1. Raw Material Preparation
Select aluminum profiles, plates, or rods based on the part dimensions and verify the material grade. The blanks for aluminum alloy components are typically castings or forgings, which require surface cleaning and pre-processing. Surface cleaning involves removing flash, burrs, gates, and risers from the blank surface. Pre-processing includes operations such as drilling, cutting, and trimming to obtain the rough blank in the required shape and size.
2. Rough Machining
Rough machining is the initial processing of the blank to remove the majority of excess material and form the basic required shape. For aluminum alloy components, rough machining can be performed using milling, turning, drilling, etc. During rough machining, it is crucial to control cutting forces and speeds to avoid damaging the blank or inducing cracks.
3. Finish Machining
Finish machining involves more precise processing of the aluminum alloy component based on the semi-finished state from previous operations, to achieve the required dimensional accuracy and surface roughness. Finish machining can employ methods such as grinding and polishing. During this stage, controlling cutting speed and cutting fluid temperature is essential to ensure the precision and quality of the aluminum alloy component.
4. Surface Treatment
Select processes such as anodizing, hard anodizing, painting, sandblasting, or passivation according to requirements to enhance the part’s corrosion resistance and aesthetic appearance.
5. Inspection
Inspection is a critical step to ensure the quality of machined aluminum alloy components. It includes dimensional inspection, visual inspection, and performance testing. Dimensional inspection primarily checks the part’s dimensional and geometric tolerances. Visual inspection focuses on surface roughness and integrity. Performance testing evaluates the component’s mechanical properties and corrosion resistance, among others. Professional measuring tools and testing instruments must be used during inspection to guarantee the accuracy and reliability of the results.
