Metal Fabrication: A Guide to Manufacturing Metal Parts

Introduction

Walk to the nearest park or sports field and look down; that's not just rocks and dirt. Every metal known to humanity originates from ores and minerals found underground. For those in manufacturing, these raw materials are the foundation of our industry.

Looking at the periodic table, aluminium, titanium, iron, and nickel form the building blocks of modern society. Without these raw materials and the technology to extract and process them into alloys, we would still be living in grass huts and hunting with wooden clubs.

Konlida Precision Technology offers a wide range of metal manufacturing services. Metals can be broadly classified as hard (steel, stainless steel) or soft (brass, copper, magnesium, aluminium). Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the earth's crust and the third most common element after oxygen and silicon.

For a complete overview of all materials we work with, see our Materials Comparison Guide →.

Soft Metals: Aluminium, Magnesium, Brass, and Copper

Elemental aluminium is soft and highly malleable, making it unsuitable for most mechanical applications. Instead, aluminium is alloyed with elements such as silicon, copper, magnesium, and zinc, then heat‑treated to produce strong, lightweight alloys used in aircraft, automobiles, and consumer goods.

Aluminium Alloys: 6061 vs. 7075

Konlida's CNC machining service offers two primary aluminium grades: 6061‑T651 and 7075‑T651. The 'T' suffix indicates solution heat‑treated and artificially aged, then stretched (1–3%) to relieve residual stress, enhancing machining stability.

• 6061 aluminium – alloyed with magnesium and silicon, offering a yield strength of at least 276 MPa. Excellent corrosion resistance and weldability, ideal for structural components, hydraulic valve bodies, marine and automotive parts.
• 7075 aluminium – harder and stronger than 6061, with nearly double the yield strength but at roughly three times the cost. Alloyed with zinc, magnesium, and copper, commonly used in aerospace wing spars and high‑strength components.

For more data on aluminium materials, see our Aluminium machining guide →.

Magnesium, Brass, and Copper

Magnesium is the fourth most abundant element in the earth's crust. At two‑thirds the weight of 6061 aluminium and nearly as strong, it is the lightest structural metal. Used in camera and mobile phone bodies, power tool housings, and automotive transmission cases. Magnesium alloys with aluminium and zinc, offering excellent damping and machinability.

Brass (e.g. C260 cartridge brass, 70% copper, 30% zinc) offers high corrosion resistance and excellent machinability. Copper has the highest electrical conductivity of common metals (second only to silver), but pure copper is difficult to machine due to its tough, stringy nature. Copper is used in semiconductor manufacturing, vacuum tube seals, and as an antimicrobial surface in healthcare settings.

Hard Metals: Steel, Stainless Steel, Inconel, and Titanium

Hard metals are equally essential. Steel is used in everything from cars to ships, cables to tools. Steel is primarily iron with small amounts of carbon and other alloying elements. The Bessemer process in the mid‑19th century enabled mass production of quality steel, sparking the Industrial Revolution.

Carbon Steels and Stainless Steels

Carbon steels (e.g. 1018, 4140) are strong and weldable but prone to rust, requiring plating or painting. Konlida offers 300‑series stainless steels (e.g. 304, 316) with at least 20% chromium and some nickel, providing excellent corrosion resistance – commonly used in medical instruments, pressure vessels, and food equipment. 17‑4 PH precipitation‑hardening stainless steel can achieve 45 HRC hardness and tensile strength up to 1034 MPa after heat treatment, making it ideal for aerospace, nuclear, and medical applications.

316 stainless is particularly suitable for heat exchangers, steam turbines, and exhaust manifolds. For aerospace‑grade solutions, visit our Aerospace capabilities →.

Superalloys and Titanium

Inconel contains over 50% nickel, offering exceptional strength at high temperatures – used in gas turbine blades, jet engine discs, and nuclear reactors. We process Inconel through our DMLS metal 3D printing service →.

Cobalt chrome offers outstanding wear resistance and biocompatibility, ideal for dental implants, hip/knee replacements, and arterial stents.

Titanium alloyed with aluminium and vanadium is twice as strong as mild steel but half the weight. It is biocompatible and widely used for bone screws, plates, and aerospace structures. Learn more about medical applications of titanium →.

CNC Machining: The Foundation of Metal Manufacturing

Over the past 150 years, machine tools have evolved from crude belt‑driven devices to today's high‑precision computer numerical control (CNC) equipment. Konlida operates over 90 advanced CNC machines, including DMG MORI and MAZAK 5‑axis machining centres, ready to produce custom parts from most of the materials discussed.

Casting and Moulding: Scaling Up Production

For high‑volume production, machined parts are often transitioned to casting or moulding processes.

Metal Injection Moulding (MIM)

MIM blends metal powders (such as nickel steel, 316 stainless, 17‑4 PH or chrome‑moly) with a binder of wax and thermoplastic. After injection moulding, debinding, and sintering, fully dense, near‑net‑shape parts are produced. Typical shrinkage is about 20%, and tolerances of ±0.25 mm are achievable. MIM is ideal for small, complex geometries like gears.

Learn more about our injection moulding services →.

Metal 3D Printing: Solving Complex Challenges

For geometries impossible to produce by conventional methods, Direct Metal Laser Sintering (DMLS) offers an additive solution. DMLS uses a laser to fuse metal powder (aluminium, cobalt chrome, Inconel, stainless steel, titanium) layer by layer, creating parts with internal channels, lattice structures, and complex geometries.

• Accuracy: Tolerances to ±0.076 mm are typical.
• Surface finish: As‑built roughness around 5–10 µm Ra, often requiring secondary finishing.
• Advantages: No tooling, allows internal features and lightweight structures.

Discover more DMLS applications →.

Sheet Metal Materials

Konlida offers a wide range of sheet metals, including carbon steels (cold‑rolled, galvanised, galvanneal), stainless steels, aluminium, copper, and brass. Each material offers distinct properties for different applications.

Explore our sheet metal fabrication services →.

Post‑Processing Methods

Heat treatment improves strength and relieves internal stresses. Carbon steels can be case‑hardened via nitriding or carburising; 4140 can be quenched and tempered to 50 HRC or higher. Surface treatments include anodising for aluminium, black oxide, nickel plating, zinc plating, and cadmium plating for steel.

Konlida offers bead blasting and tumbling to remove burrs and provide a uniform surface finish.