Custom Intake Plate

It doesn't matter since you're casting them anyway, but it's fun debate nonetheless. ;)

How are you going to cut sharp interior corners with a round cutter?

Why would you cut the plate out on a water jet and then move it to a mill for the rest when you could just do all the operations on a mill in the first place?

1. I don't know how they do it but I see it done every day at work.

2. How are you going to get the shape of the plate? Mill down thick material all day long? The fastest way to make multiple parts would be to throw down a sheet of aluminum and water jet all of the pieces out. 1/8" plate, you could cut 10 in probably less than 10 minutes.

CNC's man. You can make whatever you want.
 
1. I don't know how they do it but I see it done every day at work.

2. How are you going to get the shape of the plate? Mill down thick material all day long? The fastest way to make multiple parts would be to throw down a sheet of aluminum and water jet all of the pieces out. 1/8" plate, you could cut 10 in probably less than 10 minutes.

CNC's man. You can make whatever you want.

If you don't know how it's done, then you are by no means in a position to say "it isn't hard at all." I guess anything is possible if you don't know what you're talking about.
 
Why would you cut the plate out on a water jet and then move it to a mill for the rest when you could just do all the operations on a mill in the first place?

only reason i would cut them first is to make a 2nd jig to go into the mill to allow the machining to be different on each plate but start with the same blank.

1. I don't know how they do it but I see it done every day at work.

2. How are you going to get the shape of the plate? Mill down thick material all day long? The fastest way to make multiple parts would be to throw down a sheet of aluminum and water jet all of the pieces out. 1/8" plate, you could cut 10 in probably less than 10 minutes.

CNC's man. You can make whatever you want.
not trying to be a dick... but you should really stop talking about machining. your wrong on a lot of this.

first CNC's cant make ANYTHING you can think of. ive designed plenty of parts that couldnt be CNC'd
2nd cutting them isnt an issue at all and thats ALL the water jet would do. a metal sheer would be faster.
but then you STILL need to machine them.
the OP's route of making a mold and casting them is a good route to take for this if hes going to make a bunch of them. another route would be doing it in PM but the machines needed arent something most places have.