Re: Machining Magnesium AZ31B

CDC wrote:
>
> Hello, our shop is looking to make some parts on the mill using Magnesium
> AZ31B. We were wondering if there is a hazard in machining this steel and
> how easy is it to machine? Does it react with the dust as titanium in
> catching on fire?


CDC:

First, it's NOT a steel, although it IS a metal and that's what I
suppose you meant.
We do a fair amount of magnesium machining and we cut it dry and have a
barrel of dirt (actually concrete) handy to put out any possible fires.
We use aggressive feeds. Don't let your tools do any rubbing to lessen
any heat input. Try not to do any light skim passes such as flycutting
..002 off your part. Don't let the chips build up on your part, or
table. Clean the mag chips out of the machine frequently.


--
BottleBob
http://home.earthlink.net/~bottlbob
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