In the past, many OEMs in the heavy equipment, automotive and even in the aerospace and manufacturing industries made the decision to manufacturer parts and components from stainless steels or other types of metals and alloys.
Today, most of these types of parts and components are made from aluminum. This is due to several factors, but the most relevant include the high strength to weight ratio for aluminum, the natural corrosion, and fatigue resistance as well as the lower raw material price.
However, there are other reasons that are also important to OEMs in reducing the cost of the production of these parts. As a group, the various types of aluminum are generally softer and easier to work with, in machining operations than stainless steels, or special alloys, including the superalloys. In some industries, such as aerospace, these superalloys are essential, but even in these types of applications, aluminum is still a primary material of choice.
Outsourcing Machining Services
While aluminum machining may be easier than machining stainless steel or other comparable alloys or metals, it is not without challenges. For example, the different machining centers and equipment systems and the specific settings used on the equipment must be carefully selected for the grade of aluminum.
By working with an experienced aluminum machining service, the correct equipment, settings and cutting tools are always used in the production of the parts. This means less waste, higher adherence to specific part tolerances, and full quality control within production as well as between production orders.
Outsourcing also means the aluminum machining service maintains the equipment and hires the machinists and engineers to get the job done. By working with an established machining service with a top reputation, the OEM has all the benefits of parts made to specific requirements without any costs of purchasing, maintaining and repairing equipment.
