The Best Materials for the Best Parts from Your Metal Machine Shop in Louviers, CO

Your projects demand precision quality. Each component must deliver top-notch performance to ensure the success of your operations. For this to happen, each part must be made of quality materials. It’s essential that your metal machine shop in Louviers, CO use the only the best.

At Focused on Machining, that’s precisely what we do. Following is a quick guide to the materials we work with to produce excellent results for our customers.

Alloy Steels

• 4130 Chromium-Molybdenum Steel Bars and Plates: This versatile alloy offers good mechanical properties, excellent wear and abrasion resistance. It also provides greater weldability than other alloys. It is a useful and widely accepted alloy, present in hand tools, axles, gears, sprockets, fasteners, piston rods and well-head components.

• 4140/42/45/50 Chromium-Molybdenum Steel Bars and Plates: These oil-hardening steels offer high hardenability. They are widely used due to their wear resistance, toughness, ductility and stress resistance at high temperatures. They are particularly good for forging because of their self-scaling qualities.

• 4340 Nickel-Chromium-Molybdenum Steel Bars and Plates: This is the best steel for parts that operate under sever conditions or that require a high margin of safety. It offers high hardenability, maintains strength and ductility at high temperatures and has great non-distorting properties.

Aluminum

• 2024 Aluminum: This metal offers a good strength-to-weight ratio. Its fatigue resistance and strength make it a top choice. It can be machined to a high finish. This aluminum is often used for truck wheels, transportation parts and aircraft fittings.

• 6061 Aluminum: This grade of aluminum can be welded by all methods as well as furnace brazed. It offers corrosion resistance and versatility. It is frequently used for structural components, truck bodies and screw machine parts.

• 7075 Aluminum: Offering an excellent strength-to-weight ratio, this metal is perfect for parts that experience high stress. It is good for spot or flash welding projects. It is often used when the greatest strength is needed.

Cold Finish Carbon Bars and Cold Rolled Strip

• 1018 Cold Finished Bars: This steel is better than other choices for carburized parts. It offers good machining characteristics and top mechanical properties. Its characteristics make it suitable for parts that require high surface hardness and a soft core, such as worms, chain pins and dogs.

• 1117 Cold Finished Bars: This low-carbon, high-manganese steel offers quality mechanical properties. It also possesses desirable carburizing properties. These properties make it the metal best for ratchets, king pins, gears and pinions.

• 1141 Cold Finished Bars: These medium-carbon steels offer free machining properties and greater mechanical properties than other metals in their class. They are ideal for bolts, studs, pins, axles and machinery parts that need close finish tolerances.

Choose the Best

When you want the best materials for the best parts, partner with the pros. Focused on Machining is your go-to metal machine shop in Louviers, CO. We build the perfect custom pieces for our customers. Our experienced team gets your order right the first time and takes care of all post-machining processes and special deliveries. Contact us today to get started on your next project.

Tips from Your CNC Machine Shop in Louviers, CO: How to Choose the Right Pecking Cycle

You’re ready to dive into your next machining project. You have the space, the tools and the materials. But, do you have a plan? More importantly, do you have the right plan in place?

Many drilling jobs require pecking cycles. To get the best results, you must choose the right pecking cycle for the job at hand. Your CNC machine shop in Louviers, CO offers the following guide to help you with your project.

What is a Pecking Cycle?

Pecking cycles are a method of drilling that involve drilling a little at a time. Rather than one long, deep plunge into the material, the drill goes through a cycle of passes, “pecking” away at the material. You can think of it as a woodpecker chipping away at a tree.

Why are Pecking Cycles Used?

Pecking cycles help prevent chip packing and breakage, aids the evacuation process, improves tool accuracy and minimizes walking. The final result is a better completed component.

When Should Peck Drilling be Used?

Peck drilling is typically used at CNC machines shops in Louviers, CO when the project requires drilling holes that are deeper than three and one-half drill diameters.

Why is the right pecking cycle important?

Not all pecking cycles are the same. Various cycles are used based on the materials being drilled, the type of drill being used and the product that is being created. By using the best pecking cycle, you will extend the life of your tools and improve their performance. Your machining will also result in a higher-quality final product.

Which Pecking Cycle is Best?

There are at least five different common pecking cycles to choose from. Different cycles should be used for miniature drills and high-performance drills. For high performance drills use, there are different pecking cycles for use on aluminum and aluminum alloys, hardened steels and pre-hardened steels. A good rule of thumb when choosing a pecking cycle is to base your choice on the hardness of the material. The harder the material, the shorter the pecking depths should be.

What Should be Avoided When Peck Drilling?

It’s important that chips not fall back into the drill hole as the drilling is completed. You should avoid letting the coolant or mist wash the chips back inside the hole. A good method to avoid this is to not pull the drill completely free of the hole as it undergoes the peck cycle.

Another thing to keep in mind is that peck drilling is not recommended when using carbide drills. The brittle carbide can be easily chipped during this process.

Find Out More

Would you like to learn more about peck drilling and its uses? Before you start on your next project, contact your local CNC machine shop in Louviers, CO. The experts at Focused on Machining can answer any questions you have and help you choose the best pecking cycle for your drilling. We bring more than a decade of experience to every project and are committed to making your endeavor a success. Reach our professionals today at 303-922-3076.