CNC Machining Materials | Simple Guide

Wondering about CNC-Bearbeitung materials for your next project? Yijin Hardware’s CNC machines cut pretty much everything, including the most major metal and plastic. We’ve tested mostly all the materials used in CNC on our shop floor.

This guide keeps things super simple. Just practical advice about what works best for manufacturing parts. You’ll figure out which materials are easy to machine, which ones last forever, and which give you the most from them. You’re in the right spot.

Wichtigste Erkenntnisse

• Aluminum is a super popular material – cuts easily, costs less, performs great
• Hard materials slow down cutting and wear out tools way faster
• Engineering plastics resist chemicals and weigh way less than metals
• Special stuff like titanium performs amazing when regular materials won’t cut it
• Picking the right material can slash your costs big time

What Can You Actually Cut on a CNC Machine?

A CNC machine can handle a wide range of materials. Metal, plastic, composites, even some ceramics – they’re all doable with computer numerical control. The variety of manufacturing materials you can use is huge. Each material brings different strengths and challenges to your machining project.

Metal Materials That Machine Like a Dream

Aluminium is the absolute superstar of CNC metals. It’s easy to machine, won’t break the bank, and offers great strength for its weight. We use grades like 6061-T6 and 7075-T6 for most precision jobs. 6061 machines are faster, while 7075 gives you more strength. These common materials work awesome for both one-offs and production runs.

Aluminum Quick Facts

• Aluminum 6061-T6: Solid at 310 MPa tensile strength, fights corrosion, 95-120 Brinell hardness
• Aluminum 7075-T6: Beast mode at 572 MPa, handles stress like a champ, 150 Brinell hardness
• Aluminum 2024-T3: Tough at 470 MPa, super durable, harder to weld

Rostfreier Stahl grades like 303, 304, and 316L resist corrosion while staying strong. Grade 303 has added sulfur to make it easier to cut, while 316L with chromium stands up better to harsh chemicals. These metals need slower cutting speeds than aluminum (about 1/3 as fast) and tougher tools, but they’re incredibly corrosion resistant.

Stahl options like low carbon steel and alloy steel offer serious wear resistance and high strength. From mild steel (1018) to tougher alloys like 4140, these metals take abuse like nothing else. Carbon and alloy steels need more powerful machines and slower cutting than aluminum, but they’re worth it when durability matters most. Shops often recommend these for structural parts.

Can Plastic Materials Be Used For CNC Machining?

Plastic materials cut like butter and fight off chemicals way better than metals, while weighing tons less. ABS plastic gives you good stability and impact resistance without needing fancy tools. It’s perfect for prototypes, fixtures, and plastic parts where you need decent strength without metal’s weight.

Plastic Options Available for CNC

• Acetal (POM/Delrin): Super slippery with low coefficient of friction, 70 MPa strength, holds its shape amazingly
• PEEK: Handles high temperatures up to 250 °C, chemically resistant to practically everything
• Nylon (PA66): Shrugs off abrasion, absorbs some moisture, naturally slippery
• Polycarbonat: See-through, 65 MPa strength, excellent impact strength when hit

Acetal (often called Delrin) maintains its dimensions perfectly, has low friction, and resists wear like nothing else. Its natural slipperiness makes it an excellent choice for CNC machine parts like gears, bearings, and moving components. When we cut Delrin, we can hold super tight tolerances with minimal warping, though we need to watch for chips melting back onto the part.

Für small to medium runs, CNC often beats injection molding for complex plastic parts. While injection needs expensive molds, CNC can make detailed components more affordably in lower numbers. Many companies use both processes depending on volume.

Which Special Materials Handle the Tough Jobs?

Titanium alloys (especially Ti-6Al-4V) offer exceptional strength-to-weight ratio and work perfectly in the human body, making them killer for aerospace and medical device applications. They’re much harder to machine than aluminum – they need special cutting tools, slower speeds (60-100 SFM), and rigid setups. Despite these challenges, titanium’s performance at high temperatures makes it worth the extra effort for critical parts.

Materials with Superpowers

• Ti-6Al-4V: Monster strong at 950 MPa, 334 Brinell hardness, way lighter than steel
• Inconel 718: Beast mode at 1375 MPa, handles high heat up to 700 °C, fights corrosion like nothing else
• Macor (Machinable Ceramic): 94 MPa flexural strength, works in temps up to 1000 °C, zero porosity

Carbon fiber composites weigh way less than metals while offering better strength. Used in a variety of applications from automotive to sports equipment, these materials need special handling because of their layered structure. Special cutting tools and careful machining prevent fibers from pulling out and ensure clean edges.

Machinable ceramics like Macor handle extreme heat, insulate electricity, and maintain their shape precisely. These machinable materials work with standard carbide tools, but need careful settings to prevent chips and cracks. Common applications include electrical insulators, semiconductor parts, and fixtures that work in extreme heat.

How does Material Type Change CNC Machining Requirements?

The properties of your material directly change how we need to cut it. Hard materials with chromium (like stainless steel) and titanium need slower cutting speeds, stronger tools, and more rigid setups than softer, more ductile materials like aluminum alloys and plastics. This affects both how long machining takes and how quickly tools wear out.

Machining Different Materials | The Basics

Thermal conductivity determines how heat moves during cutting, affecting tool life dramatically. Materials with high conductivity like aluminum (167 W/mK) quickly pull heat away from the cutting edge, letting us cut faster. Low conductivity materials like titanium (6.7 W/mK) and plastics keep heat at the cutting point, requiring slower speeds and often coolant to prevent damage.

A material’s structure affects how chips form, how tools wear, and how smooth the finish will be. Uniform materials generally machine more predictably. For example, brass creates small, brittle chips that break away easily, while ductile materials like soft aluminum make long, stringy chips that can wrap around the tool and damage your part.

What Materials do Different Industries Actually Use?

Aerospace parts need materials with exceptional strength-to-weight ratios, resistance to fatigue, and stability at high temperatures. Aluminum 7075-T6, titanium Ti-6Al-4V, and special alloys like Inconel are the go-to choices. These materials must meet strict certification requirements, including AMS specifications and complete material traceability.

Industry Material Standards — The Cheat Sheet

• Luft- und Raumfahrt: AMS 4911 (Ti-6Al-4V), AMS 4928 (Ti-6Al-4V), AMS-QQ-A-250/11 (7075-T6)
• Medizinische: ASTM F136 (Ti-6Al-4V ELI), ASTM F1472 (Ti-6Al-4V), ASTM F138 (316L SS)
• Automobilindustrie: SAE J403 (carbon steels), SAE J404 (alloy steels)
• Elektronik: UL 94 V-0 (flame retardant plastics), MIL-I-24768/27 (FR-4)

Medical device manufacturing requires materials that work well in the human body, resist corrosion, and maintain their structure. 316L stainless steel, titanium alloys, and medical-grade PEEK are often used to produce implants and surgical tools. These materials must comply with ISO 13485 standards and often need special surface treatments.

Sheet metal fabrication for automotive components needs materials that are weldable, form easily, and last a long time. Low carbon steel gives you excellent fabrication properties at good prices, while metal alloys like aluminum offer weight savings. Your material choices significantly impact manufacturing processes from cutting to forming.

How Yijin Hardware Helps You Pick the Perfect Material

At Yijin Hardware, we keep material selection super simple. We start by figuring out what your part needs to do before even thinking about material options. Our engineers look at where it’ll be used, what forces it’ll face, temperature conditions, chemical exposure, and any regulations it needs to meet. This process ensures you get the right material, not just what everyone else uses.

Our No-Nonsense Material Selection Process

1. Define What You Need: Figure out what the part really needs to do
2. Look at Material Types: Determine whether metal or plastic makes more sense
3. Compare Specific Grades: Match material properties against your needs
4. Check Manufacturability: Make sure we can machine it efficiently
5. Consider Your Budget: Balance performance with what you want to spend

We have a massive database that goes beyond basic specs to include machinability ratings, costs, and availability. This lets us quickly find materials that meet your technical needs while making production efficient. We know both traditional CNC machining and complementary technologies like 3D printing for complete manufacturing solutions.

How Your Material Choice Affects Your Wallet and Timeline

Your material choice directly affects how much your parts will cost. Specialized alloys like titanium can cost 5-10 times more than standard aluminum. But material selection impacts total cost beyond just material price – it affects machining time, tool wear, and scrap rates. Sometimes a more expensive material that machines faster can actually save you money by cutting production time.

Material Cost Breakdown — The Real Deal

• Aluminium: Cuts like butter, costs less, machines superfast
• Rostfreier Stahl: Moderately machinable, medium cost, wears tools faster
• Titan: Tough to machine, expensive, wears tools like crazy
• Engineering Plastics: Machines easily, variable cost, minimal tool wear

For Swiss CNC machining materials, where precision and surface finish are critical, material selection becomes even more important. This specialized process, often used for small, high-precision components, requires materials that maintain dimensional stability while being machined from bar stock. Your material choices directly impact setup time, running costs, and overall production efficiency. The professionals say that the CNC machine market size is probably going to hit $133.8 billion by 2033. That means plastics and metals for CNC machining is a big market, too.

Yijin Hardware | Professional CNC Machining

Picking the right stuff for your CNC machining project makes all the difference between an okay part and an amazing one. The material you choose affects how well your part works, how fast we can make it, how much it costs, and how long it lasts. Understanding what each material brings to the table is key to getting exactly what you need.

At Yijin Hardware, we know materials inside and out. Our expertise ensures your CNC machined components hit the sweet spot between performance, manufacturability, and value. We’ll help you navigate the options and find the perfect fit for your project, no matter how complex. Ready to get started? Reach out today!

Frequently Asked Questions | Material Selection Basics

What materials are easiest to machine on a CNC?

Aluminum 6061-T6 is hands-down the most popular material because it’s super easy to machine, offers good strength for its weight, and won’t break the bank. Other easily machinable options include brass (which cuts even faster than aluminum), acetal (Delrin), and ABS plastic. These materials give you clean cuts, hold their dimensions well, and don’t wear out tools quickly compared to harder options like stainless steel or titanium.

Should I pick metal or plastic for my project?

Go with metal when you need high strength, heat resistance, conductivity, or durability in tough environments. Choose plastic when weight, chemical resistance, electrical insulation, or cost savings matter most. For complex applications, try using both metal and plastic materials—metal for structural parts and plastic for interfaces or housings—to get the best of both worlds while minimizing their drawbacks.

Which materials work well in different manufacturing methods?

Aluminum alloys work great across multiple manufacturing processes including CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, and extrusion. For plastic options available, ABS and polycarbonate work well in both CNC machining and injection molding, though you might need design tweaks when switching processes. Copper is an excellent conductor that works well in many manufacturing methods, while elastomers suitable for both prototyping and production offer flexibility across processes.

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