6061-T6 — General Engineering

• Best machinability among structural grades
• Cost-effective for brackets, housings, frames
• Excellent anodizing response (clear and colored)
• Weldable — suitable for multi-process assemblies
• Tensile strength: ~310 MPa (adequate for most non-flight applications)

7075-T6 — High-Stress Applications

• Highest strength among common CNC grades (~572 MPa)
• Aerospace and robotics structural components
• Not weldable — machined-only joining approach
• Lower corrosion resistance — requires coating for outdoor use
• Higher material cost — justified where weight-to-strength ratio is critical

Process Annotation: Aluminum requires dedicated toolpaths optimized for chip evacuation and heat dissipation. Flood coolant with through-tool delivery prevents thermal distortion on thin-wall features. 5-axis simultaneous machining eliminates repositioning errors on compound-angle surfaces.

Inspection Gate: CMM dimensional validation before and after surface treatment. Anodizing changes effective dimensions by the coating thickness — pre-treatment machining compensates for this offset on critical fitting surfaces.

Client required a bracket assembly with 28% mass reduction from the original steel design, without compromising load capacity under fatigue cycling.

7075-T6 substitution with topology-optimized geometry. 5-axis machining from single billet, eliminating welded joints. Hard anodized (Type III) for surface wear resistance.

Mass reduced 28% vs. original. Static load test exceeded specification. Fatigue life validated through client’s own test protocol.

Complex pocket geometry for thermal management channels, thin-wall sections (0.8 mm), and multiple sealing surfaces in a single component.

Single-setup 5-axis machining with optimized fixturing for thin-wall support. Sealing surface flatness controlled to Ra 0.4 μm. Clear anodized for thermal conductivity preservation.

Completed in one machining setup. Sealing test passed at client assembly. Thermal channel performance met simulation predictions.

High-strength structural arm requiring precise bearing interfaces, lightweight thin-wall profiles, and tight positional tolerance for servo alignment.

7075-T6 with black hard anodize for wear resistance on bearing seats. ±0.005 mm positional tolerance on servo mounting pattern. CMM report included per shipment.

First-time fit on robot assembly line. Extended service life vs. previous 6061 iteration under identical dynamic loading. Repeat orders established for ongoing production.

6061-T6 offers the best balance of machinability, cost, and versatility for general applications. 7075-T6 is preferred when maximum strength-to-weight ratio is required. 5052 is optimal for corrosion-prone environments.

6061 for cost-effective brackets, housings, and weldable assemblies. 7075 for flight-rated, high-stress, or weight-critical structural parts where the higher material cost is justified by performance.

Standard: ±0.02 mm. Precision: ±0.005 mm on critical features. Tighter tolerances are achievable on specific geometries with optimized fixturing and multi-pass finishing.

Yes. 7075-T6 and 2024-T3 are standard aerospace grades. Certified material traceability available. Fatigue-rated designs require client’s own qualification testing per their program requirements.

Type II (clear or colored, 5–25 μm) and Type III hard anodize (25–50 μm, HV 400+) are available. Pre-treatment dimensional compensation applied on fitting surfaces.

2D: PDF, DWG, DXF. 3D: STEP, IGES, SolidWorks, STL. Physical samples accepted for reverse engineering with CMM digitization.

3–7 working days for standard geometry. Complex 5-axis parts may require 10–14 days. Expedited service available for time-critical validation needs.

As-machined (Ra 0.8–3.2), polished (Ra 0.4), brushed, anodized (Type II/III), powder coated, chromate conversion, and electroless nickel plating for wear surfaces.

Yes. No mold investment required — CNC is inherently low-volume friendly. MOQ starts at 1 piece. Production scheduling supports 10 to 10,000+ unit runs.

CMM measurement on all critical dimensions before shipment. Full dimensional inspection report included. In-process checkpoints on multi-hour machining runs.