When choosing the right type of material, it is important you pick the right one according to the application and industry to avoid future drawbacks. Design requirements, material criteria and evaluating potential materials are important to find the ideal material.
Design Requirements Keeping in mind the following requirements is extremely important.
Government regulation
Performance
Size, weight and shape
Cost
Industry standard
Reliability
Material Criteria
What is the end goal for the product being machined? Any materials that cannot support the finished goal should be taken off the table immediately.
Evaluating Potential Materials
Finding the right material that fits requirements is important but exceeding those requirements is unnecessary. A major waste in lean manufacturing is using higher grade materials than necessary. Going through material testing may be your best bet to find the ideal material for the proposed application. In the prototype stage, it is always beneficial to produce prototypes in various materials to find the best fit.
Below find a few of our most commonly used material:
Stainless Steel
303
Free machining grade
Domestic and mild industrial environments
Corrosion resistance less than 304
Common usages
Nuts
Bolts
Shafts
Fittings
Cold Rolled Steel
1018
Plain low carbon steel
Case harden only
Good formability and weldability
Common usages
Rivets and parts that require strong welds
Parts that require extensive machining
Shafts
Spindles
Rods
Aluminum
2024
High strength
Fatigue resistant
Heat treatable
Common usages
High strength-to-weight ratio required
Aircraft applications
Sources:
www.curbellplastics.com/research-solutions/materials
www.continentalsteel.com/blog/stainless-steel/440
(July, 20, 2015) What Aluminum Grade Should I Use? Retrieved from: www.metalsupermarkets.com/what-aluminum-grade-should-i-use