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Magnesium CNC Machining

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broganpatrick
Magnesium CNC Machining

Magnesium is highly machinable metal and has some excellent properties, which is why magnesium machined parts have gained acceptance. Also, it is found abundantly across the globe and hence is easily available. Various magnesium alloys are machined to make parts and components applicable across sectors.

 

Properties of Magnesium

Here are some properties which makes it a right choice for CNC machining.

  • Magnesium is a lightweight yet a hard metal and can be easily machined and hence consumes less power.
  • The fact that it consumes low power reduces the wear and tear of machines and increases their operational life.
  • Magnesium offers a good strength-to-weight ratio to the product and this is further enhanced by using its appropriate alloys.  
  • Magnesium offers excellent surface finishes.
  • Magnesium is a good conductor of heat.
  • It can be easily broken into uniform and consistent chips or pieces.
  • Magnesium has a high mechanical strength.
  • It is excellent for high volume or repetitive tasks which require precision and uniformity.

 

Alloys of Magnesium

Magnesium is suitable for advanced CNC machines with 3, 4, and 5 axes. Here are some magnesium alloys.

 

  • Magnesium AZ31B: This alloy is usually anodized prior to machining to enhance corrosion resistance. It is lightweight and serves as a great alternative to aluminum. It has a high tensile strength and amazing thermal properties.
  • Magnesium AZ91: This alloy offers excellent corrosion resistance, good strength, and excellent machinability or castability. Owing to its properties, this alloy is commonly used for making magnesium cast dies.
  • Magnesium AM60: This magnesium alloy is also used in making magnesium cast dies and has excellent ductility, strength, castability, and thermal properties.  
  • Magnesium AM50: This alloy of magnesium is lightweight and used for making several magnesium machined parts for the aerospace and automobile industry. This alloy has excellent strength, castability, and thermal properties.

 

Safety Measures for Magnesium CNC Machining

There are some risk factors when machining magnesium and hence we need to follow certain safety measures. Here are some pointers regarding the same.

  • Magnesium is a highly flammable metal and hence we use sharp tools made of polycrystalline diamond or carbide when cutting magnesium so as to cut it as fast as possible.
  • We ensure it is cut at low to medium speed of the CNC machine as fast speed may facilitate fire.
  • Magnesium fire is white in color and must never be extinguished with water. We use potassium chloride powder and dry sand as they serve as fire extinguishing agents for magnesium.
  • Magnesium reacts with water to form hydrogen gas which can ignite itself to form another fire.
  • We use oil based coolants to machining magnesium if required as it reacts with water based coolants. Usually magnesium can be machined without any coolants.
  • This is applicable for magnesium and its alloys in all forms such as sheets, blocks, thin pieces, and even fine dust.
  • When in transit, we safely pack magnesium in stainless steel containers that can be tightly closed. This is to avoid self-ignition.

 

Popular Parts Made with Magnesium Machined:

  • Housings and enclosures
  • Valve covers
  • Electrical devices
  • Medical devices
  • Power tools
  • Engine components
  • Steering columns
  • Electronic components
  • Shift actuators

 

Applications

Here are some of the applications where our magnesium machined parts are used:

  •  Aerospace
  • Automotive
  • Defense
  • Instrumentation
  • Electronics
  • Heavy engineering


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