Steel

Carbon and Alloy Steel remain the backbone of industrial manufacturing due to their immense strength, durability, and cost-effectiveness. Jucheng Precision provides comprehensive manufacturing solutions for a wide range of steel grades, from mild steel 1018 to high-tensile 4140. Processing steel requires robust machinery capable of handling high cutting forces. Our facility houses over 150 CNC machines with high rigidity and torque, allowing us to rapidly remove material while maintaining precision. As an IATF 16949 certified partner, we specialize in producing automotive drive components and structural parts. We also offer essential secondary processes, including Heat Treatment (hardening/annealing) and surface plating (Zinc/Black Oxide), to deliver finished, ready-to-assemble parts.

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CNC Steel Machining

Available Steel Grades

Grade Common Name Key Characteristics Typical Applications
1018 Mild Steel / Low Carbon Excellent weldability and formability. Low cost. Not heat treatable for high hardness. Mounting plates, brackets, pins, fixtures, general structural parts.
1045 Medium Carbon Steel Higher strength than 1018. Can be heat treated for moderate hardness. Good machinability. Bolts, studs, hydraulic shafts, gears.
4140 Chromoly Steel Excellent toughness, impact resistance, and fatigue strength. widely used in high-stress parts. Axles, crankshafts, gears, milling machine spindles.
4340 Ni-Cr-Mo Alloy Steel Superior strength and toughness, even in thick sections. Retains strength at high heat. Aerospace landing gear, heavy-duty truck parts, power transmission gears.
12L14 Free Machining Steel Contains lead/sulfur for extremely fast machining speeds. Low strength, not weldable. Bushings, inserts, couplers, high-volume screw machine parts.
A2 / D2 Tool Steel Extremely hard and wear-resistant. Used for cutting tools and dies. Punch dies, mold inserts, cutting blades, gauges.

Steel Machining Capabilities

Capability Technical Description Jucheng Advantage
Heavy-Duty Turning High-torque CNC turning for machining tough alloy steels into shafts, axles, and cylindrical housings. Capable of handling large diameter billets with rapid material removal rates for cost efficiency.
Hard Part Machining Machining steel after heat treatment (up to ~60 HRC) using PCBN or specialized carbide tools. Allows for final sizing after distortion from heat treatment, ensuring high precision.
Precision Grinding Surface and cylindrical grinding to achieve tight tolerances (+/- 0.005mm) and superior surface finishes. Essential for bearing surfaces and mating parts in automotive and machinery applications.
EDM & Wire Cutting Using electrical discharge to cut hardened tool steels for mold making and complex internal features. Enables the creation of sharp corners and deep cavities that traditional milling cannot access.

Fabrication Guidelines for Steel

Heat Treatment Strategy:
Steel is often machined in an annealed (soft) state, then heat-treated for hardness, and finally ground or hard-turned to finish size. This workflow balances machining speed with part durability.

Chip Control:
Low carbon steels (like 1018) can be “gummy” and produce long, stringy chips. We use chip-breaking tool geometries and high-pressure coolant to break chips into manageable sizes, preventing bird-nesting.

Surface Protection:
Unlike Aluminum or Stainless, standard steel rusts easily. Parts must be oiled immediately after machining or plated (Zinc, Nickel, Black Oxide) to prevent corrosion during shipping and storage.

Tool Coatings:
We utilize TiCN or AlTiN coated tools to withstand the high heat generated when machining alloy steels, allowing for faster speeds and longer tool life.

Primary Application Industries

Automotive (IATF 16949 Certified)
Key Parts: Transmission gears, crankshafts, axle shafts, engine brackets.
Why Steel: Alloy steels (like 4140/4340) provide the immense fatigue strength and toughness needed for drivetrain components.

Industrial Machinery
Key Parts: Hydraulic cylinders, machine base plates, heavy-duty fasteners.
Why Steel: 1018 and 1045 steels offer a cost-effective solution for structural parts requiring high rigidity.

Robotics & Automation
Key Parts: Motor mounts, precision guide rails, structural arms.
Why Steel: Provides the mass and stiffness required to dampen vibrations in high-speed robotic systems.

Oil & Gas
Key Parts: Drill bit bodies, valves, high-pressure fittings.
Why Steel: High-strength alloys withstand the extreme pressures and abrasive environments of downhole drilling.

Material Properties

Density 7.85 g/cm³
Tensile Strength 370 - 2000+ MPa
Yield Strength 250 - 1600+ MPa
Elongation at Break 10 - 35 %
Elastic Modulus 190 - 210 GPa
Hardness 120 HB - 60 HRC
Thermal Conductivity 40 - 50 W/m-K
Electrical Conductivity 5 - 15 % IACS
Melting Point 1370 - 1540 °C
Max. Part Size 2000 mm (L) x 800 mm (W) x 600 mm (H)