J
Jan
Guest
..........which is easier to machine, 416 or 303? 1/4 rod for small parts and strength is not real critical but finish is important, thanks.
G
gunsmither
Guest
416
416 cuts like butter in my experience. Not sure about 303. Good luck with your project.
416 cuts like butter in my experience. Not sure about 303. Good luck with your project.
Last edited by a moderator:
4
4Mesh
Guest
The 303 is going to probably be easier to make a "pretty" looking part with. It's gummier and will tend to kinda smear the surface smooth when you cut it. The 416 is more likely to give you a grayish looking finish if it's not cut with a proper coolant and at the right speed.
Pretty 1/4" parts in either one will be difficult in an engine lathe or mill because there won't be a lot of latitude in surface speed. Many if not most production CNC's that a guy has available to him will not have spindle speeds fast enough to meet tool SFM requirements. So, finishes on parts tend to suffer there. Yea, some guys might have access to a mill or lathe with +15Krpm spindles, but not many.
If the environment of the part is not usually clean, keep in mind the 416 will rust. For "pretty long term", I'd go 303.
Edit:
If you're gonna "whittle" your way down to size on the part, the 303 is going to make a decent finish with real light cuts where the 416 is not going to like it when you take only .001 or .002 at a time.
Pretty 1/4" parts in either one will be difficult in an engine lathe or mill because there won't be a lot of latitude in surface speed. Many if not most production CNC's that a guy has available to him will not have spindle speeds fast enough to meet tool SFM requirements. So, finishes on parts tend to suffer there. Yea, some guys might have access to a mill or lathe with +15Krpm spindles, but not many.
If the environment of the part is not usually clean, keep in mind the 416 will rust. For "pretty long term", I'd go 303.
Edit:
If you're gonna "whittle" your way down to size on the part, the 303 is going to make a decent finish with real light cuts where the 416 is not going to like it when you take only .001 or .002 at a time.
Last edited by a moderator:
jackie schmidt
New member
Two Different Animals
416 is a Martensitic Stainless and 303 is an Austenite Stainless. That means 416 can be heat treated to a specific strength level, 303 cannot.
303 was developed as a reasonably free machining Stainless that possesses high resistance to corrosion. In my opinion, it is pretty easy on tooling, but nothing like 416R.
We use 303 around our shop quite a bit, mainly for steering parts, (pins, bushings, etc), for tug boats. High RPM and TiN inserts give good finishes, and it polishes up quite well.........jackie
416 is a Martensitic Stainless and 303 is an Austenite Stainless. That means 416 can be heat treated to a specific strength level, 303 cannot.
303 was developed as a reasonably free machining Stainless that possesses high resistance to corrosion. In my opinion, it is pretty easy on tooling, but nothing like 416R.
We use 303 around our shop quite a bit, mainly for steering parts, (pins, bushings, etc), for tug boats. High RPM and TiN inserts give good finishes, and it polishes up quite well.........jackie