AL · aluminium
Aluminium 2024-T4
Gumdrops compared to 7075. Takes a fine finish with sharp tooling but built-up edge is a real risk and chip control is the weak point.
Quoting this material
- Typical lead time
- 10–15 working days
- Condition
- T4 - solution heat treated, naturally aged
- Achievable finish
- Ra 1.6 µm typical · Ra 0.8 µm best
Machined in-house to your drawing: see the precision CNC machining service and the machine and inspection capability it runs on.
Machinability
Our own 1–10 shop ranking, not a published index: 10 is free-cutting brass C360, 1 is Inconel 718. It ranks how a material behaves on the floor - cycle time, chip control and tool life together. Where a published index exists it is quoted in the note.
Gumdrops compared to 7075. Takes a fine finish with sharp tooling but built-up edge is a real risk and chip control is the weak point.
Properties as supplied
| Parameter | Value | Unit |
|---|---|---|
| Tensile strength | 469 | MPa |
| Yield strength (0.2%) | 324 | MPa |
| Elongation | 20 | % |
| Hardness | 120 | HB |
| Thermal conductivity | 121 | W/m·K |
| Modulus of elasticity | 73.1 | GPa |
Hardness, tensile and thermal figures are typical published values for the condition stated. Actual mill certificates govern; send the specification with the drawing and we confirm against the certificate before the material is cut.
Condition
T4 - solution heat treated, naturally aged
Heat treatment
T4 is a room-temperature age. It slowly continues to age at room temperature after machining, which is why dimensional stability is quoted with care on a critical part.
Achievable surface finish
Ra 1.6 µm
Ra 0.8 µm
Anodises, but the T4 microstructure is less uniform than 7075 and the cosmetic result is a little patchier.
Tooling and cutting parameters
Cutting speed
- 300–600 m/min (carbide)
Feed
- 0.10–0.30 mm/rev turning · 0.10–0.20 mm/tooth milling
Tooling
- Uncoated carbide with polished flutes, sharp positive rake
Coolant
- Flood - this alloy builds up on the edge without it
Starting points for carbide on a rigid setup, not a guarantee. The right numbers depend on the machine, the toolholder and the fixturing - ask and we will say what we would actually run.
Typical applications
- Aerospace fuselage and wing fittings
- Aircraft skin-mounted brackets
- High-fatigue-load structural parts
- Legacy aerospace spares
- Machined doublers and shims
DFM notes for this grade
- Poor corrosion resistance bare - cladding, anodising or a primer system is expected on any aerospace part
- Naturally aged T4 keeps moving slightly after machining; on a long part, stress relief and a sequence that finishes the critical face last matter
- Older drawings specify 2024 with a cladding designation (Alclad) - check whether the drawing permits bare metal before quoting
Questions buyers ask
- Why is 2024 still specified when 7075 is stronger?
- Fatigue and damage tolerance. 2024-T4 is more forgiving of a stress concentration and has a long qualification history on airframes - a drawing approved in 1975 does not get re-approved because a newer alloy looks better on a datasheet.
- Can you supply 2024 with aerospace traceability?
- Yes, with the mill certificate and heat lot on the stock, and the parts marked and recorded against that lot. Send the specification (AMS or the OEM’s standard) with the drawing and we will confirm the certificate before the material is cut.
Grades we would quote instead
7075-T6
8/10Harder than 6061, so it cuts cleanly and takes a sharper edge, but it is less forgiving of a rubbing tool and it is not weldable in any useful sense.
2017-T4
8/10The original free-cutting high-strength aluminium, and still one of the nicest aerospace alloys to turn.
7050-T7451
7/10Same family as 7075 and similar to cut, with one important difference: T7451 is stress relieved, so a big pocketed part stays flat after machining.