Metal as manufacturing material

Steel

Steels are formed by alloying iron and carbon, as well as other alloying elements, and are indispensable in our modern society. The properties of steels can be customized by selecting the elements that are fused together. As a result, there is an individually suitable steel for almost every application. Steels are characterized above all by their high strength and hardness, and can be shaped into almost any form by various manufacturing processes.

Steels can be classified into various subcategories on the basis of their alloying constituents. For example, if a steel is characterized by a particular degree of purity, it is classified as a stainless steel. If the alloy also contains a chromium content of ≥10.5%, the stainless steel exhibits the familiar stainless properties. In this context, the level of chromium content determines the corrosion resistance of the material. 

So-called tool steels are characterized by very good mechanical properties, high wear resistance as well as toughness and hardness. In order to achieve the desired material properties, components made of steel materials can also be subjected to heat treatment, thus increasing the strength, hardness or formability of the steel.

Traditionally, steels are processed by forging or machining processes, such as CNC milling. In addition, steel components can also be manufactured by additive manufacturing processes.

Copper

The material copper has been used for thousands of years and belongs to the precious metals. Copper is characterized above all by its high electrical and thermal conductivity. The high electrical conductivity of 58 MS/m, combined with a high plastic deformability, make copper one of the most important materials for electrotechnical applications. Due to its high thermal conductivity as well as good corrosion resistance, copper is also ideal for components with heating or cooling functions. In addition to the use of pure copper, which has the highest conductivity values, copper alloys are also used depending on the application. Depending on the materials to be alloyed, strength and stiffness can be improved, for example, but specific conductivity decreases in the process. 

Copper is usually used in the form of cables, sheet blanks, bent extruded profiles, or machined solid material. In addition, the Protiq Marketplace also offers additively manufactured copper components.

Aluminum

Aluminum is one of the light metals and is used in many industrial and everyday applications. The low specific weight makes aluminum components particularly interesting for lightweight construction. Depending on the area of application and manufacturing process, there are a large number of different aluminum alloys that differ in their mechanical properties. Depending on the alloy composition, the aluminum components may or may not be additionally hardened by thermal treatment. 

Special cast aluminum alloys are particularly suitable for aluminum die casting and are used for components with very high volumes. The components have high strength, but are not as corrosion-resistant as other alloys.

Other alloys, so-called wrought alloys, are specially designed for forming and machining operations, e.g. CNC turning and milling. These aluminum grades have the highest strengths and are preferred for extruded profiles and for highly stressed components. 

Other key properties of aluminum include very good electrical and thermal conductivity and high corrosion resistance.

In addition to the classic manufacturing processes, aluminum can be processed very well using additive methods.

Zinc

Zinc in its pure form is mainly used in battery production and in the coating of iron and steel materials for corrosion protection.

As a standardized zinc alloy (Z410, Zamak 5), the material is also used extensively in zinc die casting. This, together with aluminum die casting, produces a large proportion of metal components for everyday use, which are required in very large quantities. Zinc castings offer high dimensional stability, good mechanical properties and can have a high-quality appearance due to an additional surface coating. Compared to plastic components, zinc components have a higher quality feel and appearance as well as better mechanical properties.

For small quantities, production using the zinc die-casting process is usually not economical. For prototypes and small series, before the intended large series, investment casting or additive manufacturing is suitable as an alternative.

Brass

The golden yellow material brass is a copper alloy with a high zinc content. The golden yellow color changes to golden red as the zinc content decreases, making the material properties of copper more prominent. Due to their appearance, brasses are therefore classified in the group of non-ferrous metals. Characteristic features of this material are its good machinability, high corrosion resistance and good thermal conductivity. Especially in combination with steel components, brass is suitable due to its self-lubricating properties, e.g. for plain bearings, gears and guides.

Due to its golden color, brass is also suitable for applications in the decorative and jewelry sector. These individual, usually very complex parts are very well suited for manufacturing by means of additive manufacturing.