Aluminium
Chosen when mass, thermal conductivity or lead time matter. It cuts fast and easily - which is why the usual mistake is not at the cutting edge but in the workholding and in how stable the dimension stays afterwards.
Usual grades
How it behaves at the cutting edge
It cuts fast, but the result depends on fixturing stiffness and on the stresses locked into the stock: a thick plate roughed on one side only will bow before you get to finish it. EN AW-6082 is the general-purpose alloy, weldable and anodisable. 7075 and 2024 are strength alloys - they machine well, resist corrosion less well and are not routinely welded. In all of them the surface owes more to edge geometry and chip evacuation than to the alloy itself.
What to state on the drawing
Specify the alloy, not just “aluminium”: EN AW-6082 welds and anodises well, 7075 is far stronger but does not weld, 2024 sits between them. If anodising follows, say so: the layer adds a few microns per face, and a dimension cut at the limit before anodising falls out of tolerance after it.
What it means for the routing
Thin parts distort when released from the vice, not under the cutter: the material carries internal stress, and the clamping holds it until you let go. For thin walls, final dimensions are cut in a low-force set-up, last. A part that “was good on the machine” and goes out of shape on the inspection table is almost always this.
Where it is used
- Housings and base plates
- Parts where mass matters
- Heat sinks and thermal components
- Prototypes and short runs
- Components that get anodised
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