CNC machining of aluminum materials
Time: 2023-10-07
Aluminum is one of the commonly used materials in current mechanical processing. In fact, the CNC machining process of aluminum materials is only used less frequently than steel. The chemical element aluminum, in its high-purity form, is soft, ductile, non magnetic, and has a silver white appearance. However, this element is not only used in the pure aluminum state. Aluminum is usually cast into alloys with various elements, such as manganese, copper, and magnesium, to form various aluminum alloys with significantly improved properties. Common processed aluminum alloys and their grades under different standards can be found here. Pure aluminum (source: Wikipedia. com) has the advantages of using aluminum for CNC machining parts. Although there are countless aluminum alloys with varying degrees of characteristics, there are also some basic characteristics that are applicable to all aluminum alloys. Machinable aluminum can be rapidly formed, manufactured, and processed under various processing processes. Aluminum can be quickly and easily cut by machine tools because of its soft texture, easy cutting, inexpensive price, and lower force than required for processing steel. These features are major advantages for both mechanics and customers who order parts. Moreover, the excellent processing performance of aluminum means that it is less prone to deformation during the processing process. Given that it can enable CNC machine tools to achieve higher tolerance, its accuracy will be higher. The density of high-strength aluminum is about one-third that of steel. The mass is relatively lighter. Despite its light weight, aluminum has a very high strength. This combination of strength and weight is called the specific strength of the material. The high specific strength of aluminum makes it suitable for making many industrial parts, such as in the automotive and aerospace industries. Corrosion resistant aluminum is resistant to scratches and corrosion in conventional marine and atmospheric environments. By anodizing, this characteristic can also be strengthened. It should be noted that the corrosion resistance of different levels of aluminum materials also varies. Conventional ordinary CNC machining levels actually have strong resistance. Most materials with low temperature performance will lose some characteristics below zero degrees Celsius.