CNC Materials Guide
Choosing the right material for your CNC machining project is essential to ensure your parts meet performance, durability, and cost requirements. At Wellan, we offer a diverse range of CNC materials, including metals, plastics, and composites, each tailored to specific applications. This guide provides an overview of our materials, helping you make informed decisions for your projects.
Quick Material Selection Guide
To help you narrow down your choices, consider the following factors:
- Primary Function of Your Part
- Structural: Choose metals like steel or aluminum for strength.
- Decorative: Opt for plastics like polycarbonate for clarity or composites for aesthetics.
- Functional: Select plastics or composites with specific properties like flexibility or chemical resistance.
- Key Properties Required
- Strength: Steel, aluminum, carbon fiber.
- Light Weight: Aluminum, carbon fiber.
- Durability: Steel, nylon.
- Clarity: Polycarbonate, acrylic.
- Flexibility: Nylon, certain plastics.
- Environmental Conditions
- High Temperature: Steel, certain plastics like nylon.
- Chemical Resistance: Stainless steel, specific plastics.
- Outdoor Use: UV-resistant materials like certain plastics or composites.
- Budget
- Low Cost: Aluminum, mild steel, common plastics.
- Higher Budget: Titanium, carbon fiber, high-performance plastics.
- Machinability
- Easy to Machine: Aluminum, brass, nylon.
- More Challenging: Hardened steel, titanium.
Metals
- Aluminum
- Description: Lightweight metal that balances strength and workability, ideal for applications where weight reduction is critical without sacrificing performance, such as aerospace components or automotive parts.
- Applications: Equipment housings, prototype fittings, system components.
- Material Options: Various aluminum blends.
- Steel
- Description: Durable and tough, tailored for machining projects requiring high strength and wear resistance, suitable for heavy-duty applications like machinery parts or structural prototypes.
- Applications: Machinery parts, structural prototypes, durable connectors.
- Material Options: Stainless steel, mild steel, other steel types.
- Other Metals
- Material Options: Copper, titanium, bronze, and more available upon request.
Plastics
- Nylon
- Description: Strong, flexible, and resilient plastic, excellent for parts that need to withstand mechanical stress and have good chemical resistance, such as gears or bearings.
- Applications: Flexible machinery components, durable prototype parts, system spacers.
- Material Options: Various nylon types.
- Polycarbonate
- Description: Tough plastic offering clarity and strength, ideal for applications requiring visibility and impact resistance, like safety shields or optical components.
- Applications: Clear equipment panels, protective prototype covers, structural components.
- Material Options: Clear and reinforced polycarbonate blends.
- Other Plastics
- Material Options: Acrylic, PVC, HDPE, and more available upon request.
Composites
- Carbon Fiber
- Description: Lightweight and high-strength composite, perfect for performance-critical applications where strength-to-weight ratio is crucial, such as racing components or equipment reinforcements.
- Applications: Equipment reinforcements, prototype structural elements, system supports.
- Material Options: Carbon fiber blends tailored for machining.
- Fiberglass
- Description: Durable composite combining strength with versatility, suitable for parts that need to be strong yet lightweight, with good electrical insulation properties, like radomes or marine components.
- Applications: Machinery casings, prototype bases, component reinforcements.
- Material Options: Fiberglass types suited for different machining needs.
Custom Materials
For projects requiring specialized materials not listed above, Wellan can provide custom options tailored to your specific needs. Let us know your requirements, and we’ll work with you to find the best solution.