CNC Machining Brass: More You Should Know
Brass is a metal alloy made with the combination of copper and zinc, but the properties of copper and zinc may be different. Brass has strong corrosion resistance, high conductivity, and excellent mechanical properties, and one main advantage of a CNC machine is its working with brass
It has good machinability, low friction, and higher quality can achieve by decreasing the damp vibration and eliminating the bar whip. It can produce brass alloys with unique features combined with other metals such as lead, iron, tin, and aluminum.
Aluminum has a small diameter for optimal feed than plastics and wood. Red brass is cheaper than those copper-zinc alloys, which prove highly resistant to stress corrosion cracking and are easy to finish.
Brass is one of the most accessible machines compared to aluminum and is the most used material. It has high malleability than zinc and copper. Aluminum requires a unique tool for cutting while brass can't stick during the machining process while aluminum is prone to stick to machining tools.
Table of Content
■ What is CNC Machining Brass?
■ Advantages for CNC machining brass
■ Surface finish for CNC brass
What is CNC Machining Brass?
Brass is one of the most highly used materials throughout the world. Brass also has a relatively low melting point and can be effortlessly polished. Because of all these characteristics, the CNC machined brass is considered an ideal material for various mechanical applications such as jewelry, steam iron, and light fixtures. Working brass on a CNC machine makes it more effective and valuable. Brass can be easily recyclable, highly durable, and cost-effective material.
Advantages for CNC machining brass
The CNC machining process of brass offers several advantages.
Due to excellent machinability, it is one of the most accessible materials to a machine for all the copper alloys. It has a low melting point which depends on its flow characteristics and compositions.
Brass is a versatile copper alloy and also retains some advantages of copper. Brass has low friction and better wear and corrosion resistance as compared to copper that can use in the world. You can cut it easily, even at high speed, and it is one of the easiest materials to machine.
It is durable and can tolerate extreme temperatures because of its hardness and high strength. It helps in the manufacturing of various products. It is a highly conductive material, and it is extensively used to manufacture electrical components.
C360 Brass
C360 Brass alloy is one of the most affordable and excellent alloys for routing. It is also termed free-machining brass. Compared to the other brass alloy, it contains the highest lead content. Brass has a shiny yellow finish. The surface finish depends on the roughness of the material surface and will not rust when exposed to other elements. . To increase the sheen, 360 Brass can be hand polished.
It can be media blasted to provide it with a matte texture. This alloy C360 brass can use for various applications due to its highest machinability and easy precision machine features. It can use in manufacturing multiple parts such as lock components, screw machine parts, gears, and pipe fittings. It also has various ornamental applications.
Surface finish for CNC brass
Brass is a very active material than other materials, and it can be easily oxidized. Various surface treatments for the CNC machined brass can use. The followings are some main surface finishes for CNC machined brass
Electroless Nickel Plating
It is one of the surface finishes of the CNC machined brass that is mainly done through electroless nickel plating. The autocatalytic chemical reduction of the nickel alloy coating is primarily used for surface finishing.
There is no need for an electric current to complete electroless nickel plating. It can be done without an electric current. The deposition of the electroless nickel plating is done by reducing the nickel ions with a chemical reducing agent.
It can use sodium hypophosphite is used as a chemical reducing agent. The electroless nickel plating provides several advantages. It protects the coated parts from abrasion and natural wear resistance and makes them corrosion-resistant. It also protects the coated parts from extreme conditions by adding hardness.
Electropolishing
Electropolishing is also termed electrochemical polishing or electrolyte sprucing up. It is the reverse of the electroplating process. The ridges are liquified by the electrolyte chemicals connected to the power supply to get a smooth and uniform surface area in electropolishing.
In electrolytic polishing, the electrolyte chemical that is used is acid electrolytes. The acid electrolytes commonly used are phosphorus acid or sulphuric acid. The brass is electropolished, thus reducing the roughness and improving the appearance of the brass. It also provides corrosion resistance. Electropolishing can even polish the areas which the other methods cannot polish.
Passivation
It is a chemical process that removes imperfections from the surface of the metal and provides it corrosion resistance. Passivation is the same as electropolishing, but it uses acidic solutions instead of electric current to form a protective layer.
Acidic solutions commonly used are citric acid or nitric acid. Brass, because of environmental exposure, may get tarnished. It may significantly affect the performance of the brass. So, the brass is passivated to prevent such damage from environmental exposure and also provides it corrosion resistance.
Tips for CNC machining Brass
Brass is a durable and inexpensive alloy. Some tips can be helpful to make this procedure more accessible and more successful for you. Let's find out these tips
You can use spindle liners to make your workpiece and equipment safer and more protective.
It is possible to improve the materials disposal ratio and tool life extension by using carbide inserts cutters. Proper lubrication can prove helpful to keep chips from sticking to a cutting edge.
You can achieve high-quality milling and fast machining speed by reducing clearance to damp vibration. It can also increase by eliminating the bar whip. Running mills at high speed can also be helpful to make this process successful.
Make sure to follow design for manufacturing principles while designing components and parts of brass even though it is easy to machine. Reduction in machine setups can reduce the machining cost.
Choosing the right and suitable grade for the machining process is necessary. For cosmetic applications, don't use high-strength brass. Use more machinable brass if your parts require more machining.
Choose Worthy Hardware for Your CNC Brass Parts
Worthy Hardware can manufacture and is capable of CNC brass parts to fulfill the customer specifications. We can accept custom machines parts both for small and large production. You can find milling and turning machining in a short lead-time
You can check our data to check our quality services. We can produce different types of precision parts at our shop. Let's contact us for further information.
Worthy Hardware is a CNC manufacturing and sheet metal fabrication company,including CNC machining services,CNC milling services, CNC turning services, laser cutting services and stamping services.Call us +86-76989919645 or email us [email protected] for more discounts for your projects.