Which grade to cut, when to change temper, and when a cheaper alloy will fail. Practical notes for engineers who specify aluminum, stainless, tool steel, titanium and engineering plastics.
Most failed parts are not machining failures. They are grade and temper choices made before the first cut.
6061-T6 is easy to cut and welds well, but its yield strength sits near 276 MPa. A thin bracket loaded in bending will flex or crack. Switching to 7075-T6 roughly doubles strength, though anodizing color shifts and welded joints become unreliable.
Austenitic 304 and 316 work-harden fast. Light finishing passes at the wrong feed speed leave a hard skin that destroys the next insert. Free-machining 303 cuts clean but cannot be welded, so a part that later needs a weld joint has to move back to 304.
Carbon steel 1018 is cheap and machines beautifully. Put it on a sliding wear face and it galling within a few hundred cycles. Hardened D2 or A2 holds an edge far longer, but both need a heat-treat step that adds days and can distort thin sections.
POM and PA absorb moisture and change dimension. PEEK holds stiffness at high temperature but costs many times more and eats tool life. Choosing by room-temperature datasheet alone usually means a callback after the first thermal cycle.
We read the load case, the environment and the volume, then recommend a material and a process route.
6061-T6 remains the default for enclosures, fixture plates and general brackets. It welds, anodizes cleanly and holds ±0.005 mm on features that are not too thin. When a part sees cyclic load or needs the highest stiffness per kilogram, 7075-T6 is the better call, at the cost of weldability and a darker anodized look.
6082-T6 sits close to 6061 in strength but machines with better chip control on long parts. 2024 is stronger still and common in aerospace work, though it needs a protective finish because bare surfaces corrode quickly. We keep 6061, 6061-T6, 2024, 5052, 5083, 6063, 6082, 7075 and ADC12 in the shop.
304 and 316L cover most corrosion-resistant parts. 316L adds molybdenum for chloride exposure and is the standard choice for medical and food-contact hardware. Where a part needs heavy chip removal, 303 machines three to four times faster but should not be welded. 17-4PH gives high strength after a single aging cycle and holds up in valve and pump components.
For wear surfaces, 1045 medium carbon steel responds well to induction hardening and stays machinable before treatment. 4140 and 4340 handle higher load with better fatigue resistance. Tool steels D2 and A2 hold an edge, but both move slightly during hardening, so we leave stock and finish after heat treat.
Use this as a starting point, then confirm against the actual load case.
| Grade | Best for | Watch out for |
|---|---|---|
| 6061-T6 | Brackets, plates, housings | Lower yield than 7075 |
| 7075-T6 | Loaded, weight-critical parts | Poor weldability, dark anodize |
| 304 / 316L | Corrosion and medical parts | Work hardens, slow to finish |
| 303 | High-volume turned parts | Not weldable |
| 1045 | Shafts, gears before hardening | Rusts if left bare |
| D2 / A2 | Blades, dies, wear faces | Moves during hardening |
| POM | Bushings, low-friction parts | Absorbs moisture, creeps |
| PEEK | High-temp, chemical exposure | High cost, short tool life |
One shop for prototyping and production, from a single part to a 10,000-piece run.
Complex contoured parts in one setup, up to 4,000 mm of travel.
Mill-turn centers handle turned features and milled flats together.
First articles to check fit and form before committing to tooling.
Anodizing, plating, powder coat, blasting and laser marking.
Enclosures and brackets that pair with machined internals.
ADC12 and similar alloys for higher volumes after validation.
Capability numbers apply to typical geometry, not every feature on every part.
| Item | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | Feature dependent |
| Fine finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm | Polished or ground surfaces |
| Standard finish | Ra 1.6–3.2 μm | As machined |
| Max part size | 4,000 mm | Long beds for large frames |
| Rotary work | Ø400 mm table | Four-axis and mill-turn |
| Order size | 1 to 10,000+ | No minimum order |
| Lead time | 3–5 days | After drawing release |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Reports on request |
Material recommendations only matter if the shop can hold the result.
Three wholly-owned plants and 150 technicians across Dongguan and Singapore.
Including 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers and 16 mill-turn centers.
Equivalent to ±0.0002 in on qualifying features.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring, final inspection.
Feedback on grade and geometry within 12 hours.
Plus ISO 13485 and ISO 27001 for regulated work.
7075-T6 and 2024 parts with tight flatness and traceable stock.
316L and titanium parts finished for cleanable surfaces.
1045 and 4140 wear parts, hardened and finished after treatment.
6061-T6 shells with anodizing and laser marking at 1.5 mm minimum character height.
Start with the load case. If the part is a bracket in bending or a weight-critical structure, 7075-T6 gives roughly double the yield strength of 6061-T6.
If the part will be welded or needs a bright, consistent anodized color, stay with 6061-T6. 7075 does not weld reliably and anodizes to a darker tone.
Use 303 when the part is turned in volume and will not be welded. It machines far faster and gives better surface finish with less tool wear.
Move to 304 or 316L if the part needs a weld joint or chloride resistance. 316L is the safer pick for medical and food-contact hardware.
Yes, for anything with a tight tolerance. D2 and A2 both shift dimension during hardening, so we leave grinding stock and finish critical faces after treatment.
If the part is a wear plate with generous tolerance, machining before treatment can be acceptable, but we flag the risk at quote stage.
POM and PA take on moisture from air, which changes dimension and stiffness. Parts measured straight off the machine can move by tens of microns later.
PEEK is more stable and holds stiffness at high temperature, but it costs several times more and shortens tool life. Tell us the service environment before we pick.
Yes. We can cut customer-supplied stock, and we record the material certificate against the job.
If the stock arrives without documentation, we will machine it but note the traceability limit in the inspection report.
Aluminum takes anodizing in clear, color, hardcoat and conductive variants. Stainless and steel suit electroless nickel, zinc, silver and gold plating, plus black oxide.
Bead blasting, tumbling, brushing and polishing apply across most metals. Laser marking needs a minimum character height of 1.5 mm.
Quotation and free DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of drawing release.
Typical parts ship in 3–5 days. There is no minimum order quantity, so a single prototype and a 10,000-piece run go through the same process.
Uploads are secure and confidential, and we operate under ISO 27001:2022 controls.
An NDA is available on request before you send drawings.
Tell us the load, the environment and the volume. We will suggest a grade, a temper and a finish, then quote it.
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CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
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