Materials

eMachineShop offers a wide variety of materials including:

Aluminum, Steel, Stainless steel, Copper, Sheet metal, Brass, Bronze, Wood, Nylon, Acetal, Polycarbonate, Polystyrene, Acrylic, Plastic, Fiber Glass, Model wax And many more - download the software for the complete list. You can also request special materials.

Deciding on the best material for your part can be a challenge. Generally it is best to look at the properties of each material. For example, if price is the only factor, choose the lowest cost material. If price and hardness are most important, select the material that has the best combination of those two values. Metals allow for parts of higher tolerance than plastics and some plastics can warp over time due to moisture absorption.

Common material/forming combinations:

• Aluminum sheet - laser cut
• Aluminum plate - milled
• Aluminum rod - turned
• Brass sheet - wired EDM
• Brass rod - turned
• Steel sheet - laser cut
• Steel plate - milled
• Steel rod - turned
• Copper sheet - turret punched
• Polycarbonate sheet - milled
• And many more

Material Selection Tips:

• Designing custom parts with sheetmetal is generally lower cost than CNC milling of plate or turning of rod.
  
• Sheetmetal parts can be formed into numerous shapes and can take simple or complex bends.