Machining10 min read
Aluminium extrusions: a profile design guide
How the die, the wall and the void shape the profile, and the tolerance calls that keep a constant cross-section affordable.
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Topic hub
Machining, castings and heat sinks
Machined, cast and extruded parts are chosen for geometry, strength and thermal performance. These guides cover process selection, tolerances, finishes, casting defects and the thermal path from a die to the air.
Guides in this topic, page 4
Machining9 min read
Casting defects: cold shuts, flash and shrinkage
Three common casting defects, read by cause and appearance, with the process levers that prevent them and the acceptance questions that stop a defect argument.
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Machining9 min read
Machined die castings: fixture and datum strategy
How to pick datums, set stock allowance and hold a casting in the fixture so the machined features land where the assembly needs them.
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Machining10 min read
Swiss turning for small copper and brass parts
Why a sliding headstock lathe holds slender parts that a fixed headstock machine cannot, and where the guide bushing stops helping.
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Machining9 min read
Casting and machining FAI: proving a part made in two stages
A first article for a cast and machined part has to prove the casting, the machining and the link between them. Here is the evidence to ask for and the gaps that cause disputes.
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Machining10 min read
CNC turning vs CNC milling: how geometry decides the process
The practical split between turned and milled parts, the features that force one process, and where a second setup costs more than the part.
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Machining10 min read
Die cast housings for electrical equipment: sealing, earthing and heat
An aluminium housing has to keep water out, carry fault current and move heat. The casting and the machining have to be designed for all three at once.
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Machining9 min read
Die casting tooling cost and life: cavities, steel and maintenance
How cavity count, die steel, thermal control and maintenance set the tooling price and the number of shots you can expect before a refurbishment.
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Machining9 min read
Aluminium chromate conversion coating: corrosion protection and electrical contact
What a conversion coating does to an aluminium surface, where it helps a joint and where it has to be masked or replaced by a plating.
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Machining9 min read
Heat sinks for medical and lab equipment: cleanability and quiet operation
How to choose a cooling route when the room has to stay quiet, the surfaces have to be wiped down and the airflow path must not become a harbour for dust.
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Machining9 min read
Machined parts for RF and microwave: finish, conductivity and geometry
Why a machined RF housing is judged on the surface inside the cavity, the flatness of every joint and the plating on the current path.
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Machining10 min read
Heat sink and casting cost drivers: metal, process, yield and finish
Where the money goes in a machined heat sink or a die casting, and the drawing changes that move the price before the quote is fixed.
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