Custom Aluminum Part Edge Zero Anodized Silver China CNC Machining Service

How To CNC Aluminum Parts? 5 Ways to Make Aluminum Parts:

Process a complete block or rod of aluminum. This is the most straightforward method of machining aluminum. A piece of aluminum is mounted on a milling machine. Alternatively, lathe the bar. The principle of both methods is to cut metal shavings with a knife to obtain the desired product shape. In the case of a milling machine, the cutting tool is rotating. As with a lathe, what turns is the product.

The machining of aluminum parts can achieve fast cutting speeds. When the liquid cools well, the surface of the part will be fine. However, there is often a difference in surface roughness in the feed direction compared to the direction of rotation of the tool. Did you know that alcohol is an excellent coolant for cutting aluminum? It makes the processed surface shiny. The advantage is that almost any shape can be machined. However, we need to turn and clamp the parts to handle each surface. Unless we use a five-axis CNC machine. And there's a lot of wasted material, which has an impact on unit cost.

Aluminum extrusion is the process of making semi-finished parts. A piece of aluminum is heated to deformation temperature. A piece of about 500mm is cut off. This piece is put into the feeder of the extruder. Next, the aluminum is pressed at high pressure through an extrusion die made of hardened steel. The result is a long aluminum sheet with the desired product cross-section. These pieces are usually 12 meters long. After extrusion, the strips are straightened. Now, the long piece is cut to the length required for the final product. In most cases, the product still requires processing. The advantage of extruded aluminum products is that there is a huge reduction in material waste in order to obtain the final part. However, the cross section of the product is fixed and the number of integrated functions is limited.

Sheet metal fabrication is another process for manufacturing aluminum parts. We start with a thin sheet of aluminum. Next the aluminum must be cut to the correct shape. Aluminum cutting is done with a laser cutter, punch press or press. There are flat sheet metal parts and curved products. The bending of aluminum sheets is carried out using bending machines, stamping machines and presses.

We can also injection mold aluminum parts, injecting liquid aluminum into the injection mold under high pressure. The result is a part with almost all desired features after demolding. This technique is suitable for high-volume production because injection molds are relatively expensive. The mold cost for sand casting is much cheaper, but you have to accept the rough shape and surface of the product. Due to casting at low pressure, there are greater tolerances and the material is more brittle. In most cases, cast aluminum parts still require machining of certain features. Cavities with tighter tolerances are CNC machined. Threaded holes are drilled and tapped after forming. Cast aluminum parts are not suitable for anodizing.

Forging aluminum parts is another way to reduce scrap. We literally press a piece of material between the front and back of a hard steel mold. We use large presses with a force of 5 tons. The result is a perfectly shaped part. Just like any other forming process, we machine burrs, holes and tapped holes afterwards to obtain a more precise product. Pressed aluminum products are suitable for anodizing because the material structure is similar to extruded aluminum. This manufacturing process for aluminum parts became feasible in production runs of over 3000 pieces.

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