Do you know which materials are most often used to make parts? Do you know the characteristics of these materials?
Metals
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As a general rule, softer metals, like aluminum and brass, as well as plastics, machine easily and will take less time to remove material, which in turn reduces time and cost. Harder materials, like stainless steel and carbon steel, must be machined with slower spindle RPMs and machine feed rates, which would increase the cycle times versus the softer materials. As a general rule, aluminum will machine about four times faster than carbon steel, and eight times faster than stainless steel.
The type of material is a critical driver in determining the overall cost of the part. For example, 6061 aluminum bar stock is approximately half the price per pound of aluminum plate, and 7075 aluminum bar stock can be two to three times the cost of 6061 bar stock. Cost for 304 stainless steel is about two to three times that of 6061 aluminum, and about twice as much as 1018 carbon steel.
Depending on the size and geometry of the part, the material cost can assume a significant portion of the overall price of the part. If the design doesn’t warrant the properties of a carbon or stainless steel, consider using 6061 aluminum to minimize the material expense.
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Plastic material can be a less expensive alternative to metals if the design doesn’t require the rigidity of metal. Polyethylene is easy to machine, and costs about 1/3 that of 6061 aluminum. In general terms, ABS is about 1½ times the cost of Acetal; nylon and polycarbonate are approximately three times the cost of Acetal. Keep in mind that depending on the geometry, tight tolerances can be harder to hold with plastics, and the parts could warp after removed
Finally, by using a five-axis capable machine, the machine and part movement allows for the cutting tool to remain tangential to the cutting surface. Lower cycle times and costs are achieved because more material can be removed with each pass of the tool, and better surface finishes result by using the five-axis capabilities on contoured geometry. In traditional three-axis machining, very small cuts must be used to create a good surface finish, resulting in longer lead times.
This is the information provided by our website about the materials used to make parts. If you want to know more, you can also look at other contents of our website.
Source of this article:https://www.ymp.com.hk/