CNC Aluminum Machining Parts Manufacturing

China Custom CNC Aluminum Machining Parts

Aluminum machined parts manufacturing, due to its unique properties, differs from traditional metal parts manufacturing methods. Aluminum machining parts manufacturing has witnessed significant growth. According to Global News Wire, the CNC machining tool industry is expected to reach $32 billion by 2027. In this article, we will look at the entire process and benefits of CNC aluminum machining.

Aluminum Material Properties In CNC machining
Aluminum comes with several prominent features such as being a soft, light, malleable, and durable metal. Its strength-to-weight ratio makes it an attractive choice for aluminum machining parts manufacturers.

Outstanding Properties Of Aluminum:
Light
Strong
High conductivity
Heat conductivity
Non-toxic
Reflective
Easy surface finishing
Flexible
Relatively cheap to produce
Recyclable
Anticorrosion

Why Is It Worth Using Aluminum?
Aluminum is a modern material for the 21st century. Recently it has gained a lot of popularity. This happened for several reasons. First of all, technological progress has made obtaining and custom aluminum machining parts manufacturing this metal simpler and cheaper.
Aluminum is a ubiquitous element. We have plenty of it because it is the third most abundant element on Earth.

From the point of view of CNC machining, they have enormous durability. Despite their low weight, their resistance starts at 70 MPa and reaches up to 700 MPa. They are even stronger at low temperatures, which increases their operational durability, which reaches up to 80 years.
No metal provides such parameters. Combined with its corrosion resistance, aluminum becomes an ideal application in the automotive and industrial sectors. They are easy to process thanks to their plasticity. They can be used to create complex profiles with fixed geometry.
In addition, they are an excellent conductor, which is why aluminum is often used in electrical engineering.

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Surface Treatment of Aluminum Machined Parts
There are many types of surface treatment of aluminum alloys and pure aluminum.
They most often aim to:
Improvement of technical parameters of custom aluminum parts
Reducing friction and surface stresses
Better protection against corrosive factors (natural and chemical) and destruction of parts
Smoothing the surface
Giving it aesthetic values (e.g. Dyeing)
The most frequently used methods of surface treatment of aluminum alloys include:
Aluminum anodizing: It is an electrochemical process that produces a layer of corrosion-resistant aluminum trioxide and additional coloring is possible (as part of the process or using organic pigments),
Aluminum bead blasting: It is a technological process resembling sandblasting, in which the surface of the material is smoothed using a special abrasive material thrown onto the surface under very high pressure,
Aluminum electropolishing: It is an electrochemical process that produces a perfectly smooth metal layer. It improves mechanical properties and allows for obtaining a shiny surface. Removes tool marks and reduces possible friction.

Each of these methods requires appropriate tools (e.g. anodizing baths). Although they can be carried out by yourself, in the case of mass production of parts, it is best to outsource them to a professional aluminum machining parts manufacturer dealing with aluminum surface treatment.
When processing custom aluminum parts on a CNC machine, the preparation of technology and control programs is done outside the CNC machine. When connecting parts such as Machine – Knife – Fixture – Details, a closed sequence must be followed. Only then will the CNC machine be able to control the machining process according to standards and accuracy.

China CNC Aluminum Machining Part

Important Points To Consider When Manufacturing Aluminum Machined Parts
The most important thing to keep in mind is the manufacturing speed of the aluminum machined parts. The speed must be maintained for the rotary and feed options.
Of course, everything is within reason. It is important to match the dimension to the intended surface effect. Milling aluminum at the finishing stage must be slower in feed to improve the quality of the surface finish.
Aluminum is very sensitive to temperature. During milling, adequate cooling, or more precisely, heat dissipation, must be ensured. This process must take place efficiently and effectively. If we allow local overheating, the element will weaken.
Aluminum milling is performed using single, double, or triple blades. Their quantity, or rather, appropriate matching, translates into the efficiency of the process and good waste management.
Taking into account the properties of the alloys you are working with is the key to success. The operator of the CNC machine must take into account the high coefficient of linear expansion. This is doubly important in the cooling process.

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Aluminum is characterized by a low coefficient of longitudinal elasticity. It is a constant amount of deformation in response to the applied forces.
Problems That May Arise When Manufacturing Aluminum Machining Parts
First of all, an important issue to keep in mind is the high accuracy. In the case of automated machinery, there is not much time left for the operator to react in case something does not go according to plan. Therefore, it is important for aluminum machining parts shape, and properly remove chips.
Appropriate tool geometry will enable the process to be carried out without any problems. Aluminum shavings are long ribbons that can quickly wrap around the cutting tool and block it.

In CNC systems where the operator has a limited area of operation, a cooling system is used, which also serves as a chip flushing system. The working pressure should exceed 5 MPa. Chip removal is not everything – using the appropriate nozzle will crush and separate them.
Coolant contaminated with build-up should be pumped out to a special separator or filter. However, in the process of recirculating the cooling liquid, the chips must be cut and crushed by special cutting devices. They should be located near the inlet to the centrifugal pump. This will enable long and failure-free operation of the parts manufacturing device.

Conclusion
Aluminum is a well-known and valued material used in many industries. Corrosion resistance, high machinability, and good mechanical parameters mean that various types of custom aluminum parts are produced from aluminum blocks in very large quantities.
As with other metals, aluminum alloys can be processed in many ways, and each of them has slightly different applications and allows for obtaining a different result.