We machine BeCu to ±0.005 mm on 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers. One prototype or 10,000 parts. Quotation and DFM analysis back to you within 12 hours.
This alloy is not difficult because it is hard. It is difficult because it changes state while you cut it.
Hardened C17200 HT reaches roughly 38 HRC. Feed a tap at brass speeds and the flutes load up, the pitch diameter drifts, the thread tears. A stripped M2 thread in a spring contact turns a finished housing into scrap, and the whole lot goes back to the machine.
Cold-drawn plate carries residual stress. Remove 0.5 mm from one face only and the part curls overnight. Inspectors find it the next morning, not at the machine, so you lose the setup and the material.
Age hardening happens between 315 °C and 345 °C for 2 to 3 hours. Run it at the wrong temperature and conductivity drops while yield strength never arrives. The part measures fine and fails in the field.
Many shops set a minimum order or add a handling surcharge because the dust needs control. Engineers then wait weeks for five prototypes they need this week.
Cutting parameters, heat treat and inspection are planned together before the first chip.
We cut this material in the mill-hardened or solution-annealed state and control the temper through the whole run. Carbide grades with a sharp edge and high rake work better than the coated general-purpose tools used on brass. Surface speed stays low, feed per tooth stays high, and we never dwell in the cut.
Coolant choice matters too. Flood coolant carries the fine chips away from the work zone, and we keep beryllium dust out of the air with filtration at the machine. That protects the operator and keeps the finish consistent across a 10,000-part run.
Beryllium copper earns its strength in the furnace, so the machining sequence has to leave room for it. Rough the part, stress relieve it, finish it, then age harden. Skip the relief step and thin walls move during the heat cycle. Skip the age step and your spring fingers will not hold force.
We hold ±0.005 mm on finished features after hardening. Thin walls down to 0.5 mm are machined in light passes with the part supported, so the finished geometry matches the model and the temper is uniform from lot to lot.
Pick the condition before you pick the tolerance.
| Condition | Typical hardness | Where it fits | Machining note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solution annealed (TB00) | Soft, formable | Parts bent or formed after machining | Cuts like soft copper; age harden later |
| Mill hardened (TM00–TM08) | Quarter to full hard | Spring contacts, clips, connectors | Machined as received; no second heat cycle |
| Age hardened (TH04) | Roughly 38 HRC | High-strength bushings, wear faces | Finish before aging where possible |
| Cast / wrought stock | Varies by supplier | Brackets, housings, non-spring parts | Check temper certificate on arrival |
Complex geometry, undercuts and contoured faces in one setup on 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, up to 4,000 mm travel.
Mill-turn centers handle round and prismatic features together, so contact pins and housings stay concentric.
One part, no minimum order quantity. Prototypes ship in 3–5 days so you can test spring force before tooling.
Nickel, silver and gold plating, bead blasting and polishing. Plating choice often decides contact resistance.
Bent shields and brackets made from mill-hardened strip, formed with the spring direction in mind.
100% inspection before shipment. Material certificates and dimensional reports on request.
Numbers below come from our own machine list.
| Item | Range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum part size | 4,000 mm | Larger travel on 5-axis centers |
| Tolerance | ±0.005 mm | Typical on finished metal features |
| Surface finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm | Fine finish on request; Ra 0.8–1.6 μm standard |
| Run size | 1 to 10,000+ | No minimum order quantity |
| Lead time | Quote in 12 h; ship in 3–5 d | After drawing release |
| Inspection | 100% before shipment | Reports on request |
Three wholly-owned plants and 127 high-precision CNC machines in Dongguan, plus a Singapore factory.
We inspect the finished, hardened part, not the soft blank before the furnace.
16 simultaneous 5-axis centers, 16 mill-turn centers, 12 four-axis mills, 27 three-axis machines.
Roughly 150 staff across 7,600 m² of manufacturing space, with process planning kept in-house.
ISO 9001:2015, IATF 16949:2016, ISO 13485:2016 and ISO 27001:2022 certified.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring and final inspection on every order.
Spring contacts, RF shields and heat-spreader housings need high conductivity with spring force that survives repeated mating. We hold ±0.005 mm on contact geometry and Ra 0.8–1.6 μm on mating faces.
Joint bushings and gripper fingers wear against hard shafts. We machine the part in the age-hardened condition and verify hardness before the finishing pass so the wear face holds up.
Non-sparking tooling and high-current contacts are checked against material certificates and dimensional reports before they leave the floor.
Small runs of sensor housings and spring clips, from a single prototype up to 10,000+ parts, with the same process and inspection plan at both ends.
It shows up where a part has to conduct electricity, hold spring force and resist wear at the same time. Common parts are connector contacts, spring fingers, switch blades, RF shields, bushings and non-sparking tooling.
The alloy is chosen over brass when the contact must survive thousands of mating cycles without losing normal force, or when the part runs hot and must not creep.
Not in the way titanium or Inconel is hard. The difficulty is the heat treat and the dust, not the cutting force.
In the mill-hardened state the material cuts cleanly with sharp uncoated carbide, low surface speed and a steady feed. The work is in controlling temper, stress and chip containment.
If the part will be formed or bent after machining, start from solution-annealed stock and age harden after forming. If the part is finished as machined and needs spring properties, mill-hardened strip or plate is usually the better start.
Tell us the required yield strength and the forming steps and we will recommend one condition before quoting.
±0.005 mm on finished metal features is our working tolerance, and we verify it after age hardening rather than on the soft blank.
Thin walls down to 0.5 mm are machined in light passes with support. If a feature is tighter than that, we will say so during DFM review instead of quoting it.
It can, and that is why the sequence includes a stress-relief step between roughing and finishing. Removing the bulk of the material first releases most of the built-up stress.
For thin or asymmetric parts we leave stock, relieve, then take the finishing cuts after the material has settled.
Machining is done wet, with flood coolant and filtration at the machine to keep fine particles out of the air. Chips and swarf are collected and handled as controlled waste.
We can supply the process notes your EHS team needs before the job starts.
One part. There is no minimum order quantity, and prototype runs ship in 3–5 days after drawing release.
The same process plan carries into production runs of 10,000+ parts, which means the prototype and the production part come off the same approach.
Yes. Uploads are treated as confidential and an NDA is available on request before you send drawings.
We can also keep your files off shared systems if your program requires it.
Upload a STEP file and we will return pricing plus a free DFM analysis. No minimum order quantity.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNo minimum order quantityNDA on request
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Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
Surface & post-processing 10 options
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