Aluminum is a soft, lightweight, pliable, and long-lasting metal. It has a silver or dull grey appearance that varies depending on the roughness of the surface. It is non-flammable and has no magnetic characteristics. Aluminum is a light metal that melts at 640 degrees and has a density of 2.68. On a specific cross-section area, it is an excellent conductor of electricity, however not to the same standard as copper.
- Aluminum alloys have several desirable properties. As a result, aluminum CNC machining parts are critical in a variety of sectors, including the ones listed below:
- Aerospace: Several airplane fittings are built of machined aluminum due to their high strength-to-weight ratio.
- Automobile: comparable to the aerospace sector, the automotive industry uses aluminum for numerous parts such as shafts and other components.
- Electrical: Its electrical conductivity makes aluminum CNC milling parts often used as electronic components in electrical appliances.
- Food/Pharmaceutical: because they do not react with most organic substances, aluminum parts play essential roles in the food and pharmaceutical industries.
- Sports: aluminum is used to make sports equipment such as baseball bats and sports whistles.
- Cryogenics: Aluminum parts are ideal for cryogenic applications due to their ability to retain mechanical qualities at sub-zero temperatures.
Grade of Aluminum
The type of aluminum grade you use will ultimately be determined by your machining projects. This will allow you to rank each grade from most significant to least important based on its qualities. As a result, you can select aluminum with specified qualities and shapes to meet your requirements.
The following are some examples of kinds with important information about the Aluminum grade:
- Aluminum 6061: The mechanical qualities of this grade are exceptional. It is also one of the most extruded grades due to its outstanding weldability. Toughness, strength, corrosion resistance, cool anodization, and workability advantages aluminum 6061. Aluminum 6061 is a popular choice for CNC machining with five axes.
- Aluminum 7075: It's also popular, despite the fact that it's not as popular as 6061. This grade is noted for its high fatigue resistance. This aluminum grade isn't suited for welding, and it's also quite expensive. As a result, it is preferable for pieces that are difficult to work with, such as fuselages, bicycle parts, rock climbing kits, and aircraft wings. Corrosion resistance is also improved with this alloy.
- Aluminum 2024: The alloy is predominantly used in the military and aerospace sectors. This is because of its mechanical properties, like excellent weariness resistance and high strength. The corrosion resistance of aluminum 2024 is poor, and it is not weldable.
Benefits of aluminum CNC milling
- Machinability
- Corrosion resistance
- Strength-to-weight ratio
- Electrical conductivity
- Anodization potential
- Recyclability
Best Practices of Aluminium CNC Milling
CNC machining aluminum
Most likely, you've encountered this issue while machining metal. You lay down a new material and use the same machine setup as before. BANG! What happened? It is supposed to be accessible to machine aluminum, right?
Aluminum requires less cutting force than harder materials like steel. But aluminum is softer and melts at a much lower temperature. As a result, it's all too easy for the loose material chips to overheat and fuse to the tool. This dulls the cutting edge in small quantities, causing a more significant mechanical load on the cutter and further heat build-up. Premature tool failure can result from this.