Aluminum is a silver-colored lightweight, non-magnetic metal that is easy to mold into various shapes. For instance, thin foils can create wrappers, while thick plates can be used in armored tanks. Although pure aluminum is soft with limited strength, small additions, such as magnesium, zinc, and copper, help to increase its strength.
Today, aluminum has become a popular choice in most industries, owing to its excellent mechanical properties. Some of the most desirable properties include durability, corrosion and chemical resistance, softness, as well as good heat and electrical conductivity. Accurately machined aluminum parts have also become common in the military, medical, aerospace, and industrial engineering sectors. Continue reading for more insights.
The Benefits of Custom Aluminum Machining
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There are several benefits you get from aluminum machining, including:
- Strength-to-weight ratio: Aluminum parts have an excellent strength-to-weight ratio that has increased their demand tremendously in recent years. Since these materials have high strength but are still lightweight, they have become ideal building parts in the aerospace and automotive industries.
- High machinability: Although aluminum is strong, it chips easily, making it easily convertible into your desired shapes. The material can withstand rigorous punching, drilling, and folding that is usually conducted during aluminum machining and still maintain its material properties. Also, due to its easy-to-shape properties, little energy is required to machine aluminum compared to other materials such as titanium, steel, and more.
- Easily bendable: Through the machining process, you get easily bendable aluminum parts. The thickness of this material allows you to use different molding methods to achieve your desired shapes through pressing and processing.
- Customization: You can easily customize aluminum to meet specific application requirements. By using machined aluminum parts, you can cosmetically finish or enhance them to your desired specifications. For instance, you can plate aluminum parts in various colors to suit your requirement, such as green, black, or blue.
- Temperature resistance: Typically, aluminum materials are highly resistant to low temperatures. This makes it easier to machine aluminum materials under low temperatures, unlike steel, which is delicate, especially in low-temperature environments or when used in welding.
- Recyclable: Various industries have adopted the use of aluminum parts because they are easily recyclable. Therefore, if you are looking to reduce the carbon footprint of your business, you should start using machined aluminum parts. Even though there is a lot of material waste caused by chipping, you can still recycle the waste to create a better product.
- Anti-corrosive: Machined parts made of aluminum are the most preferred in areas exposed to corrosive elements. Aluminum is known for its high corrosion-resistance capabilities. However, the corrosion-resistance levels also differ across grades. For example, grade 6061 offers a high corrosion-resistance level.
- Custom finishings: Since aluminum is easily customizable, it can quickly meet your requirements even after finishing. You have the freedom to tweak it in different ways so that it has a perfect custom look.
Common Aluminum Machined Components
There are various machined aluminum parts and components that you can get through Computerized Numerical Control (CNC) machining technology. These components help in a range of services such as grinding, turning, and milling. The engineering sector is one of the areas in which aluminum parts have grown in popularity.
Here are some common machined products:
- Lighting Fixtures
- EMI-Housings
- Dowels & Pins
- Front Panels
- Medical Devices
- Spline Shafts
Custom Aluminum Machining Solutions from Superior Metal Shapes
Aluminum machined parts are becoming popular in several industries because of their unique characteristics. They are easy to work with, so you can customize them to your desired specifications and recycle them to reduce your carbon footprint.
If you’ve been searching for aluminum machined parts for your business, Superior Metal Shapes specializes in CNC aluminum machining. We offer quality machining operations, including deburring, sawing, cutting, and CNC machining. Get a quote from us today to get started.