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Materials
Materials
Description
Solid Wood
Types of Wood for CNC Woodworking
Hardwood
The textbook definition of a hardwood tree is an angiosperm, more commonly referred to as a broadleaf tree. A few examples would be oak, birch, and maple trees. These types of trees are often used for making high quality furniture, decks, flooring, and construction components.
Softwood
A softwood is a coniferous tree, sometimes known as a gymnosperm. These are typically less dense than hardwoods and are therefore associated with being easier to machine. Do not let the name fool you: some soft woods are harder than some hardwoods. Harvey Tool’s Speeds and Feeds Charts for its offering of Material Specific End Mills for Wood are categorized by Janka hardness for this exact reason. Janka hardness is a modified hardness scale with a test specifically designed for classifying types of wood.
Softwood is used to make furniture, but can also be used for doors, window panes, and paper products. A couple of examples are pine and cedar trees. Table 1 lists 20 common woods with their Janka hardness.
Common Name
Janka Imperial Hardness
Balsa
90
Buckeye, Yellow
350
Willow, Black
360
Pine, Sugar
380
Cottonwood, Eastern
430
Chesnut, American
540
Pine, Red
560
Douglas-Fir, Interior North
600
Birch, Gray
760
Ash, Black
850
Cedar, Eastern Red
900
Cherry, American Black
950
Walnut, Black
1010
Beech, American
1300
Oak, White
1360
Maple, Sugar
1450
Balsa
90
Apple
1730
Cherry, Brazilian
2350
Olive
2700
Rosewood, Indian
3170
Engineered Woods
Engineered wood, or composite wood, is any type of wood fiber, particle, or strand material held together with an adhesive or binding agent. Although some of these materials are easier to machine than solid woods, the adhesive holding the material together can be extremely abrasive. This can cause premature tool wear and create difficulties when cnc woodworking. It’s important to note that some types of engineered woods are more difficult to machine than others, specifically those with a higher amount of binding material. These types should be programmed with less aggressive speeds and feeds. For example, medium density fiberboard (MDF) if more difficult to machine than plywood, but much easier to machine than phenolic.
Ceramic
Machinable Ceramics – Custom Machined Parts
There are a number of different machinable ceramics with varying properties produced by several material manufacturers. However, unlike engineering ceramics, all machinable ceramics can be machined into complex and precision parts with extremely small features using standard metal working/cutting tools.
A softwood is a coniferous tree, sometimes known as a gymnosperm. These are typically less dense than hardwoods and are therefore associated with being easier to machine. Do not let the name fool you: some soft woods are harder than some hardwoods. Harvey Tool’s Speeds and Feeds Charts for its offering of Material Specific End Mills for Wood are categorized by Janka hardness for this exact reason. Janka hardness is a modified hardness scale with a test specifically designed for classifying types of wood.
Alumina（Al₂O₃）
Excellent electrical insulation properties , High temperature resistance , Plasma resistance , High hardness , Wear resistance
Aluminum nitride（AlN）
High thermal conductivity , High temperature resistance , Low thermal expansion , Excellent electrical insulation properties , Plasma resistant , Corrosion resistant
Zirconia（ZrO2）
High fracture toughness , Low thermal conductivity , Wear resistant
Silicon carbide（SiC）
High hardness , High thermal conductivity , High mechanical strength , Corrosion resistant
Silicon Nitride (Si3N4)
High fracture toughness , Low thermal expansion , Wear resistant , Good thermal shock resistance
Machinable Ceramics
Excellent electrical insulation properties , High machinability , High temperature resistance
Property Comparison Table of Machinable Ceramics
|
Property (Unit) Material |
Composition | Content Rate(％) | Vickers Hardness (GPa) | Flexural Strengt (MPa) | Max Use Temperature (℃) (oxidizing atmosphere) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Macerite-S |
Fluorian phlogopite |
– |
2.2 |
110 |
1,000 |
|
Photoveel |
Fluorian phlogopite
ZrO₂ |
– |
2.2 |
150 |
1,000 |
|
Macor |
Fluorian phlogopite
borosilicate glass |
55
–
45 |
2.2 |
>94 |
1,000 |
|
N-1 |
BN |
>99 |
Shore Hardness12(HS) |
30 |
950 |
|
BA-2000 |
AlN
BN |
80
20 |
Shore Hardness40(HS) |
120 |
950 |
|
SBN30 |
Si₃N₄
BN |
30
70 |
Shore Hardness48(HS) |
140 |
950 |
|
SBN50 |
Si₃N₄ |
50
50 |
Shore Hardness69(HS) |
270 |
950 |
|
Shapal
Hi M-Soft |
AlN
BN |
– |
3.8 |
300 |
1,000 |
|
Property (Unit) Material |
Max Use Temperature (vacuum condition)（℃） | Coefficient of Thermal Expansion （×10-⁶/℃） | Thermal Conductivity (W/(m・K)) | Thermal Shock Resistance（℃） | Dielectric Strength (kV/mm） |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Macerite-S |
1,200 |
9.3
RT~400℃ |
1.6 |
150 |
>10 |
|
Photoveel |
1,000 |
7.8
RT~800℃ |
1.5 |
150 |
20 |
|
Macor |
800 |
9.3
RT~300℃ |
1.4 |
200 |
40 |
|
N-1 |
2,000 |
-1.4
RT→1000℃ |
63 |
－ |
25 |
|
BA-2000 |
1,950 |
5.4 |
95 |
– |
15 |
|
SBN30 |
1,500 |
2.0 |
33 |
－ |
27 |
|
SBN50 |
1,500 |
2.6 |
47 |
– |
36 |
|
Shapal
Hi M-Soft |
1,900 |
4.4 |
90 |
400 |
40 |
Machinable Ceramics – Key Properties & Popular Applications
Key Properties
Easily Machinable
Machinable ceramics are ideal for micromachining small features and holes.
High Hardness & Strength
The mechanical properties of machinable ceramics tend to be lower than those of engineering ceramics. However, fine-grained machinable ceramics are nearly as strong as alumina.
Excellent Heat Resistance
Machinable ceramics with high BN, Si3N4 and/or AlN contents can withstand very high temperatures.
Available in a wide range of CTEs
Values of thermal expansion vary from negative to high depending on the machinable ceramic material.
Shapal Hi-M soft and BA-2000 have thermal expansion coefficients similar to that of Silicon.
Shapal Hi-M soft and BA-2000 have thermal expansion coefficients similar to that of Silicon.
High Thermal Shock Resistance
Machinable ceramics with high BN, Si3N4 and/or AlN contents have high thermal shock resistance.
High Dielectric Strength
Some machinable ceramics including Macor and Boron Nitride machinable ceramic have superior high dielectric strength.
Applications
• Fixtures and parts used in high temperature environments
• Fixture parts requiring the CTE closely matches that of Silicon
• Parts subject to rapid heating and cooling
• High temperature electrical insulators
Note: Machinable Ceramics in general are relatively high cost materials, and their applications are usually limited to small parts/ components.
Glass Ceramics: Macor and Boron Nitride
Machinable Glass Ceramic
Machinable glass ceramic(MGC) is a combination of fluorophlogopite mica and borosilicate glass It can be machined into complex shapes and precision sizes with just normal cutting tools.
Properties and Advantages
- Easily machinable
- Withstands high temperatures
- Low thermal conductivity
- Holds tight tolerances
- Electrical insulator
- Zero porosity and no outgassing
- Strong & rigid
- Highly polishable
- can be soldered to a wide range of material
- Radiation resistant
- Lead free
Macor Machinable Glass Ceramic
Macor is an outstanding engineering material and is machinable with ordinary metalworking tools. Macor is also a problem solving material combining the performance of a technical ceramic with the versatility of a high performance plastic.
Macor has a high use temperature (800°C continuous to 1,000°C peak). It has a low thermal conductivity and is a useful high temperature insulator as well as an excellent electrical insulator. Macor has no porosity and when properly baked out, will not outgas. It is strong and rigid and, unlike high temperature plastics, will not creep or deform. Macor is also radiation resistant.
Macor is pure white and can be highly polished. It can be thick or thin film metallised, brazed and epoxy bonded. Another major advantage of this unique material is that, even in small quantities, components are economical to manufacture.
Macor has a high use temperature (800°C continuous to 1,000°C peak). It has a low thermal conductivity and is a useful high temperature insulator as well as an excellent electrical insulator. Macor has no porosity and when properly baked out, will not outgas. It is strong and rigid and, unlike high temperature plastics, will not creep or deform. Macor is also radiation resistant.
Macor is pure white and can be highly polished. It can be thick or thin film metallised, brazed and epoxy bonded. Another major advantage of this unique material is that, even in small quantities, components are economical to manufacture.
Unique Properties of Macor Machinable Glass Ceramic
Macor is a problem solving material. It gives you the performance of a technical ceramic with the versatility of a high performance plastic. Macor machinable glass ceramic is an outstanding engineering material which is machinable with ordinary metalworking tools.
With such huge versatility, Macor machinable glass ceramic also boasts numerous material characteristics and advantages which make it a highly sort after product for a diverse range of applications…
With such huge versatility, Macor machinable glass ceramic also boasts numerous material characteristics and advantages which make it a highly sort after product for a diverse range of applications…
- It has a high use temperature (800°C continuous; 1000°C peak)
- It has a low thermal conductivity and is a useful high temperature insulator
- It is an excellent electrical insulator. Macor is used in the semiconductor and electronic industries
- It has no porosity and when properly baked, will not outgas. Macor is widely used in ultra high vacuum applications
- It is strong and rigid. Macor unlike high temperature plastics will not creep or deform
- It is radiation resistant. Macor is used in the nuclear industry
- It can be thick or thin film metallized, brazed, epoxy and frit bonded
- It is white and can be highly polished. Macor is used in medical and optical devices
Advantages of Macor Machinable Glass Ceramic
- Fast components availability: made to your specification in-house
- High precision and complicated form capability only limited by the available equipment and the experience of the machinist (tolerances +/-0.013mm; surface finishes <0.5 µm and a polish of 0.13 µm all possible)
- Excellent Design Flexibility – Design changes are easily made thereby reducing the time for product and process development
- Cost Effectiveness- Macor components are economical, even in small quantities
