Transparent Aluminum - A Reality?

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New stuff, more transparent than the real "Transparent Aluminum". By the way, "Transparent Aluminum" is real, and it's a few years old now. And it's barely "translucent" much less transparent.

Old news on two fronts.
 
Celerity said:
New stuff, more transparent than the real "Transparent Aluminum". By the way, "Transparent Aluminum" is real, and it's a few years old now. And it's barely "translucent" much less transparent.

Old news on two fronts.
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:werd: on the aluminum. I heard about that a while back.

I do love seeing progress in composites though... makes me want to go back and try for a PhD.
 
Alloys are starting to get nuts. I'm used to working with 310 SS, 316, 304, and even 410. Now were getting into inconel and stainless alloys, wierd ass mixes like 4070 or even some boron steel. Honeywell and DOD contractors sure use some exotic stuff. I had to machine some 1 3/4" hex nuts out of solid titanium hex stock the other day. That shit is expensive.
 
so you basically just drilled and taped holes? after cutting the stock to the right size for the bolt.
 
Well, the solid stock needed to be cut to OAL, then the edges were rounded. Before that, the through-hole was drilled and tapped. Only problem with cutting TI is that it requires extremely low feed-rates and spindle speeds. Run the machine too fast and it will actually snap any of the inserts clear off and melt drill tips. Regardless of coolant pressure or volume. It took me the better part of a week to make 60 nuts. Additionally, we had to use a rigid tap and then chase it with the single-point thread tool. I also wrote a special interrupted cut program so that the cutting insert wouldn't break as soon at it hit the edge of the hex stock. A big PITA.
 
Inconel is tons of fun- especially when you scrap out a $100k piece because some retard ran it too quickly on the mill.
 
I'd take a guess that that TI was actually an alloy, as pure titanium is pretty weak actually, very light but weak. The modulus is actually about half the value for steel
Titanium Properties
 
Yeah, it was a TI/ SS alloy, I don't remember the number. Only that the 12-foot section I ran was worth more than my life.

With Inconel, we ended up buying new ceramic cutting inserts and synthetic-diamond coated drills. Our normal carbide inserts and drill would last all of about 1/2 a cycle. Additionally, the machine needs to run the high-pressure coolant on every cut, instead on just on endmilling and finish turns.
 
Celerity said:
By the way, "Transparent Aluminum" is real, and it's a few years old now. And it's barely "translucent" much less transparent.
Click to expand...

That's because Scotty hasn't given us his formula in this timeline! Ours is a cheap knockoff.
 
EGProject said:
Alloys are starting to get nuts. I'm used to working with 310 SS, 316, 304, and even 410. Now were getting into inconel and stainless alloys, wierd ass mixes like 4070 or even some boron steel. Honeywell and DOD contractors sure use some exotic stuff. I had to machine some 1 3/4" hex nuts out of solid titanium hex stock the other day. That shit is expensive.
Click to expand...

Our shop had a job come through that required this material called PEEK.

At 2" diameter that stuff was $800.00 *PER FOOT*

Apparently it's a plastic of sorts that is used an aerospace, takes some mean temperatures for a plastic.
 
So will we now offer this instead of carbon fiber parts for ricers? DOOD! You can see under the hood, y0!
 
reikoshea said:
they already have plexi hoods.
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And trunks? and sunroof plugs? and fenders? I know I've seen plexi hoods, but I doubt their structural integrity. How about wheels with the inside spokes that are clear. hmm....
 
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