Resources
Engineering guides for designing, specifying, and sourcing CNC machined parts — written from the shop floor, not a marketing desk.
Engineering Guides
CNC Machining Knowledge Base
These CNC machining guides are the practical references our own engineers use when reviewing drawings and quotes: what drives cost, how to choose materials and tolerances, which process fits your geometry, and how lead time and MOQ really work. They are written from the shop floor, not a marketing desk — no fluff, no vendor pitch, just the decision logic. Use them before you send the RFQ — or send the files and get the same feedback with your quote.
Ra vs Rz
What each roughness parameter measures, why there is no fixed conversion, and which one to call out.
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PEEK Machining
Unfilled vs glass- vs carbon-filled grades, the annealing rule, and tooling that survives filled PEEK.
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Stainless Steel Milling
303 vs 304 vs 316 machinability (78/45/40%), carbide speeds and chip loads by grade, and the work-hardening rules that protect tools and finish.
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Aluminum Milling: Feeds & Speeds
Feeds and speeds by operation (800–3,000 SFM carbide), chip load starting points, 6061 vs 7075 vs 5052 behavior, and how to beat built-up edge.
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Free-Machining Steel
12L14 vs 1215, how lead and sulfur break chips, the weldability and corrosion trade-offs, and when free-machining grades cut unit cost.
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Cast Iron Machining
Gray vs ductile iron machinability, carbide speeds by grade, why graphite makes chips easy, and the casting-quality traps to catch early.
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Machining Magnesium
AZ31B vs AZ91D, why magnesium is the easiest structural metal to cut, the chip fire rules, and when it beats aluminum on weight.
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Inconel Machining Guide
Why Inconel 718 rates 12% machinability, annealed vs aged condition, carbide speeds and feeds by operation, and the work-hardening rules that scrap parts.
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Machining Copper
C110 vs C145 tellurium copper, why pure copper is gummy, the tooling that beats built-up edge, and when brass is the cheaper answer.
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Metal Materials Guide
Aluminum, steel, stainless, titanium, copper alloys — the five families and how to choose.
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Metal Machining
The subtractive processes — milling, turning, drilling, grinding, EDM — with tolerances, finishes, and materials.
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Custom Machining
Custom vs off-the-shelf parts, the CAD-to-inspection process, materials, cost factors, and lead times.
Read the guide →Press Fit
The interference fit that locks parts without fasteners: how much interference, press vs shrink vs slip, and how to specify it.
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Engineering Fits
Clearance, transition, and interference fits: hole vs shaft basis, H7/g6 and H7/p6, and how to read a fit callout.
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Engineering Drawing Symbols
Surface finish marks and Ra, hole and thread callouts, and GD&T — the symbols on a machining drawing, decoded.
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CNC Grinding
Surface, cylindrical, and centerless grinding: tolerances, surface finish, when grinding beats milling, and its cost.
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Countersink Holes
The conical recess for flat-head screws: angles (82/90/100), countersink vs counterbore vs spotface, and how they are machined.
Read the guide →Thread Sizes & Chart
Metric (M) and Unified (UNC/UNF) designations, common sizes, tolerance classes, and thread milling vs tapping.
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Bead Blasting Finish
The uniform matte surface: process, Ra, bead blasting vs sand blasting vs brushed vs anodizing, and cost.
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Cast Iron vs Steel
The 2% carbon line, strength and brittleness, machinability, vibration damping, cost, and machine bases vs shafts.
Read the guide →What Is Reaming?
The finishing pass after drilling: tolerance (H7), surface finish, stock allowance, reamer types, and reaming vs boring vs honing.
Read the guide →Unilateral vs Bilateral Tolerance
What each tolerance type means, worked examples, when to use each, GD&T equivalents, and why unilateral costs more to hold.
Read the guide →Alloy Steel vs Carbon Steel
Composition, strength, machinability, weldability, hardenability, and cost — 1018, 1045, 4140, and 4340 compared.
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Brushed Metal Finish
The directional satin surface: process, Ra, brushed vs polished vs bead blasted, which metals it suits, and cost.
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