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Design
Part specs filed under Design.
Design
Designing a Lightweight Machine Frame: Why Aluminum Beats Steel
Material6061-T6 aluminum plate and extrusion (occasionally 7075 for high-stiffness nodes)
Tolerance±0.05 mm on machined datum faces and hole locations; ±0.5 mm on as-welded overall envelope
ProcessMIG/TIG welding of the frame, stress relief, then CNC milling of datum faces, mounting pads, and bored holes
A machine frame is the reference from which every other tolerance in the machine is measured.
Design
Designing for Fatigue: Why Steel Beats Aluminum in Your Next Frame
Materiallow-carbon or chromoly steel tubing, normalized or stress-relieved
Tolerance±0.5 mm on tube-to-tube fit-up; ±0.25 mm on machined bearing bores and pivot faces
Processcutting, notching, fixturing, welding or brazing, then post-weld machining of critical interfaces
Fatigue is the slow accumulation of damage in a part that is loaded and unloaded many times without ever being overloaded once.
Design
Design for the Real World: Why We Must Stop Chasing Strength Alone
MaterialMedium-carbon steel or aluminum alloy
Tolerance±0.05 mm for critical features
ProcessCNC milling or turning
In mechanical design, strength is often the first and sometimes the only criterion that engineers reach for.
Design
Pick Aluminum or Steel by Numbers, Not Gut Feeling
MaterialAluminum alloy (6061-T6) or low-carbon/mild steel (1018/1020)
Tolerance±0.005 in (±0.13 mm) on critical features; ±0.010 in (±0.25 mm) on non-critical
ProcessCNC milling and drilling
Choosing between aluminum and steel for a machined part is usually framed as a matter of feel, habit, or whatever the last project used.