7075 Aluminum Temper

[IVIayheIVI]

Apparently alluminum alloy is quite moody, and how well it performs depends on it's mood on any given day.


Joking aside, I'm interested in learning what people are using to fabricate our Rampage parts, or other 5th scale parts. This is a direct extract from Wikipedia:


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7075-O


Un-heat-treated 7075 (7075-O temper) has maximum tensile strength no more than 40,000 psi (276 MPa), and maximum yield strength no more than 21,000 psi (145 MPa). The material has elongation (stretch before ultimate failure) of 9-10%.


7075-T6


7075 tech sheet T6 temper 7075 has an ultimate tensile strength of 74 - 78,000 psi (510 - 538 MPa) and yield strength of at least 63 - 69,000 psi (434-476 MPa). It has failure elongation of 5-8%.


7075-T651


T651 temper 7075 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 67 - 78,000 psi (462 - 538 MPa) and yield strength of 54 - 67,000 psi (372-462 MPa). It has failure elongation of 3-9%.


The 51 suffix has no bearing on the heat treatment but denotes that the material is stress relieved by controlled stretching.


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At first glance, it would appear that T6 is the best to use as it has a higher tensile strength. However, I'm no metallurgist. Cost is also a major factor, I would imagine that T6 is more expensive than the other 2 variations.


Can someone give me the low-down on this? Believe it or not, my friend and I are really starting to consider investing in a CNC capable of machining 7075 aluminum. We nearly $&!+ our pants when we saw how cheaply one can buy a CNC machine these days.


Thanks in advance for any input!!

 

[RampageHopUps]

I use 6061-T6 and it does the job most of the time. You will find 7075-T6 is hard to find in some sizes and expensive.

 

[IVIayheIVI]

Thanks for the input Rob!

At this point, it's just a dream... that could possibly become reality within the next year or two. The fact is that this sort of investment can create income. Even if the machine just pays itself off with the work I get from others, it would be worth it to be able to fabricate my own parts.

 

[RampageHopUps]

It was alot of people's dreams back 10 years ago. That is why there are so many used machines out there.

 

[Ol' fart]

7075 machines a lot like 6061, no big difference when using carbide tooling. The 7075-T651 is the least expensive of the 7075 alloy's but it cost about 50% more than the 6061 alloy's. We use it because of it's strength. Especially the strength of threaded holes. It is not widely used because of the cost and the fact that it can not be welded. It is hard to find and you will most likely have to have it shipped to you adding to the cost. For most applications in the world of RC 6061-T6 is more than up to the job.

 

[Ol' fart]

It was alot of people's dreams back 10 years ago. That is why there are so many used machines out there.

LOL That is the truth.

 

[cordy]

With the excelent work you do,just stay in your shop 24/7. ha only kidding.

 

[Guest]

Is there a weight difference between 7075 and 6061.

Can titanium be machined. I know it big bucks but when I was into street bikes I had lots of goodies made from the stuff. It is amazing how light it is.

 

[RampageHopUps]

I have several shops that machine Titanium every day. Its expensive and tough on tools and machines.

 

[thomas]

so what you all are saying is that all of redcats aluminum is 6061 T6 and then the parts that 7075rc offers is 7075 T6 if thats not the case info would be great on the matter

 

[RampageHopUps]

Thats not what he is saying. AMerican machinists use 6061 and 7075. The Chinese have similar alloys, but not the same.

 

[Ruffy]

Is there a weight difference between 7075 and 6061.Can titanium be machined. I know it big bucks but when I was into street bikes I had lots of goodies made from the stuff. It is amazing how light it is.

Not much of a weight difference between the two. I think the 6061 works well for what its used for.

And yes you can get titanium machined. It is big bucks but if done right you can make the ultimate basher.

Right now i am working on aluminum diff cases and a few other upgrades. I had a few servo arms/horns machined for the stock servos but after seeing the servo quality and how easy they burn out I stopped production on them and went to Hitec servos and they already have a wide range of nice horns/arms.

 

[thomas]

what im wanting to know is what redcat use and what 7075rc use am im better off spending the extra money on the parts i can get from 7075rc or just getting the redcat brand?

 

[Guest]

It all depends on the specific part. The chassis are 6061. Some parts look as they are cut from cast. If you ever snap a part in two you can tell.

The 7075 RC are noticabley stronger.

 

[DUFFY]

I can tell you I use 7075 parts and they are light and hard and perfectly fitting. If a used price of a cnc machine is cheap you might be able to get a rapid proto typer, is just a 3d scanner that copies what ever you want and then programs the cnc to cut out the exact part. That way you could make parts for old cars, motorcycles ect in addition to making rc parts pretty easy. If some one could just make a top plate running the entire length of the xb-e chassis, replacing the front plastic and metal back top plate in one piece, I would be a happy man. A whole new tubbed chassis even would be cool.

 

[alfred e numan]

Aluminum dirt bike frames took me a while to get used to its feel while riding- i call it a dead metal- i mean this in a good way- there is no "ring" or feel to it- it also seems to dampen the vibes of the engine somewhat- soak it up- unlike chromemoly steel- the only problem with Al- it all work hardens- the more you abuse it- the harder it gets- this is very apparent with handlebars- pro-taper- over time they lose there ability to flex somewhat- even when you remove the 90 degree edege on the bar clamps, they can eventually develope hair line cracks where these parts meet- There is a product some hard-core desert riders use to add a little more feel to hollow bars- its called liquid bar snake. this is poured into the bars- it cures to a simi solid state- this helps prevent wrist- arm pump. - Folks? i am not trying to alter this thread- just showing examples of how this materal behaves on other applactions-- pardon the spelling.