How to choose the cnc machining material

One of the advantages of CNC machining is its multi-function. Many cnc machining methods, such as turning, milling, and drilling, could provide very good solutions for custom prototypes and durable parts.

Another advantage of cnc is the ability to produce parts from any hard and soft metal or plastic material including metals, plastics, semiconductors, and elastomers. It could not only be used manufacture prototyping but also end-use products or parts

This article gives you an understanding of CNC machining material properties and the key factors to consider before selecting a specific CNC material.

The CNC material properties you should know.

The factors you should consider to choose the CNC material.

Application industry and operation environment

The industry and operation environment are the first two factors those must be considered in the selection of cnc materials. This will determine your material selection range.

For some specific industries, CNC material has specific requirements. The aerospace industry requires lightweight and high-strength materials that can manufacture precision parts. Medical service components must be able to withstand rigorous chemical or autoclave sterilization methods.

In different working environments, parts may encounter chemicals, moisture, high temperatures, high radiation, etc. This requires that materials could be rust resistance, flame resistance, UV and chemical resistance, electrical conductivity, etc.

Tight tolerances

Tight tolerances are extremely important for some industries, such as aviation and aerospace. Tighter tolerances improve product stability and reduce the possibility of deformation. However, the tighter the tolerance, the higher the production cost will be. If tolerances are not a very critical factor for the product, the tolerances standard could be lowed to reduce the time and cost.

Total Cost and Machinability

The total cost mainly includes processing cost and material cost. Usually high strength and light weight materials are relatively expensive. In addition, the processing time of high strength processing takes longer, which leads to higher processing costs. Therefore, you need to choose the most suitable material in accordance with the premise of strength, assembly and usage environment.

Weight sensitive

Are your parts weight sensitive? Or does it need to withstand heavy loads or high stresses.

If your product is weight sensitive, then you need to choose a light weight material or soft machining material, such as aluminum, copper, etc.

If your product needs to withstand heavy loads or high stresses, then you need hard materials, such as steel.

Stress Loads

You should consider whether the use of your part will require it to be subjected to stress loads. If so, then you will have to choose materials to machine that will resist stress loads and prevent deformation. This will prevent the part from breaking or deforming during use.

Legal and regulatory

You need to check whether your country or region has legal and regulatory requirements for product materials in your industry, especially the medical, food, and chemical industries.

Available supply

If your component is to be mass-production, then you need to consider whether the material you choose is available or can meet your production needs in a short period of time. Some materials are not available in large quantities for a number of reasons, so this is a factor needs to be taken into consider list when selecting cnc materials.