CNC Machining Metals: 30+ Alloys
CNC machining metals has been DEK's work since 2002: more than 30 alloys, spectrometer-checked at incoming inspection and held to ±0.005 mm as standard, with no minimum order.
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30+Metal Alloys
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±0.005mmStandard
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6hQuote Reply
Metal Machining Materials, Machined In-House
DEK machines aluminum, steel, stainless, copper alloys, titanium, nickel alloys, magnesium, zinc and tungsten carbide on its own milling, turning, Swiss, EDM and grinding equipment. Process capability is covered under our CNC machining service.
Four questions settle most choices: load and temperature, environment, mass, and budget including machining time. Send your drawing with the alloy specified, or describe the load, environment and budget and an engineer will recommend one.
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Certified Quality
ISO 9001:2015, ISO 13485 and AS9100D, by TÜV
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Verified Metal
Spectrometer check on every incoming metal lot
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Tight Tolerances
±0.005 mm standard, ±0.003 mm on Swiss features
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In-House Since 2002
30+ alloys on our own milling, turning and EDM
30+ CNC Metal Alloys We Machine
From aluminum and steels to Inconel, Kovar and tungsten carbide, each family page lists the grades DEK machines and the finishes they take.
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Alloy SteelAlloy steel grades 4140, 4340, 8620, 4130 and A514 for shafts, gears and structural parts that need more fatigue strength than plain carbon steel.View Grades -
BrassC260, C360 free-cutting brass and Cz121 machined for fittings, valve parts, gears and connectors, from one prototype to production volumes.View Grades -
BronzePhosphor bronze C544, sintered C841, bearing bronze 932 and aluminum bronze 954 for bushings, sleeve bearings, gears, connectors and marine fittings.View Grades -
Cast IronGray iron Class 30/40, ductile 65-45-12 and 80-55-06, malleable 32510: machined from your castings or our bar for bases, housings and pump bodies.View Grades -
CopperCopper 101 and 110 stocked for waveguides, bus bars, connectors and heat sinks; beryllium and tellurium copper machined on request.View Grades -
InconelNickel superalloys Inconel 600, 625 and 718, machined for aerospace, energy, medical and industrial parts exposed to heat and corrosive chemistry.View Grades -
InvarInvar 36 and low-expansion Invar-family alloys, about 1.2 ppm/°C CTE, machined for optics mounts, semiconductor fixtures and measurement tooling.View Grades -
KovarKovar A (ASTM F15, UNS K94610) machined for glass-to-metal and ceramic-to-metal seals: header pins, feedthroughs and IC package lids to ±0.003 mm.View Grades -
MagnesiumLightest structural metal in production use. AZ31B, AZ61B and AZ91D machined under fire-safe chip and coolant controls for weight-critical parts.View Grades -
Mild SteelLow-carbon 1018, medium-carbon 1045 and free-machining 1215 and 12L14: cost-effective steel for shafts, brackets, pins, bushings and gears.View Grades -
SteelCarbon, alloy, stainless and tool steel machined by milling, turning, grinding and EDM, from 1018 and 4140 to hardened dies, held to ±0.005 mm.View Grades -
TitaniumGrade 1, Grade 2 and Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) titanium, milled, turned and EDM-cut for aerospace, medical, robotics and semiconductor parts. No MOQ.View Grades -
Tool SteelA2, D2, H13, O1, S7 and A3 machined into punches, dies, mold inserts and wear parts, annealed or hardened to 60+ HRC.View Grades -
Tungsten SteelTungsten and tungsten carbide grades (YG6, YG8, YG10X, YG15, YL10.2) for wear parts, dies, punches and shielding, milled, turned, EDMed and ground.View Grades -
AluminumStocked 6061, 6063, 5083 and 5052 for brackets, housings, marine and fluid-handling parts, held to ±0.005 mm on fit-critical features with no MOQ.View Grades -
Stainless Steel303, 304, 316L, 17-4PH and 2205 duplex machined for medical, robotics, semiconductor and aerospace parts, from one prototype to production, ±0.005 mm.View Grades
Need a plastic instead? See the CNC machining plastics hub.
How to Choose Among CNC Machining Metals
Relative stock cost, machinability and typical uses for our most-machined metals; machinability drives part price as much as stock cost.
| Metal | Relative cost | Machinability | Choose it for |
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| Aluminum | Low | Excellent | Housings, heat sinks |
| Brass | Medium | Excellent | Fittings, connectors, valves |
| Mild / carbon steel | Low | Good | Structural parts, shafts |
| Alloy steel | Low–medium | Good | Heat-treated shafts, gears |
| Stainless steel | Medium | Fair | Corrosion, medical parts |
| Tool steel | Medium | Fair (annealed) | Dies, punches to 62 HRC |
| Cast iron | Low | Good | Machine bases, damping |
| Copper | Medium–high | Fair | Electrical, thermal conduction |
| Bronze | Medium–high | Good | Bearings, bushings, marine |
| Titanium | High | Poor | Strength-to-weight, corrosion |
| Inconel | Very high | Poor | 600–700 °C service |
| Magnesium | Medium | Excellent | Lightest metal, drone parts |
Metal Selection Considerations
Factors that change part cost, cycle time and finish options once the metal is chosen.
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1
Machinability Drives Price
A titanium part costs several times its aluminum twin because cutting speed drops and tool wear rises. If 7075 aluminum or 17-4 PH stainless meets the requirement, it is cheaper.
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Alloy Machining Above Steel
Inconel, Kovar and Invar work-harden quickly, so they rely on rigid fixturing, coated tooling and conservative feeds; lead times and prices are higher than for steel.
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Heat Treatment and Grinding
Alloy steel is heat treatable to 28–50 HRC and DEK plans stock for post-heat-treat grinding. Tool steel is machined annealed, then wire EDM and grinding finish hardened features.
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Pair the Finish With the Metal
Aluminum takes hard anodizing, stainless and titanium electropolishing, carbon steel zinc plating or electroless nickel, tool steel PVD or DLC, all on parts DEK machines. See surface finishing.
Metals We Machine, by Family
Each card summarizes a family or family group from our range and links to its page, where grades, properties and finishes are detailed.
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Aluminum6061 for housings, 7075 for aerospace and drone parts, 5052 and 5083 for corrosion; machined aluminum takes anodizing or hard anodizing directly. -
SteelsMild and carbon steel for low-cost weldable parts; alloy steel heat treatable to 28–50 HRC for shafts and gears. Cast iron covers damped machine bases. -
Stainless Steel303 free-machining, 304 and 316 corrosion-resistant, 17-4 PH high-strength, 440C hardenable and 2205 duplex stainless grades. -
Tool SteelA2, D2, O1, S7 and H13 machined in the annealed state, with wire EDM and grinding finishing the hardened features. -
Copper AlloysCopper for busbars, electrodes and RF parts, brass for fittings and Swiss-turned pins, bronze for bushings, wear plates and marine parts. -
TitaniumGrade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) for aerospace and medical parts, Grades 1 and 2 for corrosion; low cutting speeds mean longer cycle times. -
Nickel & Specialty AlloysInconel for high-temperature turbine and exhaust parts, Kovar for glass-to-metal seals, Invar 36 for optical benches and metrology fixtures. -
Magnesium and ZincAZ31B, AZ61B and AZ91D magnesium at about two-thirds the density of aluminum; Zamak 3 zinc for low-load housings. -
Tungsten CarbideYG6, YG8, YG15 and related grades shaped by grinding and EDM into nozzles, wear pads, punches, dies and gauge pins.
CNC Machining Metals FAQ
Answers on cost, tolerances and material certification for machined metal parts.
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