Download Now
Picking a metal for a custom part is one of the most consequential decisions you’ll make in the design process. Get it right, and your part performs as expected, machines or forms cleanly, and ships on time. Get it wrong, and you’re looking at cracked bends, corroded hardware, blown budgets, or a part that’s simply over-engineered for the job.
Most material references are written for metallurgists, not the engineers actually specifying parts. This guide skips the crystal structures and focuses on how aluminum, stainless steel, alloy steel, and six specialty metals behave in CNC machining and sheet metal fabrication, so you can specify the right alloy and temper the first time.
What You Get With the Metal Material Selection Guide
Get a practical, engineering-focused comparison of the metals and tempers you’re most likely to specify for CNC-machined and sheet metal parts.
In this guide, you’ll learn:
- Which material family fits your part, using a decision tree based on corrosion resistance, weight, and cost
- How to read temper and condition codes (6061-T6, 17-4 PH H900, and more) so your spec is complete and unambiguous
- Minimum bend radii and grain-direction rules for sheet metal, including which tempers crack if you get it wrong
- How aluminum, stainless steel, and alloy steel compare in terms of strength, corrosion resistance, machinability, and cost
- When to reach for a specialty metal like titanium, brass, bronze, copper, magnesium, or zinc, and why
- Surface finish options (anodizing, passivation, plating) and when each one actually matters
Start specifying the right metal the first time. Get your free guide now.
Download