ðŠķ MAGNESIUM
Magnesium Machining and Fabrication in Jackson, MI
Jackson, Michigan's manufacturing base has spent decades supplying the Detroit automotive corridor with precision-machined and stamped components, and magnesium alloys have become a natural extension of that capability as OEMs push hard on mass reduction. Shops here hold tolerances to plus or minus 0.001 inch on AZ91D die-cast housings and machine AZ31B sheet for structural brackets that shave 30 to 40 percent mass versus equivalent aluminum parts. When your program needs a supplier who understands both the metallurgy and the automotive quality system behind the part, Jackson delivers.
ISO 9001IATF 16949ISO 14001
AZ31B wrought sheet and plate is the workhorse alloy for formed and machined structural components in Jackson's automotive supply chain. At roughly 1.77 grams per cubic centimeter it is the lightest structural metal in common production use, and Jackson shops machine it on multi-axis CNC centers originally tooled for aluminum â adjusting feeds, speeds, and coolant protocols to manage the alloy's flammability risk and chip disposal requirements. Typical applications include instrument panel cross-car beams, steering column brackets, and seat-back frames where a 35 percent weight reduction versus 6061 aluminum is achievable without redesigning the fastening scheme.
AZ91D is the preferred die-cast alloy for transmission valve bodies, transfer case covers, and HVAC housings. Its excellent fluidity at approximately 595 degrees Celsius pour temperature lets Jackson's tier-two die casters fill thin-wall sections down to 1.8 millimeters while holding dimensional repeatability that satisfies PPAP level 3 submissions. Shops running high-pressure die casting of AZ91D typically see porosity rates below 0.5 percent when gating and venting are optimized, a figure that matters when OEM drawings call out X-ray inspection per ASTM E505.
Both alloys require dedicated tooling and strict housekeeping protocols. Jackson suppliers with magnesium experience maintain fire suppression systems rated for Class D combustibles, dry-sand quench stations, and chip storage in sealed steel containers â details that separate shops with real magnesium experience from those claiming it on a capability list.
WE43 for High-Temperature and Structural-Grade Applications
WE43 is a rare-earth-bearing magnesium alloy containing yttrium and zirconium that retains useful tensile strength above 150 degrees Celsius, a threshold where AZ-series alloys begin to creep under sustained load. In Jackson's heavy-equipment and off-highway vehicle supply chain, WE43 finds application in gearbox housings and engine accessory brackets where underhood temperatures exceed what conventional magnesium can tolerate. The alloy machines similarly to AZ91D but requires tighter tool-wear monitoring because the dispersed rare-earth precipitates accelerate carbide tool flank wear by roughly 20 percent compared to AZ31B at equivalent cutting conditions.
Jackson suppliers quoting WE43 work typically need to demonstrate heat-treatment capability â the alloy is solution-treated at 525 degrees Celsius and aged at 250 degrees Celsius to achieve T5 or T6 temper â plus spectrographic verification of yttrium content between 3.7 and 4.3 percent. Buyers sourcing WE43 castings or forgings through ManufacturingBase can filter for shops with traceable rare-earth alloy certifications, which is essential when the end-use application falls under a defense or aerospace program subject to DFARS material traceability requirements.
Tolerances, Surface Finish, and Inspection for Magnesium Parts
Jackson's CNC machining shops hold general machined tolerances of plus or minus 0.002 inch on magnesium alloys without secondary operations, with tighter work down to plus or minus 0.0005 inch achievable on critical bore diameters using single-point boring or honing. Surface finish on milled faces routinely reaches 63 Ra microinch, and ground datum surfaces can hit 32 Ra microinch when required by the drawing. Threaded features in AZ91D typically call for thread inserts â Helicoil or keylocking types â because the alloy's lower shear strength versus aluminum degrades pullout torque in tapped holes under cyclic loading.
Inspection at Jackson shops aligned with IATF 16949 includes CMM verification on first-article parts, SPC charting on high-volume features, and hardness verification per ASTM E18 when a T5 or T6 temper is specified. For castings, leak testing with air-under-water or pressure decay methods is standard on fluid-carrying components. Fluorescent penetrant inspection per ASTM E1417 is available at shops serving aerospace programs, catching surface cracks that visual inspection misses on the alloy's relatively low-contrast matte surface.
Sourcing Magnesium Stock and Castings Through the Jackson Supply Chain
Raw magnesium billet and sheet for Jackson shops arrives primarily from domestic distributors who stock AZ31B in plate thicknesses from 0.25 inch to 4 inch and AZ91D die-cast billets in round and rectangular bar. Lead times for standard AZ31B plate run two to four weeks from distribution; WE43 in any product form typically requires four to eight weeks with certified mill test reports traceable to ASTM B90 for wrought or ASTM B94 for die castings.
Jackson's plastics and stamping infrastructure means that magnesium insert-molded assemblies â where a machined AZ91D insert is overmolded with a structural nylon or polypropylene â are also available from multi-process shops in the area. This approach is common on instrument panel substrates where the magnesium spine provides stiffness and the polymer skin adds impact absorption and the finished Class-A surface. ManufacturingBase allows buyers to search for suppliers with both metal machining and injection molding capabilities under one ISO 9001-certified roof, reducing handoffs and simplifying source approval on complex sub-assemblies.
Frequently Asked Questions
AZ31B wrought sheet and AZ91D die castings are the two grades most frequently processed by Jackson-area CNC shops. AZ31B is used for formed structural parts where wrought plate is machined or brake-formed into brackets and cross-members; shops feed it on standard aluminum-capable mills with adjusted spindle speeds around 800 to 1,200 surface feet per minute and flood coolant replaced by mist or dry cutting to minimize fire risk from coolant contamination of chips. AZ91D arrives as die-cast near-net-shape blanks that are then finish-machined for mating surfaces, bearing bores, and threaded features. WE43 appears on programs with elevated temperature requirements â gearbox covers, turbocharger brackets â and is less common but processable at shops with rare-earth alloy experience and proper heat-treatment ovens. All three alloys require Class D fire suppression on-site, a non-negotiable shop safety requirement that qualified Jackson suppliers already carry.
Magnesium alloys are roughly 35 percent lighter than 6061 aluminum on a volume basis â AZ91D at 1.81 g/cc versus 6061 at 2.70 g/cc â which is the primary reason automotive programs specify it when mass reduction is the dominant design constraint. The trade-off is lower tensile strength (AZ91D die cast peaks around 230 MPa ultimate tensile strength versus 310 MPa for A380 aluminum die cast), reduced corrosion resistance that requires coatings or anodizing analogs like chrome-free conversion coatings, and more restrictive machining protocols. For parts like instrument panel beams, seat frames, and transmission covers where stiffness-to-weight ratio governs the design and the part is protected from road-salt exposure, magnesium is the clear winner. Jackson shops experienced in both alloys can provide design-for-manufacture feedback that helps buyers decide which alloy delivers the best program economics.
For automotive production programs, IATF 16949 certification is the baseline â it covers the quality management system, PPAP submission requirements, control plans, and SPC disciplines that Tier 1 OEM sourcing requires. ISO 9001 is acceptable for prototype and non-production-intent work. If the magnesium part will be used in an aircraft or defense application, AS9100 certification and ITAR registration become relevant, and you should also ask about NADCAP accreditation for any heat treatment, chemical processing (conversion coatings), or NDT operations performed in-house. ISO 14001 environmental certification matters when buying magnesium because the alloy's chip and scrap handling involves hazardous material protocols; suppliers who are ISO 14001 certified have documented procedures for chip storage, disposal, and spill response that reduce your supply-chain environmental liability.
For prototype and low-volume machined parts from AZ31B plate or AZ91D bar stock, Jackson shops typically quote two to four weeks from purchase order to first-article inspection report. High-volume die-cast AZ91D parts with machining require longer lead times â four to eight weeks for tooled production runs â because die casting tools for new part numbers need to be built or modified before production sampling begins. WE43 parts add one to two weeks to raw material lead time on top of machining time. Expedited prototype services are available at some shops for an upcharge, compressing timelines to one week for simple machined geometries. ManufacturingBase search filters let buyers specify lead-time windows so results only show suppliers who can realistically meet the program schedule.
Yes â several Jackson-area shops offer integrated machining plus conversion coating or e-coat priming under one roof, which simplifies source approval and eliminates handling damage risk between operations. Magnesium requires surface protection before assembly because the alloy's galvanic potential is the most active of any structural metal, making it vulnerable to accelerated corrosion when in contact with steel, aluminum, or copper fasteners without a barrier coating. Chrome-free conversion coatings per MIL-DTL-45204 or ASTM B893 are the current standard for automotive programs; e-coat primer over conversion coating provides additional salt-spray resistance to 500-plus hours per ASTM B117. Shops with in-house finishing capability and IATF 16949 certification can provide the complete control plan from raw stock through coated finished part, which is the preferred sourcing model for production automotive components.
Last updated: July 2026
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