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The metal chips are typically not wasted (it is trivial to wash and melt them into a new billet). Milling from scratch gives you a stronger (and more expensive)
by maxharris 17y ago
The metal chips are typically not wasted (it is trivial to wash and melt them into a new billet). Milling from scratch gives you a stronger (and more expensive) part than if you were to cast and machine it.
Ever watch Apple's unibody MacBook Pro video? They use the same technology to machine the cases on our laptops.
- sophacles 17y agoThanks for the info. Why is machining stronger than casting? it seems to me that to make a billet you'd need to cast that first... As a related question: Is one method more energy efficient than the other?
- maxharris 17y ago> Why is machining stronger than casting? One reason is that billets are far less likely to have pores and other defects (caused by air bubbles) than a casting. > Is one method more energy efficient than the other? Which is more energy efficient depends on the application and expected life of the part. Casting several cheaper parts and paying to replace them may or may not be cheaper/more efficent if you look at the entire process (including shipping and human interactions with the part).