Specialty Materials
-
Production Schedule to
Meet your Lead Time
- ISO 9001
- All uploads are secure and confidential
Materials
Materials
Description
Solid Wood
Ceramic
Glass Ceramics: Macor and Boron Nitride
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 |