As a manufacturer or practitioner, have you ever had such troubles? It means that you have invested a lot of costs in bronze processing, but you cannot get more return income. And what problems occurred during this period? Is it the wrong choice of bronze machining type, or is the machining process incorrect leading to product problems? To solve this series of questions, you must read this article. This guide will tell you everything about bronze machining in detail, studying its types, processes and applications.
What is Bronze Machining?
Bronze machining is a precision machining process that uses turning, milling, drilling, grinding and other machining methods to form, finish and surface treat bronze and bronze alloy parts.
Because bronze material has good thermal conductivity, wear resistance, and corrosion resistance. Therefore, when machining bronze, it is important to select appropriate cutting tools and optimize cutting parameters to ensure adequate cooling and chip evacuation, so as to achieve high-precision dimensions, tolerances and excellent surface quality. And bronze machining technology is now widely used in bearings, gears, valves and other fields.
Types Of Bronze Machining
There are many ways to machining bronze. Next, I will introduce it to you in detail.
1. CNC Turning
The lathe rotates the bronze material and cuts the surface of the material through the tool to make cylindrical or disc-shaped bronze parts. In terms of production efficiency, CNC turning is excellent and the parts produced are consistent and durable.
2. CNC Milling
The milling machine uses a rotating tool to cut the surface of the bronze material to form the desired shape. This process is particularly beneficial for high-precision, complex part designs, and it can control tolerances to ensure that the final product meets customer requirements.
3. CNC Drilling
This process uses drill bits to drill holes on the surface of bronze material, which is generally used in assembly and connection of parts. What you need to note is that considering the hardness and wear resistance of the material, you need to choose a suitable drill bit and speed setting, so that the entire drilling processing can be completed smoothly.
4. CNC Grinding
This process uses high-speed rotating grinding wheels or other abrasive tools to finish the surface of the bronze workpiece, removing a small amount of material, thereby improving the surface finish or achieving precise dimensions.
5. Sawing
This is a cutting process that uses saw blades to cut large pieces or rod-shaped bronze to obtain smaller, better-treated bronze material. This is an efficient and commonly used processing method.
6. Broaching
Broaching is a method that uses broaches to perform precision machining of bronze materials, and is often used for machining irregular shapes or inner surfaces in bronze workpieces. Because the process is very fast and capable of dealing with complex shapes, it is very popular in the industry.
7. Cutting
In addition to sawing, it also includes laser cutting, waterjet cutting and other methods. These processing methods can quickly divide or mold bronze materials.
8. Stamping
The following introduction is about stamping technology. This process is suitable for mass production of thin-walled parts by forming bronze workpieces using molds and stamping machines.
9. Hot Working
In terms of thermal processing, it is also the manual or semi-manual crafts mentioned above that have been used for a long time in ancient times and even in modern times, including forging and casting.
Forging is to heat a bronze block or ingot to a certain temperature and then repeatedly hammer it to stretch and deform it into the desired shape.
As for casting, molten bronze is poured into the cavity in the mold, cooled and then demoulded to form.
10. EDM
EDM technology enables precision machining of bronze and is suitable for machining parts with higher hardness or complex shapes. During the machining process, electric sparks or arcs are used to erode material from the bronze workpiece.
11. Welding
Welding is used to join bronze materials, and common welding methods include gas welding, brazing, and arc welding.
How To Machining Bronze?
Okay, now comes the question you are most concerned about, so how do we process bronze? Don’t worry, I’ll walk you through the steps one by one.
1. Preparation Work
This step is crucial and is the cornerstone of all work. First of all, you have to choose the appropriate bronze material according to the customer’s needs. The hardness and processing performance of each material are different, so the following aspects are critical.
- Tool Selection：You need to choose the right tool. Generally we recommend using carbide or high-speed steel tools. The tool geometry is very suitable for bronze machining.
- Check equipment：During the preparation stage, you should check the machine equipment to ensure that the machine tool is in good condition and the cutting tools are sharp and securely installed.
- Prepare coolant: You can use emulsion or water-soluble coolant, and also ensure that the coolant supply is sufficient.
2. Cutting Parameters
I don’t need to say more about the criticality of this step. Before each machining, you need to adjust the cutting parameters according to the specific grade of bronze, the type of tool and the rigidity of the machine.
1.Cutting Speed:
- Soft bronze (such as leaded bronze): Able to use higher cutting speeds, typically in the 150-300 m/min range for carbide tools.
- Hard bronze (such as aluminum bronze): This material requires lower cutting speeds to control tool wear and heat, usually in the range of 50-120 m/min
2.Feed Rate: Maintain a medium feed rate, 0.1-0.3 mm/rpm recommended
3.Cutting depth: You need to set the cutting depth according to the machining requirements. It is recommended that the cutting depth is 0.5-3 mm each time.
3. Processing Steps
Next is the formal bronze processing process. There are four main processing methods.
(1) Turning
- Roughing: The machine tool uses a large depth of cut and feed to quickly remove excess material to form the general shape of the workpiece.
- Finishing: Reducing the depth of cut and feed, which can improve the surface quality and machining accuracy of the workpiece
(2) Milling
- Rough milling: Use a multi-tooth or carbide cutter to remove material quickly.
- Fine milling: The machine uses a sharp milling cutter to ensure adequate cooling to achieve a smooth surface for the bronze piece.
(3) Drilling
You need to choose a suitable drill bit according to the hole diameter of the part in the drawing, and the drill bit must be sharp enough. In the process of machining, you should also pay attention to using coolant for lubrication to reduce friction and heat between the drill bit and the workpiece.
(4) Tapping
The machine needs to tap slowly and evenly to avoid thread damage. During machining, you also need to use special tapping oil lubrication to reduce friction and cutting forces.
4. Check Processing Quality
- Dimensional inspection: This is the first thing to be inspected. You can use calipers, micrometers or other measuring tools to check whether the dimensions of the workpiece meet the customer’s requirements.
- Surface quality: Check whether the surface of the workpiece is smooth and free of burrs or scratches.
- Accuracy verification: For some high-precision components, you also need to use special instruments to check whether the machiningaccuracy is up to standard.
5. Subsequent Processing
- Deburring: You can use sandpaper, a file, or a deburring tool to remove burrs from the workpiece.
- Clean the workpiece: Use cleaning fluid or compressed air to clean the chips and coolant residue on the surface of the workpiece.
- Surface treatment: Polishing, electroplating or other surface treatment according to customer’s needs.
Quality Control Measures in Bronze Machining
In the bronze machining process, quality control is very important, so what measures are taken to ensure the quality of the workpiece? The following are specific measures in bronze machining.
1. Raw Material
The first step is to conduct detailed testing of the bronze raw materials, including composition, hardness, density, etc., to meet technical specifications. At the same time, it is also necessary to ensure that there are no defects such as cracks, pores, and inclusions on the surface of the material.
2. Maintenance And Calibration Of Equipment
The condition of the machine also affects quality.
In terms of equipment maintenance, you need to regularly check the accuracy of the machine tools to ensure that the equipment is operating normally. At the same time, you should also pay attention to check the wear of the cutting tools. If the wear is serious, replace or grind the cutting tools in time.
In terms of equipment calibration, you need to calibrate the main parameters of the machine tool to ensure the accuracy of processing, and regularly calibrate measuring equipment and fixtures.
3. Workpiece Size
The size of the workpiece is one of the core criteria. You can use precision measurement tools (such as vernier calipers, micrometers, coordinate measuring machines) to detect the critical dimensions of the workpiece. At the same time, you also need to check whether the workpiece’s flatness, roundness, verticality and other geometric shapes meet the drawing requirements.
4. Surface Quality Control
Surface quality is also one of the criteria for measuring the quality of a product. You can use a surface roughness meter to test the surface finish of a workpiece and check for scratches, burrs, cracks, or other defects.
Applications of Bronze CNC Parts
After talking about these aspects, I will introduce you to the application fields of bronze parts, which must also include your industry.
1. Aerospace Industry
Bronze is strong, lightweight, and resistant to corrosion. So this material is widely used in bearings, bushings, gears and other key components of aircraft.
2. Shipbuilding And Marine Engineering
Bronze has excellent corrosion resistance and performs well in harsh seawater environments, so it is also used as propellers, seawater pump components, hull fittings and pipe fittings.
3. Automotive Industry
Bronze has high temperature and low friction properties, so CNC bronze parts are used to manufacture bearings, piston rings, valve guides and other high-precision components in engines.
4. Industrial Machinery
Bronze is widely used in the industrial industry due to its excellent wear resistance, and can be used to make components such as bearings, gears, pumps, and valves.
5. Electrical And Electronic Industry
- Conductive parts: Bronze has good electrical conductivity and can be used to make electrical connectors, switch contacts and terminal blocks.
- Heat sink: Bronze’s excellent thermal conductivity makes this material ideal for heat dissipation components in electronic devices.
6. Construction And Decoration Industry
- Architectural Hardware: Bronze parts are often used to make door and window fittings, locks, hinges and other decorative hardware.
- Artwork and Sculpture: Bronze offers both beauty and durability. Therefore, this material has also become the material of choice for high-end artworks, sculptures and decorative pieces.
7. Energy Industry
- Power generation equipment: Sliding bearings and sealing components in hydroelectric power stations and wind power equipment can be made of bronze materials.
- Oil and gas equipment: In drilling equipment and conveying systems, bronze parts can be used in environments that require corrosion resistance and high pressure resistance.
8. Medical Equipment
Bronze parts are used in connectors, catheter fittings and precision components in medical equipment because of their excellent corrosion resistance and antimicrobial properties.
In Conclusion
Well, I believe that through the above comprehensive introduction, you already have a more detailed understanding of bronze machining. Nowadays, bronze parts have been widely used in many industries. If you have such needs, then come and contact our DSR company with 14 years of processing experience. We are waiting for your call!
FAQ
Q: Is bronze easier to machine?
A: Yes. Compared to other metal materials, bronze is generally easier to machine. This is because bronze has excellent mechanical properties (e.g., high strength, medium hardness, low coefficient of friction). In addition, bronze has excellent wear and corrosion resistance, and it is not easy to stick during processing.
