Climb milling gives a cleaner wall on flexible PVC.

Shallow passes only0.1-0.3 mm depth per pass. Deeper bites lift the disc off the table.

Two flutes beat fourWider chip clearance stops the soft material from packing into the flutes.

Cold tool, slow feedRushing the feed smears the cut edge and leaves a burr you cannot sand flat.

Material behavior

Why vinyl behaves nothing like acrylic

A vinyl record is pressed from PVC, usually with a small amount of plasticizer. That gives it the flexibility that keeps a stylus tracking, and it makes machining awkward. The material is soft, slightly rubbery, and has a low melting point compared with acrylic or polycarbonate. A cutter that spins too fast rubs instead of shears, and the edge turns gummy.

The disc also flexes. A 12 in record is about 2-3 mm thick at the rim and thinner toward the label area. Clamp it at the edge only and the middle lifts under tool pressure. Cut a full disc without support and you get chatter marks, a wandering profile, and a tool that squeals on every pass.

Vinyl also holds a static charge. Chips cling to the surface and to the cutter, then get dragged back through the cut. A single air blast aimed at the tool tip solves most of this. Without it, you will see the same scratch reappear on three parts in a row.

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Low melting pointFriction heat is the main enemy. Keep the tool sharp and the speed moderate.
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Thickness variesMeasure at the rim, the label, and the middle before you set Z zero.
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Static chipsAir blast at the cutter stops recutting and surface scratches.

Workholding

Holding a record flat without crushing it

The simplest setup is a sacrificial MDF or PVC backing board with a shallow pocket cut to the disc diameter. Drop the record into the pocket, and the rim registers on the pocket wall. That stops lateral movement without any clamp pressure on the grooves. Cut the pocket 0.2 mm deeper than the record so the surface sits just below the board.

For through cuts, you need the disc fully supported. A vacuum table with a dedicated fixture plate works well, but vinyl is porous enough at the label area to leak air. Seal the label with masking tape or use a gasket around the perimeter. If vacuum alone will not hold, add low-profile toggle clamps at the rim, outside the cut path.

Never clamp across the groove field. Point pressure cold-flows PVC, and the groove deforms permanently. If you must clamp the face, put a soft neoprene pad under the clamp foot and keep the force just enough to stop lift. Test by hand before you start the spindle.

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Pocket fixtureRegisters the rim, supports the full face, no face clamping.
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Seal the labelMasking tape or a gasket keeps vacuum from leaking through.
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Rim clamps onlyKeep clamp feet outside the cut path and pad them.

Tooling

Tool geometry that suits soft PVC

Two-flute or three-flute carbide end mills with a high helix angle are the usual choice. The wide flute space clears the stringy chip before it welds to the cutter. Four-flute tools have less room, and PVC chips tend to pack and rub. For profile cuts, an upcut spiral gives good evacuation but can lift a flexible edge. A downcut spiral leaves a cleaner top edge but pushes chips into the cut.

For engraving or shallow marking on the surface, an O-flute or single-flute cutter at 12,000-16,000 rpm works better than a V-bit. A V-bit has almost no chip room and will smear. If you need fine text, keep character height above 1.5 mm so the tool has room to clear chips and the letters stay legible.

Coating matters less than sharpness. A fresh uncoated carbide tool cuts cleaner than a dull coated one. Keep a dedicated set of cutters for plastics and never use them on aluminum first. Aluminum chips dull the edge in a way that shows up immediately on vinyl.

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2-3 flute carbideBest chip clearance for stringy PVC swarf.
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O-flute for engravingSingle flute at high rpm beats a V-bit on soft plastic.
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Keep plastics separateDo not share cutters with aluminum or steel jobs.

Problems and fixes

What goes wrong and how to correct it

A melted edge is the most common failure. It looks glossy and slightly rounded instead of crisp. The cause is almost always too much rpm or too slow a feed. Drop the speed by 1,000-2,000 rpm and raise the feed by 10-20 percent. If the problem persists, the tool is dull or has the wrong flute count.

Chatter shows as a rippled wall or a repeating pattern on the cut face. On a flexible disc, it usually means the record is lifting or vibrating. Check that the pocket is snug and that no clamps sit inside the cut path. A spring pass at the same depth often cleans up a light chatter mark without removing more material.

A wandering profile, where the cut drifts off the programmed path, points to work movement rather than a machine issue. Vinyl is slippery. If the pocket is too loose, the disc creeps under side load. Re-cut the pocket 0.05-0.1 mm tighter, or add a thin rubber gasket to increase friction.

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Melted edgeLower rpm, raise feed, replace dull tool.
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ChatterTighten the pocket, remove in-path clamps, add a spring pass.
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Wandering cutThe disc is moving. Tighten the fixture or add a gasket.

The process

Step by step: cutting the record

Follow the order. Skipping the test cut is the most common mistake.

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1. Measure the disc in three placesCheck thickness at the rim, the label, and the midpoint. Typical 12 in records run 2-3 mm but vary. Set Z zero on the highest point. If thickness varies more than 0.3 mm, add a spring pass instead of a deeper first cut.
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2. Build the pocket fixtureCut a shallow pocket in MDF or PVC sheet, 0.2 mm deeper than the record and 0.1 mm larger in diameter. Test fit by hand. The disc should drop in with light finger pressure and not rock.
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3. Set the tool and offsetsLoad a 3 mm or 4 mm two-flute carbide end mill. Touch off on the fixture surface, then raise Z by the measured disc thickness. Double-check the offset with a gauge block before running the program.
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4. Run a test cut on scrapUse an offcut of the same record or a spare pressing. Run the first pass at 10,000 rpm, 800-1,200 mm/min feed, and 0.2 mm depth. Listen for squealing. If the edge smears, reduce rpm by 1,000 and increase feed by 100 mm/min.
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5. Cut the profile in shallow passesHold 0.1-0.3 mm depth per pass. Keep the cutter moving. Pausing in the cut lets heat build and welds the chip to the wall. Use climb milling on the final pass for a cleaner edge.
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6. Clear chips continuouslyAim an air blast at the tool tip. Do not rely on vacuum extraction alone; vinyl chips are light and static-charged. If chips recirculate, stop and clear them by hand before continuing.
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7. Deburr and inspectA sharp scraper held at 45° removes the fine fuzz from the cut edge. Do not sand vinyl; heat from friction smears the surface. Check the profile with a gauge and confirm the groove field is untouched.

Starting points

Parameter ranges by operation

Ranges are starting points. Tune based on chip color, sound, and edge finish.

Operation	Spindle speed	Feed rate	Depth per pass
Rough profile	8,000-10,000 rpm	800-1,200 mm/min	0.2-0.3 mm
Finish profile	10,000-12,000 rpm	1,000-1,500 mm/min	0.1-0.15 mm
Pocket for label	9,000-11,000 rpm	700-1,000 mm/min	0.15-0.2 mm
Surface engraving	12,000-16,000 rpm	1,200-1,800 mm/min	0.05-0.1 mm
Hole drilling	6,000-8,000 rpm	150-250 mm/min	Peck 1 × Ø
Edge trim	10,000-12,000 rpm	900-1,300 mm/min	0.1-0.2 mm

The short version

Cut vinyl cold, shallow, and fast enough to avoid rubbing. If the edge melts, lower the rpm before you change anything else.

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FAQs

Common questions

Can a standard wood router cut a vinyl record?

Yes, if you slow the spindle and use a sharp two-flute carbide tool. Wood routers often run at 18,000-24,000 rpm, which is too fast for PVC. Reduce to 8,000-12,000 rpm and check the edge on scrap first.

The bigger issue is hold-down. A wood router table with edge clamps will let the flexible disc lift. Add a pocket fixture or a vacuum plate before you cut a real record.

Does cutting damage the grooves near the cut?

Not if the disc stays flat and the tool stays cool. Heat is what deforms grooves. Shallow passes, moderate rpm, and an air blast keep the surrounding material below its softening point.

Keep clamp feet and vacuum gaskets outside the groove field. Any point pressure on the grooves will cold-flow the PVC and leave a permanent flat spot.

What is the best way to hold a record for a through cut?

A pocket fixture with full face support and rim registration is the most reliable. The pocket wall takes the side load, and the backing board supports the underside.

If you use vacuum, seal the label area with tape. Vinyl leaks air through the paper label and the vacuum will not hold at the center.

How deep can I cut in one pass?

Keep it to 0.1-0.3 mm. Deeper passes lift the disc and cause chatter. Two or three shallow passes cut faster overall than one deep pass that ruins the part.

For through cuts on thicker pressings, count the passes so the final one is only 0.1 mm. That gives the cleanest bottom edge.

Can GreatLight machine vinyl parts for us?

We run 127 high-precision CNC machines across three plants in Dongguan and Singapore, with tolerance to ±0.005 mm. Vinyl is one of many plastics we cut, alongside POM, PEEK, PC, and PMMA.

Send your drawing and material spec. We return a quotation and free DFM analysis within 12 hours. No minimum order quantity, from one prototype to 10,000+ parts.

Do I need a special cutter for PVC?

A sharp two-flute or three-flute carbide end mill with a high helix is enough. Single-flute O-flute cutters work well for engraving and shallow marking.

Avoid sharing cutters with aluminum or steel. Those materials dull the edge in a way that shows immediately as smearing on vinyl.