Have you recently come up with a product design that features metals or metal alloys? If so, you’re likely looking for an ideal manufacturing technology to fabricate your parts accurately and precisely while meeting the required tolerance requirements.
CNC machines are among the most in-demand manufacturing technologies for metals today primarily because of their high accuracy, precision, and compatibility with a broad range of metals and metal alloys.
However, when it comes to CNC machining copper, there are several things you must keep at the back of your mind. First, you need to understand that pure copper in itself is challenging to manufacture due to its high ductility and high cold workability. Second, a ton of copper-based alloys now exist that offer similar (or even better) properties than pure copper and are relatively easy to fabricate using CNC machines.
You will have no problem choosing an ideal copper alloy for your design requirements as long as you understand the properties, benefits, and drawbacks of each of these alloys.
This article presents five common copper alloys, including their properties, benefits, drawbacks, and applications. But before we delve right into it, let’s take a look at two things you must consider when CNC machining pure copper.
Copper CNC Machining: 2 Things to Consider
No. 1 Choose the Right Machining Tool Material
Because pure copper is very soft, it typically causes high tool wear and poor chip formation during machining. With copper CNC machining, there is also the possibility of formation of built-up edge—which happens when part of the copper workpiece breaks away and is pressure welded to the cutting tool, causing poor surface finish of the machined copper parts.
We would advise you to use cutting tools made of high-speed steel (HSS) to machine copper as they are generally known to mitigate these challenges. Also, you must sharpen your cutting tools to a good cutting edge before CNC machining copper.
No. 2 Specify the Right Feed Rate
Feed rate describes the rate at which the CNC cutting tool is fed (or advanced) against the workpiece. We recommend low to moderate feed rates for CNC machining copper since high feed rates are generally known to cause high temperatures, making copper much more difficult to machine with precision.
But if your product demands that you use high feed rates, then be sure to use cutting fluids (or coolants) to get rid of the heat.
CNC Machining Copper Alloys: Properties, Advantages, and Drawbacks
Table 1 presents five common copper alloys, including their descriptions, properties, advantages, drawbacks, and applications.
Table 1. CNC machining copper alloys: properties, advantages, drawbacks, and applications
Cu >99.99%
Oxygen < 5 ppm
Cu >99.90%
50 – 400 ppm Oxygen
Cu >99.90%
0.015 – 0.040% Phosphorus
High Residual P copper
Cu > 99.0%
0.4 – 0.7% Tellurium
0.004 – 0.12% Phosphorus
Cu > 99.90%
0.20 – 0.50% S
Ideally suited to soldering, brazing, and butt welding.
CNC Machining Copper and Copper Alloys: Gensun Precision Machining can Help
As this article suggests, copper alloys offer a lot of desirable properties that make them ideal for a broad range of applications. But even after choosing the ideal copper alloy for your product design, the success of your manufacturing project still depends on your manufacturer.
You want to work with a manufacturer that has state-of-the-art equipment as well as highly qualified engineers and CNC operators capable of machining copper and copper alloys.
Gensun Precision Machining is a popular name in the copper fabrication industry and a leading provider of CNC machining services across the globe. Backed by over fifteen years of professional experience, we’ve helped many innovative companies create copper components accurately while meeting their surface finish, precision, and tight tolerance requirements.
Learn more about our cost-effective CNC machining services.
Keyword: Steel mold production