Choosing The Right Aluminum: Comparison Of Material 6061 Aluminum And 6063 Aluminum

You’re designing a drone arm that must withstand enormous pressures, where ounces and grams of strength are critical. Your team is designing a high-end furniture armrest with sweeping curves and perfect surfaces.Surprisingly, faced with these two opposing requirements, engineers may turn to the same group of materials—aluminum alloys. But the choice will ultimately come down to the two “kings of aluminum,” 6061 and 6063.

This guide, derived from JS Precision’s CNC machining experience, will provide a comprehensive comparison of material 6061 aluminium and 6063 aluminum’s properties, performance, and applicable uses. This will allow you to select the right material for your project needs accurately, without unnecessary costs or performance losses.

Key Answer Summary

Why Use This Guide? JS Precision’s Additive Manufacturing Experience

JS Precision has more than 15 years of hands-on experience in CNC machining, working with more than 20 industries such as aerospace, industrial equipment, drone, and electronics, and fulfilling more than 5,000 custom CNC machining manufacturing orders per year.

For example, we earlier manufactured high-accuracy connectors of material 6061 aluminium for a maker of airplane parts. With five-axis CNC machining and T6 heat treatment, the components could achieve a yield strength of 276 MPa, up to aviation standards. We made outdoor components of 6063 aluminum alloy for a company manufacturing consumer electronics with a surface roughness of Ra0.8.

We also successfully applied a composite process of “3D printing sand molds + CNC finishing” to enhance the material utilization rate of a drone arm from 10% to 72%. The above experience in the project has allowed us to have a deep understanding of the performance of these two aluminum materials. This manual, a summary of our experience spanning years, will be your reliable reference for your material choice.

Regardless of your need for customized high-strength structural parts of material 6061 aluminium or custom-made exterior components of 6063 aluminum, JS Precision’s custom CNC machining manufacturing service is here to assist you. Simply send in your design drawings, and we’ll give you a quotation immediately and have your samples ready in 7 days of order.

Getting Acquainted With The Two Aluminum Giants: The Versatile Warrior And The Surface Master

After understanding our experience, let’s delve into the two commonly used aluminum materials, 6061 and 6063, and discover the CNC machining advantages of each of these and focus primarily on the key characteristics of 6061 aluminum.

6061 Aluminum: The Trusty General-Purpose King

• Core Composition: It is predominantly alloyed with silicon and magnesium and minor amounts of copper and chromium, which collectively enhance its mechanical properties.
• Core Properties: It possesses a tensile strength of 310 MPa, yield strength of 276 MPa, and hardness (HB) of approximately 95 with T6 heat treatment (artificial aging and solution heat treatment). It possesses good performance under various working conditions and is recommended for CNC machining parts.
• Metaphorically: If aluminum alloy is a team, 6061 is the “core backbone” that can withstand both pressure and weight, and is indispensable in structural components that require strength.

6063 Aluminum: A Fashionable Designer

• Core Composition: Also constructed of magnesium and silicon, but with a lower proportion of magnesium content and a little more silicon content, the ratio makes it easy to shape and gives very good processing performance.
• Core Properties: As an “architectural alloy,” it has excellent extrusion properties, making it easier to produce complex, thin-walled profiles. It also provides a smooth anodized aluminum finish and appearance for improved aesthetics. It is often used in decorative or low-strength CNC machining parts.
• Metaphorically: 6063 is the “designer” of the family, with a specialty of creating complex yet visually attractive shapes and smooth surfaces, with products being easy to handle and pleasant to the eye.

JS Precision offers online CNC machining service. Whether you require parts of high strength machined from material 6061 aluminium or good-looking parts machined from 6063 aluminum, we can precisely machine them as per your design requirement.

Head-To-Head Confrontation: A Detailed Comparison Of 6061 And 6063

Now that we know the basics of these two aluminum materials, let’s compare them in detail, highlighting their differences in the key performance dimensions so that you can more easily choose which is best for your application.

As the table shows, when it comes to strength, 6061 is superior in both tensile and yield strength and therefore is the obvious choice for structural applications. In extrudability and ductility, 6063 is “softer,” with higher elongation and easier extrusion into complex, thin-walled profiles, a very important advantage.

Why Is 6061 Aluminum The Default Choice For CNC High-Strength Structural Components?

For high-strength CNC structure parts, 6061 aluminum is generally the preferred material. There are three reasons for this, and they make it JS Precision’s preferred material for machining high-strength parts.

1.Superior strength-to-weight ratio: For example, in robot industrial joints, which undergo both impact and torque loading, 6061 has the capacity to resist 150 N·m torque without any deformation and is 18% lighter in weight compared to 6063, which reduces energy consumption by the robot. In components like drone arms and equipment brackets, it can also achieve lightweighting without any loss of structural strength.

2.Processing stability: Under the stress of CNC cutting, 6061 deforms half as much as 6063, with greater dimensional accuracy, fewer correction steps afterward, and lower processing costs.

3.Post-processing Compatibility: When hard anodizing is required after CNC processing, 6061 aluminum can get a wear-resistant surface layer with a thickness of up to 50μm and hardness of HV300, far higher than 6063’s HV200, which is suitable for functional parts.

JS Precision offers custom CNC machining manufacturing, particularly high-precision material 6061 aluminum machining. Material-to-post-processing one-stop service ensures your project stays on track.

Micro-Comparison: Differences In Cutting Performance In CNC Machining

Apart from macroscopic performance, cutting performance of the two aluminum materials in CNC machining also differs significantly. This directly influences machining efficiency and surface quality and is a key consideration at JS Precision when developing machining schemes.

• 6061 “smoothness”: The even microstructure is conducive to chip breakage when cutting and prevents tool sticking. The surface finish can reach up to Ra0.4, which extends the tool life by approximately 20% and reduces machining costs, so it is quite suitable for mass production of CNC machining parts.
• 6063 “stickiness”: It will create long, stringy chips during machining. Improper cutting parameters (e.g., low feeds) will cause built-up edge (BUE), reducing surface finish to Ra1.6,and increasing tool wear, requiring more frequent tool replacement.

Practical Suggestion: When machining 6063, cut speed by 15%-20% (e.g., from 600m/min to 720m/min) and optimize feed rate from 0.1mm/r/min to 0.12mm/r/min. Chip sticking can be reduced further with the help of sharp high-speed steel tools and maintain a consistent surface finish within Ra1.0.

JS Precision online CNC machining service considers cutting parameter optimization based on aluminum material characteristics, achieving both 6061 and 6063 aluminum efficient machining, and CNC machining price control, reducing your cost.

Cost Calculation: Is 6063 Really More Cost-Effective?

Most find 6063 to be economical, but a proper calculation requires complete consideration of material cost and machining efficiency. JS Precision also calculates complete costs from a customer’s perspective.

• Material Cost: Raw material costs of the two are similar. 6063 is typically $50-100 less per ton than 6061. For components with light weights, the price difference is insignificant.
• Hidden Costs – Machining Efficiency: Since 6061 is easier to machine, its output per unit time is approximately 30% higher than 6063.For example, 200 hours would be required to machine 100 complex shaped 0.5kg brackets in 6061, while the same could be achieved in 260 hours in 6063. The difference in machining time significantly saves labor and machine costs.

Conclusion: For the common parts featuring easy cutting and drilling (e.g., ornament strips), 6063 can reduce costs. However, for complex structural parts with extensive milling and high efficiency (e.g., drone arms), the comprehensive benefits brought by 6061 are often more advantageous.

Comparison of the Compatibility of 6061 and 6063 Aluminum in the CNC Machining Process

JS Precision provides transparent CNC machining price quotations, taking material properties and machining complexity into account to develop the optimal solution so that you receive quality CNC machining parts while controlling costs.

Beyond The Dichotomy: Premium Aluminum For AVariety Of Applications

Besides 6061 and 6063, a few other aluminum grades fulfill particular requirements. Let us discuss the uses for which these higher grades are most appropriate.

1.Looking for Ultimate Strength and Machinability: 6061-T6 is the ideal option. Its all-around performance makes it highly suitable to the majority of structural applications and among the most widely used aluminum grades at JS Precision.

2.Complicated Shapes and Perfect Appearance Finding: 6063-T5/T6 is the most widely used aluminum alloy, which can be applied to parts with high appearance demand, e.g., equipment cases and decorative trim.

3.Needing More Strength and Corrosion Resistance: 6082 (European counterpart of 6061) boasts a tensile strength of as much as 320 MPa and 15% better corrosion resistance than 6061. It is appropriate for brackets for marine exploration equipment and has proven to withstand three years of service life in salt spray conditions without visible corrosion.

4. Requires extremely high strength for aerospace application: 7075 (zinc content) tensile strength is 570 MPa and is applied for aerospace landing gear connectors. Raw material was approximately 50% more expensive than 6061, and machining requires special carbide tooling and is more challenging.

Case Study: JS Precision Employs 3D Printed Sand Molds And CNC Finishing To Manufacture A High-Performance Drone Arm

We’ve had quite a bit of theory so far. So, with the assistance of a case study, let’s examine how JS Precision leverages composite processes to address customer pain points by taking advantage of the advantage of material 6061 aluminum to create customer value.

Project Background and Customer Pain Points

A prominent maker of industrial drones needed to design and develop a new generation of main support arms for heavy-lift logistics drones. The design requirements were both precise and challenging:

• Extremely light in weight: Weight needed to be reduced by more than 40% from existing products, while flight range needed to be increased by 15% and payload to 25kg.
• Exceptionally high structural strength and fatigue resistance: Needed to endure 100,000 cycles of takeoff and landing with at least 270MPa yield strength.
• Internally integrated flow channels: 8mm diameter for concealed wiring and weight reduction.
• Cost saving: Couldn’t tolerate 90% material waste of solid pure CNC machining, so the manufacturer aimed for an overall cost saving of at least 35%.

JS Precision Solution

Rather than proposing traditional extruded profiles or pure CNC solutions, we presented an innovative hybrid combined process:

Step 1: 3D Printed Sand Casting (Additive Manufacturing)

Through an industrial-level SLA 3D printer with printing accuracy of ±0.1mm, we directly 3D print the sand mold for casting. We use high-purity 6061 aluminum ingots (99.8%) as the casting material. Sand molds 3D printed can precisely form internal flow channels unlike traditional sand molds, without additional drilling.

Step 2: T6 Heat Treatment

6061 aluminum blank is solution treated (530°C for 2 hours and water quenching) and artificial aged (175°C for 8 hours), increasing its yield strength to 280 MPa, to the T6 condition. This is the most critical operation for unlocking the strength potential of the 6061 aluminum alloy.

Step 3: Five-Axis CNC Precision Machining (Subtractive Manufacturing)

T6 heat-treated casting blank was fixed on a German DMG five-axis milling center with machining accuracy of ±0.01mm. Mounting surfaces were finely milled (flatness 0.02mm/m). Servo and motor mounting holes were drilled (hole diameter tolerance H7) and M6 threads (precision 6H). Main load-bearing surfaces were ground to Ra0.4 surface finish.

Value Enhancement and Results

Performance Achieved: The final product weight of the component was reduced from the normal 1.5kg to 0.825kg, a reduction of 45%, to meet the lightweighting requirements. The fatigue test results further reflected that there was no measurable deformation after withstanding 120,000 landing and takeoff cycles, demonstrating compliance with strength.

Value for Money: Material usage increased from under 10% to 72%, reducing overall cost of production by 42%, well above expectations of the customers.

JS Precision: Beyond Being Just A Supplier

From these examples, you should be able to appreciate that JS Precision is not just a material and machining supplier, but also a solution provider. TechBullion has reported on the advantages of our intelligent platform in improving supply chain efficiency, which is also an important foundation for us to provide customers with full process support.

1.Beyond sales of material: We offer full technical assistance from material selection, process design, through post-processing. For example, we developed optimal heat treatment conditions for 6061 aluminum for a customer, which resulted in 10% increase in component strength.

2.Quality Assurance: For every batch of 6061 and 6063 aluminum material we maintain in stock, there is a material certification (chemical composition and mechanical properties test reports) to guarantee traceability of performance. Customers are able to access test records at any time.

3.Quick Response: We have over 50 tons of different kinds of aluminum materials stocked, and offer 24-hour cutting and blanking services. Standard CNC machining parts orders have a lead time of 3-7 days, and emergency work is done in as quick as 24 hours.

FAQs

Q1: Is it easier to anodize 6061 or 6063?

Both are easy to anodize, but with different properties. 6063 aluminum has fewer impurities, and thus a cleaner surface. It presents a more uniform, reflective appearance after anodizing, and thus it may be utilized for decorative parts. 6061 aluminum, however, can be hard-anodized to create a thicker and more abrasion-resistant surface layer, with greater functionality and making it more suitable for structural parts requiring wear resistance. One should choose depending on the application.

Q2: Can both types of aluminum be used in the same product?

Yes, the combination is used in industrial products, trading off performance and cost. An example is the use of 6061-T6 on some machinery for the structural load-carrying core frame (which must sustain the weight and workload of the machine) to supply structural strength, and using 6063-T5 on the machine case and ornamental trim (where appearance and lightening are the goals). This approach meets structural strength requirements while controlling the cost of exterior components.

Q3: Can 6061-T6 be replaced with 6063-T6 to reduce costs?

This requires great caution and rigorous performance validation, and cannot be blindly replaced.Although 6063-T6 is stronger after heat treatment, it is still lower than 6061-T6’s 310 MPa, and the disparity in yield strength is even greater. If your design has a sufficient strength margin for 6061-T6 and lacks dynamic fatigue loading, it might be worth considering. But in structural members subject to mechanical and dynamic loading, substitution is dangerous from a safety standpoint.

Q4: How can I be sure that I am purchasing true 6061-T6 material?

The most convenient method is to request the supplier to furnish a material certificate that will supply the chemical composition  and mechanical properties that can be compared with ASTM standards. Two usual on-site identification techniques are: hardness testing (using a Brinell hardness tester, 6061-T6 approx. 95HB, 6063-T6 approx. 70HB), and examination of chips formed during processing (6061 chips are short and silvery white, 6063 chips are longer and slightly gray).

Summary

In choosing between 6061 and 6063, there is no one champion, only the wise choice that best suits the needs of your project. Whether you choose the rock-solid 6061 or the refined elegance of 6063, it must be through your diligent considerations of strength, workmanship, cost, and aesthetics.

JS Precision offers professional online CNC machining services. Whether you require high-strength 6061 aluminum structural parts or 6063 aluminum exterior parts, we can fulfill your needs with precise CNC machining capabilities and transparent CNC machining costs.

We pay attention to every detail, with quality control from material to delivery. We look forward to working with you to make high-quality products as needed.

Disclaimer

The content of this website is for reference only. JS Precision Services expressly disclaims any representations or warranties, express or implied, as to the accuracy, completeness or validity of the information provided. Any performance parameters, geometric tolerances, design features, material specifications or processes mentioned should not be considered as any commitment or guarantee by JS Precision for products offered by third-party suppliers or manufacturers on its network or other channels. Buyers seeking quotes for parts are responsible for confirming their specific needs and product suitability. If you have any questions or need further information, please contact JS Precision directly.

JS Precision Team

JS Precision is an industry-leading company, focus on custom manufacturing solutions. We have over 20 years of experience with over 5,000 customers, and we focus on high precision CNC machining,Sheet metal manufacturing,3D printing,Injection molding,Metal stamping,and other one-stop manufacturing services.
Our factory is equipped with over 100 state-of-the-art 5-axis machining centers, ISO 9001:2015 certified. We provide fast, efficient and high-quality manufacturing solutions to customers in more than 150 countries around the world. Whether it is small volume production or large-scale customization, we can meet your needs with the fastest delivery within 24 hours. Choose JS Precision this means selection efficiency, quality and professionalism.
To learn more, visit our website:jsmachining.com

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