Brass Manufacturers & Suppliers

C360 free-cutting brass contains 2.5-3.7% lead, which precipitates as fine globules throughout the copper-zinc matrix. Lead's low melting point and shear strength cause it to smear at the tool-chip interface, reducing friction, improving chip breakability, and acting as a solid lubricant. This mechanism allows C360 to be turned at 700+ SFM with high-speed steel tooling and 1000+ SFM with carbide — significantly faster than any ferrous metal and faster than most non-ferrous alloys. The primary limitations: lead makes C360 non-compliant with NSF 61 potable water standards (though low-lead brass alternatives like C87850 fill that gap), it cannot be welded satisfactorily, and its 45 ksi yield strength limits structural applications.

Dezincification is a selective corrosion process in which zinc preferentially leaches out of the brass matrix in certain aqueous environments — particularly warm, slightly acidic, or chlorinated water — leaving a porous copper-rich plug that has little structural integrity. High-zinc brasses like C268 (28% zinc) are most susceptible. Naval brass (C464) adds 0.75-1.0% tin, which inhibits dezincification and is specified by ASTM B171 for marine and seawater heat exchanger tube sheets. For potable water fittings and valves, dezincification-resistant (DZR) brasses meeting BS 2872/BS 1400 requirements are now required by many plumbing codes. Simple alpha-phase brasses with less than 15% zinc are inherently resistant but sacrifice machinability.

Swiss-type CNC lathes excel at brass components because their sliding headstock design supports the workpiece directly at the cutting zone, virtually eliminating deflection on long, slender turned parts. This enables length-to-diameter ratios of 30:1 or more with tolerances of ±0.0002" — impossible on conventional CNC lathes without special steadyrest setups. C360 brass's free-machining characteristics, predictable chip breaking, and high allowable surface speeds make it the ideal Swiss machine material: cycle times can be 30-50% faster than equivalent stainless or steel parts, and tool life is dramatically longer. Typical Swiss brass applications include precision pins, contact sleeves, miniature valve stems, and threaded fittings for fluid power and electronics.