Essential Metals for Precision CNC Machining: Materials & Applications

Part One

Metals play a significant role in precision CNC machining processes used to create a variety of both industrial and everyday products.  Some of the precision CNC machining operations that incorporate metal include milling turning, laser cutting, laser engraving, laser etching, small part machining and close tolerance machining. Our next series of articles will examine some common metals our machinists work with in our machine shop.

Aluminum

Aluminum is a durable, lightweight material used in various machine shop operations including laser cutting, laser engraving, laser etching and milling turning.  Our machinists use aluminum when the project calls for low temperature metal fabrication <392 degrees Fahrenheit. Aluminum is fairly easy to shape and drill and is the perfect material for small part machining and close tolerance machining.  Examples of products made of aluminum include automotive parts, medical devices and light fixtures.

Copper

Copper is a conductive metal that is quite difficult to machine, thus it requires the machinist to have special skills and knowledge. The precision CNC machining experts at JW Machine have the experience and expertise to work with this material which is corrosion-resistant and malleable. Many industrial, electrical and marine products are made of copper.

Our next article will cover two more metals commonly used in precision CNC machining.

JW Machine is an award-winning, ISO 9100 / AS 9100 certified machine shop serving clients in esteemed industries including aerospace, defense, automotive and OEM parts.  With more than 95 combined years of machining experience, our staff has perfected the art of delivering high quality prototypes to production manufacturing and contract manufacturing services. Let JW Machine take your project to the next level. Give us a call to learn more today!