CNC Machining Materials
Aluminum, stainless steel, titanium, brass, and engineering plastics, machined to your drawings.
The Right Material, Machined to Drawing
CNC machining materials decide more of your part’s cost and performance than any other single choice on the drawing. Material selection drives machinability, strength, weight, corrosion behavior, achievable finish, and lead time — and it’s one of the most common places we save customers money with a DFM suggestion before the RFQ ever becomes a PO. IsoCNC machines the full range of common CNC machining materials below, with material certificates available on request.
Every family below links to a dedicated page with grades, machinability notes, and typical applications. Not sure which alloy or plastic fits your application? Send the drawing and describe the loads, environment, and finish — our engineers will recommend options and quote them side by side.
Aluminum
The default for a reason: excellent machinability, good strength-to-weight, and it anodizes beautifully. We machine 6061-T6 for general parts, 7075-T6 where strength matters, 5052/5083 and 6063 for sheet-adjacent and extrusion-like applications, and MIC-6 cast plate for flat, stable bases. Aluminum cuts fast, holds tight tolerances reliably, and takes cosmetic finishes well — which is why it dominates prototype and production work alike. Typical parts: enclosures, brackets, heat sinks, fixtures, drone and robotics components.
Stainless Steel
303 for machinability, 304 for general corrosion resistance, 316/316L for marine, medical, and chemical exposure. Stainless machines slower than aluminum and work-hardens if the setup is sloppy — expect longer cycle times, and plan finishes (passivation, electropolish) accordingly. The payoff is parts that survive washdown, salt, and sterilization without coatings. Typical parts: fittings, shafts, valve components, food and medical hardware.
Steel and Alloy Steel
Mild steel (1018, A36) for brackets and fixtures, 4140/42CrMo for high-strength shafts and structural parts, and tool steels for wear applications. Where the drawing calls for hardness, heat treatment and grinding can be coordinated as part of the order. Steel is heavier and slower to cut than aluminum, but nothing beats it on stiffness-per-dollar for structural work. Typical parts: fixtures, gears, shafts, structural components.
Titanium
Grade 2 (commercially pure) for corrosion resistance and formability; Grade 5 (Ti-6Al-4V) for strength at low weight. Titanium is hard on tools and slow to cut — we quote it honestly and machine it with rigid setups and conservative engagement rather than promising aluminum lead times. Typical parts: aerospace brackets, medical components, high-performance fasteners and fittings.
Brass and Copper
Free-machining brass (C360) is one of the fastest-cutting metals there is — ideal for fittings, connectors, and decorative parts. Copper (C110) goes where electrical or thermal conductivity is the point; bronze covers bearings and wear surfaces. Typical parts: electrical connectors, terminals, plumbing and pneumatic fittings, bushings.
Engineering Plastics
Plastics machine differently from metals — sharp tools, controlled heat, and stress-relief where needed — but they’re the right answer for insulation, weight, chemical resistance, and cosmetics. We machine them regularly; call out critical dimensions and we’ll hold them.
- Delrin / POM (acetal) — dimensional stability and low friction; bushings, gears, insulators. See Delrin machining.
- PEEK — high temperature and chemical resistance for medical, aerospace, and semiconductor work. See PEEK machining.
- ABS — prototypes and housings where cosmetics matter. See ABS CNC machining.
- Nylon, polycarbonate, PTFE, Ultem, HDPE, PP, acrylic, G10/FR4 — on request; see the plastics overview.
How to Choose a CNC Machining Material
Start from the function, not the catalog. Define the mechanical loads, the operating temperature, the chemical or outdoor environment, any regulatory constraints, and the cosmetic standard — then let those requirements shortlist two or three candidates. From there, machinability and stock availability usually break the tie, and a DFM review can often swap an expensive alloy for a cheaper one that meets the same spec. Our guide to CNC machining materials walks through the selection logic property by property.
Still weighing two candidates? Quote both. We price material options side by side on the same drawing, so you can see exactly what the upgrade buys and what it costs before you commit.
Send Your Drawing
Tell us the material — or tell us the application and let us recommend one. Upload your files for pricing and lead time, with material options quoted side by side.
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