Aluminum

• 6061 Aluminum: Properties, Grades, and How to Choose the Right Variant for CNC Parts 6061 aluminum alloy properties grades T6 T651 T6511 CNC machining temper selection corrosion resistance machinability billet extrusion anodizing surface finish Pillar Jul 16
• 6061 vs 7075 Aluminum: Strength, Cost, and Machinability Compared 6061 7075 aluminum alloy comparison strength tensile yield cost machinability aerospace structural CNC machining fatigue hardness Jul 19
• 6061-T6 vs T651 vs T6511: Which Temper to Order for Machined Parts 6061 temper T6 T651 T6511 stress relief residual stress distortion warping CNC machining aluminum heat treatment precipitation hardening Jul 22

Nylon / Polyamide

• Nylon (Polyamide) Properties: The Engineer’s Selection Guide for CNC Machined Parts nylon polyamide PA6 PA66 PA12 properties engineer selection guide CNC machined parts moisture absorption tensile strength HDT chemical resistance Pillar Jul 6
• Nylon Mechanical Properties & Machinability: Tensile Strength, HDT, Moisture Effects, and CNC Parameters nylon mechanical properties machinability tensile strength HDT heat deflection temperature moisture absorption CNC parameters cutting speed feed rate tooling Jul 7
• PA6 vs PA66 vs PA12: Nylon Grades Compared — Properties, Modifications, and When to Switch PA6 PA66 PA12 nylon grades comparison glass filled GF30 moisture stiffness flexibility low temperature impact resistance modifications Jul 12
• Nylon Parts for Engineering Applications: Industry Use Cases, Tolerances, and Procurement Checklist nylon parts engineering applications industry use cases tolerances procurement checklist automotive medical gears bushings housings CNC injection molding Jul 15

Anodizing & Surface Finishing

• Aluminum Anodizing Guide: How to Choose the Right Type, Thickness, and Finish for CNC Machined Parts aluminum anodizing guide Type II Type III MIL-PRF-8625F thickness finish CNC machined parts T-T-F decision path 4-element callout framework 6061 Pillar Aug 12
• Type II vs. Type III Anodizing (2026): Hardness, Color, and When to Specify Hard Coat Type II Type III anodizing hardness color hard coat 6061-T6 MIL-PRF-8625F wear resistance thickness sealing six-gate hard coat test 2026 Aug 9
• Anodizing Thickness, Color Consistency, and Corrosion Resistance: How the Three Are Connected for 6061 Parts anodizing thickness color consistency corrosion resistance 6061 Type II Type III MIL-PRF-8625F sealing nickel acetate salt spray ASTM B117 oxide coating delta E Aug 6
• Anodizing vs. Electroless Nickel vs. E-Coat vs. Powder Coat: Choosing the Right Finish for Machined Aluminum anodizing electroless nickel e-coat powder coat finish machined aluminum comparison MIL-PRF-8625F ASTM B733 corrosion wear cost selection guide Aug 12
• Machining 6061 for Anodize: Pre-Anodize Dimensions, Surface Finish, and Masking Decisions (2026) machining 6061 anodize pre-anodize dimensions growth allowance surface roughness Ra masking thread plugs Type II Type III MIL-A-8625F dimensional change Jul 23

Sheet Metal

• Sheet Metal Materials Guide (2026): 5052 vs 6061 Aluminum, 304 Stainless, 1018 Steel, and Galvanized Steel sheet metal materials guide 5052 6061 aluminum 304 stainless 1018 cold rolled galvanized steel comparison formability weldability corrosion gauge thickness ASTM Pillar Aug 26

Metals & Mechanical Properties

• Titanium for CNC Machining: Grades, Tooling, Heat, Tolerances and Applications titanium CNC machining Grade 2 Grade 5 Grade 23 Ti-6Al-4V ASTM B348 tooling heat tolerances applications New Sep 24
• Bronze Metal for Machined Parts: Bearing Grades, Bushings, Wear and CNC Considerations bronze metal machined parts bearing bronze bushings wear CNC machining grades ASTM B505 New Sep 24
• What Is Brass? Alloy Grades, CNC Machinability, Properties and Finishing brass alloy grades C360 CNC machinability properties finishing copper zinc machining New Sep 24
• Aluminum for CNC Machining: How to Choose Grades, Tempers, Stock Forms, Finishes and Cost aluminum CNC machining grades tempers 6061 7075 stock forms finishes cost ASTM B209 B211 B221 New Sep 23
• 316 vs 316L Stainless Steel: What Actually Changes When You Drop the Carbon 316 316L stainless steel carbon corrosion welding CNC machining ASTM A276 molybdenum New Sep 16
• CNC Machining Materials: A Cost-Effective Metal Selection Guide CNC machining materials metal selection cost aluminum steel stainless titanium brass machinability New Sep 14
• Titanium vs Stainless Steel: Ti-6Al-4V vs 316L for Aerospace and Medical Parts titanium vs stainless steel Ti-6Al-4V 316L aerospace medical strength corrosion density CNC New Sep 14
• Machining Cast Iron: Grades, Chip Behavior, and Casting Blank Checks for CNC Buyers machining cast iron gray iron ductile iron grades chips casting blank checks CNC buyers New Sep 13
• Bead Blasting Aluminum: How to Choose Glass Bead, Steel Shot, or Aluminum Oxide bead blasting aluminum glass bead steel shot aluminum oxide surface finish media selection New Sep 10
• Metal Strength Chart: Tensile, Yield, Hardness & Density for CNC Materials metal strength chart tensile yield hardness density CNC materials aluminum steel titanium brass New Sep 3
• Cast Iron vs Steel for CNC Machining: Grades, Machinability, and What Changes After Casting cast iron vs steel CNC machining grades machinability casting gray iron ductile steel New Aug 31
• 4140 Alloy Steel vs 1018 and 1045 Carbon Steel for CNC Parts 4140 alloy steel 1018 1045 carbon steel CNC parts hardenability machining heat treatment New Aug 30
• Aluminum Heat Sink Material Selection: 6061 vs 6063 vs 1050 Thermal Conductivity, and Why 5052 and 7075 Fall Short aluminum heat sink 6061 6063 1050 thermal conductivity 5052 7075 CNC extrusion New Aug 28

Tolerances & Standards

• Sheet Metal Tolerances: Hole Spacing, Edge Distance, and Feature Design Rules sheet metal tolerances hole spacing edge distance feature design rules ISO 2768-1 laser cutting press brake bending stack-up 5052 304 1018 tolerance chart cutting process New Aug 26
• How to Tolerance a CNC Drawing: What to Specify, What to Leave Default CNC drawing tolerances GD&T geometric dimensioning title block general tolerances ISO 2768 critical dimensions callout engineering drawing specification default New Aug 2
• ISO 286 Fits Explained: H7/g6, Transition, and Interference for CNC Parts ISO 286 fits H7 g6 clearance fit transition fit interference fit shaft hole system limits deviations tolerance grade CNC bearing press fit New Jul 31
• ISO 2768 General Tolerances: Class Tables, Title Block Wording, and the 2026 Revision ISO 2768 general tolerances fine medium coarse class tables title block wording 2026 revision machining flatness straightness angularity Jul 26
• Metric Thread Chart and Tapped Hole Callouts: Sizes, Tap Drills, and Depth Rules metric thread chart M2 M3 M4 M5 M6 M8 M10 M12 tapped hole callout tap drill depth rules pitch CNC drawing thread specification Jul 28

DFM & Surface Finish

• CNC Prototype Design Risks: 10 DFM Mistakes That Delay Parts and Inflate Costs DFM design for manufacturability mistakes CNC prototype thin walls deep pockets undercuts tight tolerances thread depth tool access surface finish cost delay Jun 23
• Surface Roughness Chart for CNC Parts: Ra, Rz, and What Each Process Actually Delivers surface roughness Ra Rz chart CNC milling turning grinding EDM anodizing as-machined finish 0.8 1.6 3.2 6.3 profilometer measurement callout drawing Jul 30
• Sheet Metal Design Guidelines: DFM Rules, Tolerances, and Best Practices sheet metal design guidelines DFM rules tolerances best practices Six-Gate check bend radius flange length hole placement ISO 2768 press brake laser cutting 5052 6061 304 New Aug 23
• Sheet Metal Bend Radius and K-Factor: Charts, Formulas, and Flat Pattern Calculation sheet metal bend radius K-factor charts formulas flat pattern calculation bend allowance springback compensation 5052 6061 304 1018 press brake air bending bottom bending New Aug 24

New Engineering, Standards & Sourcing Articles

• Types of Fits in Engineering: Clearance, Transition and Interference Explained with ISO 286 types of fits engineering clearance transition interference ISO 286 H7 g6 shaft hole CNC New Sep 16
• CNC Part Weight Calculator: Metal Weight Calculator and Density Chart CNC part weight calculator metal weight density chart aluminum steel stainless titanium brass volume New Sep 20
• How to Evaluate a CNC Supplier: What Purchasing Engineers Verify Before Placing the First PO evaluate CNC supplier purchasing engineer supplier qualification quality inspection traceability first PO New Sep 19
• ISO 9001:2026 Is Under Publication: What CNC Buyers Should Check ISO 9001 2026 CNC supplier audit buyer quality QMS traceability inspection sourcing New Sep 3
• ISO 2768 Edition 2: What Changes for CNC Drawings in 2026 ISO 2768 Edition 2 CNC drawings general tolerances ISO GPS ISO 22081 title block 2026 New Sep 5
• Yield Strength vs Tensile Strength: How to Read Them for CNC Part Selection yield strength tensile strength UTS stress strain CNC part selection safety factor material properties New Sep 7
• Tight Tolerance Machining: Which CNC Features Need Tighter Control? tight tolerance machining CNC drawings critical features fit seal alignment GD&T inspection New Sep 1

• CNC Machining for Prototyping and Low-Volume Production: The Complete Engineering Guide CNC machining prototyping low volume production milling turning 3-axis 5-axis tolerances lead time aluminum steel plastic setup fixturing toolpath Pillar Jun 11
• CNC Machining vs. 3D Printing for Prototypes: Cost, Lead Time, and Tolerance Comparison CNC machining vs 3D printing prototypes FDM SLA SLS cost lead time tolerance comparison functional testing material properties surface finish decision Jun 14
• From Prototype to Low-Volume Production: When and How to Make the Switch prototype low volume production switch CNC machining scale up DFM review engineering validation tooling fixtures quality inspection first article Jun 17

Injection Molding

• Plastic Injection Molding Process: From Part Design to Mold Tooling to Mass Production plastic injection molding process part design mold tooling mass production gate runner cooling ejection DFM thermoplastic ABS PC PA66 PP cycle time wall thickness Pillar Aug 21
• Injection Molding Materials Guide: Properties, Selection Criteria, and Processing Data injection molding materials guide properties selection criteria processing data ABS PC PP PA66 resin comparison shrinkage weld line tensile strength melt temperature Aug 16
• Injection Molding Design Guide: Wall Thickness, Draft Angles, Ribs, and DFM Rules by Material injection molding design guide wall thickness draft angles ribs DFM rules material ABS PC PP PA66 boss gate runner rib-to-wall ratio sink marks warpage Aug 18
• Injection Molding Defects Guide: Root Causes, Severity Grading, and DFM Fixes injection molding defects guide root causes severity grading DFM fixes sink marks warpage weld lines short shot flash jetting voids burn marks troubleshooting chart material New Aug 20

New CNC, Casting, Finishing & Production Articles

• Press-Fit Rivet Nut Installation in a 2 mm SPHC Sheet: How We Held Flatness ≤ 0.08 mm for a Japanese Automation Buyer press fit rivet nut SPHC sheet metal flatness automation installation thin sheet case study New Sep 23
• G-Code and M-Code for CNC Machining: Work Offsets, Tool Compensation, Post-Processors, and Program Verification G-code M-code CNC machining work offsets tool compensation post processors program verification ISO 6983 New Sep 22
• CNC Machining Quote Checklist for China: What to Send Your Supplier CNC machining quote checklist China RFQ supplier STEP drawing tolerances material finish inspection New Sep 18
• How a 300×280×260mm 6061-T6 Aluminum CNC Machining Cavity Held 0.04mm Flatness Across Six Faces 6061-T6 aluminum CNC machining cavity thin wall flatness six faces case study New Sep 17
• What Is Metal Casting? Processes, Defects, Machining Allowance, and CNC Finishing metal casting processes defects machining allowance CNC finishing die casting sand casting investment casting New Sep 16
• Laser Marking for Automotive CNC Parts: Materials, Sequence, and Data Matrix DPM Verification laser marking automotive CNC parts Data Matrix DPM verification sequence traceability Cognex New Sep 15
• Cast Urethane Parts, No Steel Mold: A 250-Piece Case for an Automation Client cast urethane vacuum casting 250 pieces automation no steel mold polyurethane case study New Sep 13
• Micro Milling in Practice: Tool Diameter, ISO 21920 Callouts, and the Decision to Switch micro milling tool diameter ISO 21920 surface finish medical micro parts CNC New Sep 12
• CNC Machined Aluminum Parts: 160-Piece Order from CAD to Europe in 9 Days CNC machined aluminum parts 160 pieces CAD Europe 9 days production case New Sep 12
• CNC Machining for EV Motor Housings and Battery Enclosures: What ISO 1101, IEC 60529, and ASTM B221 Require CNC machining EV motor housing battery enclosure ISO 1101 IEC 60529 ASTM B221 sealing New Sep 11
• Stainless Steel CNC Machining: How We Held 0.018 mm Profile on a 316L Cantilever S-Hook stainless steel CNC machining 316L profile tolerance S-hook cantilever case study New Sep 11
• Anodized Aluminum Parts for EV Interior Trim: A 6063 Console Panel That Cleared German CMF Review anodized aluminum 6063 EV interior trim console panel CMF review case study New Sep 10
• Heat Treatment Before or After CNC Machining: When Each Sequence Works heat treatment before after CNC machining sequence hardening stress relief grinding AMS2759 New Sep 2