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Materials

Aluminum - Stainless Steel - Carbon Steel - Tool Steel - Plastic

We work with a wide array of materials and maintain many of the more popular materials in our inventory.  This allows us to reduce lead times on your project. Below is a detailed list of materials and descriptions of material we either keep on hand or have experience utilizing.

CARBON STEEL

  • 1018: The most commonly used cold rolled steel, and has a smother finish than most steel.

  • 1020: Great for welding and machining, but not good for heat treating.

  • 1045: Commonly used for shafting and cylinders. Has good heat treating response.

  • 12L14: Is known as free machining steel for its excellent machinability due to high lead content, which makes it a weaker strength steel.

  • 4140: Versatile, good corrosion resistance and is known for its wear resistance. Great for heat treating.

  • 4340: Similar to 4140, but has higher heat treat numbers making it a lot stronger. Has great fatigue strength.

  • 8620: The most widely used heat treated alloy, and has great surface hardness at a low cost.

  • A36: The most available hot rolled steel, and has a rough surface. Good for welding, machining, and bending.

  • A572: High yield and tensile strength, and easy to form. Widely used on bridges, and structural applications.

  • AR400: Used for high impact applications due to its abrasion resistance, and wear resistance.

  • AR500: Similar to AR400, but with even stronger abrasion resistance.

STAINLESS STEEL

  • 303: Easy to machine, but isn’t good for welding. Corrosive resistant, but weaker than 304.

  • 304: The most commonly used stainless due to all of its well-rounded qualities such as weldability, machinability, corrosive resistant, and good strength.

  • 316: Known as marine grade stainless, 316 has the same qualities as 304, but has far superior corrosion resistance.

  • 410: Has all the qualities of stainless, and is a great option for heat treatment for more strength.

  • 420: High carbon content, and can be heat treated for hardness second to 440C stainless, and is great for polishing and grinding.

  • 430: Is a non-hardenable steel containing straight chromium giving it great formability, along with good corrosion resistance.

  • 440:  Is a very high carbon steel which attains the hardest hardness, wear resistance, and strength of all stainless grades after heat treatment.

  • 17-4: All around outstanding combination of strength, corrosion resistance, heat treatment, weldability, and machinability. Extremely reliable.

PLASTIC

  • ABS: Can be melted to a liquid and used for injection molds. It is resistant to corrosive chemicals, and physical impacts. It’s also used in our 3D printer.

  • Acetal/Delrin: Provides high strength and stiffness coupled with enhanced dimensional stability and ease of machining.

  • Acrylic: Lightweight, rigid, and weather resistant thermoplastic.

  • HDPE: One of the most widely used plastics, HDPE is very versatile, lightweight, and has incredible strength.

  • Nylon: Nylon has a wide application for bearings, bushings, seals, and washers due to it lubricated properties. It is also resistant to wear and abrasions.

  • Polycarbonate: Mostly known to be used for bullet-proof glass, it comes naturally transparent and is the most impact resistant of all plastics.

  • Polyethylene: Lightweight, versatile synthetic resin that can be modified to take on elastic properties.

  • Polypropylene: A very durable plastic that has a high melting point, doesn’t break down when in contact of acids, and is resistant to stress.

  • PTFE: Also known as Teflon, PTFE is chemical resistant, weatherable, and is great for electrical insulation.

  • PVC: Widely used in pipes, and comes in two natural forms: Rigid and flexible, and is considered the softest of plastics.

ALUMINUM

  • 6061: The most commonly used aluminum because of its machinability and weldability.

  • 6063: Known as the architectural aluminum. Has a smooth surface finish, and is excellent for anodizing.

  • 5052: Great for forming and bending operations and has great weldability.

  • MIC-6: Has excellent stability which makes it great for extensive machining, due to its structure and stress relieving properties.

  • 2024: Very strong, with copper as its main alloy making it resistant to corrosion.

  • 7075: Has the highest strength rating of aluminum alloys. Good for welding, machining, and anodizing.

TOOL STEEL

  • D2: Extremely versatile, with a high attainable hardness. Resistant to wear from contact of other metals.

  • A2: Good combination of strength and toughness, and generally stays dimensionally sound after heat treat.

  • M2: Known as high speed steel, it's good for making drills, taps, cutters, saws, and knives.

OTHER METALS

  • Copper: Easy to machine and widely known for heat conductivity and electrical conductivity along with plumbing and roofing.

  • Brass: Has decent strength and electrical conductivity. Easy to polish and machine, and can be used for thousands of different applications.

  • Bronze: Copper based with a tin additive that has toughness, strength, corrosion resistant, electrical conductivity, and thermal conductivity.

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