Magnesium Machining & Casting Suppliers in Tulsa, OK

The most common wrought magnesium alloy is AZ31B, used for sheet, plate, and extruded shapes where moderate strength and good formability are needed. For cast and die-cast components such as housings, covers, and complex structural shapes, AZ91D is a standard die-casting alloy valued for good castability and corrosion resistance relative to other magnesium alloys. Other alloys appear in specialized aerospace applications depending on strength and temperature requirements. The alloy is chosen based on whether the part is wrought or cast, the strength needed, and the service environment, and aerospace parts will call out a specific material specification for traceability. When sourcing, confirm the exact alloy and specification, because magnesium's properties and corrosion behavior vary by alloy and aerospace certification ties back to the material spec. Equally important, confirm the supplier routinely handles magnesium, since the alloy choice matters less than whether the shop has the fire-safety and corrosion-protection capability to process it correctly.

Magnesium itself cuts easily and finishes well, so the machining in the cutting sense is not difficult. The danger is that magnesium chips, fines, and dust are flammable, and a magnesium fire burns extremely hot and cannot be put out with water, which intensifies it. This is a serious enough hazard that many general machine shops decline magnesium work outright. To source it safely, the single most important step is to confirm the shop is genuinely equipped and experienced with magnesium, not merely willing to attempt it. A properly set-up shop controls chip size to avoid generating fine debris, segregates and manages magnesium fines, keeps Class D fire-extinguishing media on hand, and uses appropriate cutting strategies and coolants. Ask the shop directly about their magnesium fire-safety practices and their track record with the metal. If a shop hesitates, improvises, or treats it like aluminum, that is a clear signal to source elsewhere. The capability you are buying with magnesium is safety discipline as much as machining skill.

Magnesium is chemically active and corrodes readily, particularly when exposed to moisture or placed in galvanic contact with dissimilar metals, so bare magnesium parts are almost never left unprotected in service. The standard protection starts with a chemical conversion coating applied to the surface, which provides a base layer of corrosion resistance and a foundation for further coatings. Aerospace magnesium parts then typically receive additional protective coatings or a paint system to seal the surface. Just as important is galvanic isolation: a magnesium part bolted directly to steel, aluminum, or another dissimilar metal in a damp environment will corrode aggressively at the interface, so the design must isolate magnesium from dissimilar metals at fasteners and contact surfaces. When sourcing magnesium parts, specify the conversion coating and any additional protective system as part of the part definition, not an afterthought, and for aerospace confirm those coating processes are performed by Nadcap-accredited lines. A magnesium part without proper corrosion protection will degrade quickly regardless of how well it was machined.

For aerospace magnesium, the documentation package resembles other aerospace alloys but with particular attention to coatings. Start with the material test report tying the magnesium to a mill heat or lot, certified to the applicable material specification with chemistry and mechanicals, since aerospace traceability depends on it. Then require certs for the special processes, especially the chemical conversion coating and any subsequent protective coating, which for aerospace must be performed by Nadcap-accredited lines. Expect AS9102 first-article inspection for aerospace parts and certs for any other special processes such as penetrant inspection. If the part was cast, ask about porosity and soundness verification appropriate to its criticality. Keep the full package, because a magnesium part with a traceability gap or undocumented coating cannot be certified onto an airframe, and the corrosion-protection certs in particular are what prove the part will survive in service. Given magnesium's specialized handling and the narrow field of capable shops, thorough documentation is also your evidence that the part was processed by a supplier that genuinely knows the material.