Engineer Li

Senior CNC Process Engineer | 15 years of precision machining experience

Update Date: January 12, 2026

In modern manufacturing industry, aluminum alloy has become one of the widely used metal materials due to its excellent physical and mechanical properties, such as low density, high specific strength, good electrical conductivity and thermal conductivity. With the continuous improvement of market requirements for product personalization and high precision, the importance of custom CNC machining of aluminum parts is increasingly prominent.

Based on 15 years of actual machining experience and combined with a large amount of experimental data, this paper systematically introduces the core technologies and application cases of custom CNC machining of aluminum parts, providing practical technical references for industry practitioners.

High-precision CNC machining center processing aluminum alloy parts

Low Density Characteristic

The density of aluminum is only 2.7g/cm³, about 1/3 of steel, making the machined parts lightweight, especially suitable for aerospace, automotive and other fields with strict weight requirements.

High Specific Strength

High strength-to-weight ratio, effectively reducing weight while ensuring strength, making it an ideal material choice for structural components.

Good Thermal Conductivity

Thermal conductivity is about 205W/(m·K), which helps to quickly dissipate heat during the machining process and reduce thermal deformation.

Processing Advantages

• Excellent cutting performance: Small tool wear, high machining efficiency, can achieve high-speed cutting
• Good surface quality: Can achieve surface roughness below Ra0.1μm, meeting precision requirements
• Good accuracy retention: Small thermal deformation, high dimensional stability, suitable for precision machining
• Complex shape machining: Suitable for machining complex curved surfaces and thin-walled structures
• Cost-effective: Relatively low material cost and high machining efficiency

Display of various precision CNC aluminum machined parts

Precision Hole System Machining Steps:

1. Center drill positioning → Drilling → Reaming → Boring → Fine boring
2. Use high-precision spindle to ensure rotation accuracy
3. Adopt guide bushings to improve hole straightness
4. Control cutting parameters to ensure surface quality
5. Use special measuring tools to detect hole diameter and positional accuracy

Experimental Data Reference (for reference only):

Automotive wheel machining optimization results:

• Machining time reduction: 35%
• Surface quality improvement: Ra reduced from 1.6μm to 0.8μm
• Tool life extension: 50%
• Production cost reduction: 28%

Common Problems and Solutions:

• Built-up edge: Increase cutting speed, use sharp tools, ensure sufficient cooling
• Surface scratches: Use clean cutting fluid, avoid chip scratching
• Vibration marks: Improve system rigidity, optimize cutting parameters
• Dimension over-tolerance: Control cutting temperature, perform thermal deformation compensation

Cost Optimization Strategies:

1. Optimize process plan to reduce machining operations
2. Improve equipment utilization and reduce downtime
3. Adopt standardized tools and fixtures
4. Optimize cutting parameters to improve machining efficiency
5. Implement lean production to reduce waste
6. Establish cost accounting system for cost analysis

Note: Experiment 3 achieved the best surface quality (Ra=0.103μm)

Advantages of Composite Machining:

1. Reduce clamping times and improve machining accuracy
2. Shorten production cycle and improve efficiency
3. Reduce equipment floor space
4. Reduce production costs
5. Improve machining flexibility

Name: Engineer Li

Professional Field: CNC Precision Machining Technology

Experience: 15 years of CNC machining process research and application experience

Research Direction: Aluminum alloy precision machining, process optimization, intelligent machining technology