Downloadable guide

Engineering Metals Overview: Stock, Machinability and Finish

A companion to the plastics guide for the parts that are not molded. It runs through the aluminium, steel and stainless grades we hold most often, how each behaves under the cutter, which ones anodise and plate well, and where a material substitution saves money without putting the fit at risk.

What's inside

• Aluminium series compared: 6061 and 7075, and when 6061 is the better answer
• Stainless and tool steel: machinability, work hardening and tool wear
• Anodising, plating and passivation: what the finish needs from the alloy
• Stock size, lead time and the cost of asking for an uncommon bar or plate