Custom Copper Parts Manufacturing
Copper is a fundamental engineering metal that combines superior electrical and thermal conductivity with excellent corrosion resistance. This distinctive reddish-brown metal offers unmatched properties that make it invaluable for precision machined components.
Pure copper's natural characteristics make it indispensable in many applications: exceptional electrical conductivity, outstanding thermal transfer, and inherent antimicrobial properties. It maintains consistent performance across a wide temperature range and naturally resists corrosion in various environments. Its high thermal conductivity makes it ideal for heat transfer applications, while its electrical properties make it essential for power transmission components.
While copper requires specific machining expertise due to its tendency to be gummy and work harden, its benefits make it worth the investment in proper machining techniques. When correctly machined, copper produces components with excellent surface finishes and precise geometries. The material's natural ductility and malleability allow for complex shapes, while its work hardening characteristics can be leveraged to enhance component durability. These properties, combined with its unmatched conductivity and corrosion resistance, make copper particularly valuable for applications where thermal management or electrical performance is critical.
C230 is a tellurium-bearing copper alloy designed for excellent machinability while maintaining high electrical conductivity. The addition of tellurium improves chip formation and surface finish quality, making it ideal for precision electrical components and high-volume production parts requiring superior conductivity.
Material Cost: 6
Machining Cost: 4
Durability: 5
Corrosion Resistance: 7
Temperature Resistance: 8
Strength-To-Weight Ratio: 4
Typical Tolerances: ±0.001" to ±0.003"
C353 is a leaded copper alloy that combines good machinability with high electrical conductivity. Its lead content improves machining characteristics while maintaining most of pure copper's conductivity, making it suitable for electrical components where machining efficiency is crucial.
Material Properties (Scale 1-10)
Material Cost: 5
Machining Cost: 3
Durability: 5
Corrosion Resistance: 7
Temperature Resistance: 8
Strength-To-Weight Ratio: 4
Typical Tolerances: ±0.001" to ±0.003"
C360 is a free-machining copper alloy optimized for high-speed production while maintaining good electrical properties. Its balanced composition provides excellent chip formation and tool life, making it ideal for high-volume precision components that require good conductivity.
Material Properties (Scale 1-10)
Material Cost: 5
Machining Cost: 3
Durability: 5
Corrosion Resistance: 7
Temperature Resistance: 8
Strength-To-Weight Ratio: 4
Typical Tolerances: ±0.001" to ±0.005"
C443 is a tin-bearing copper alloy offering enhanced corrosion resistance and improved strength compared to pure copper. Its composition provides excellent resistance to seawater and industrial environments while maintaining good thermal conductivity, making it particularly valuable for marine and industrial applications.
Material Properties (Scale 1-10)
Material Cost: 7
Machining Cost: 6
Durability: 7
Corrosion Resistance: 9
Temperature Resistance: 8
Strength-To-Weight Ratio: 5
Typical Tolerances: ±0.002" to ±0.005"
C464 is a high-purity copper alloy that maximizes electrical and thermal conductivity. While requiring more careful machining than free-cutting grades, it provides superior conductivity performance, making it essential for critical electrical and thermal management applications.
Material Properties (Scale 1-10)
Material Cost: 8
Machining Cost: 7
Durability: 6
Corrosion Resistance: 8
Temperature Resistance: 9
Strength-To-Weight Ratio: 4
Typical Tolerances: ±0.001" to ±0.004"
Machined copper parts and turned copper components serve a variety of applications across numerous industries. The material's versatility makes it ideal for both simple and complex machined parts in these key sectors:
In electrical power applications, copper's superior conductivity and reliability make it indispensable. Its unmatched electrical properties ensure efficient power transmission, while its thermal conductivity helps manage heat in high-current applications. Copper's ability to be machined to precise specifications while maintaining its conductive properties makes it essential for power distribution and control components.
Common applications:
• Bus bar components
• Power distribution blocks
• Terminal connectors
• Heat sink components
• Ground conductors
• Switch contacts
• High-current terminals
Copper's exceptional thermal conductivity makes it the premier choice for heat transfer applications. Its ability to efficiently conduct and dissipate heat, combined with excellent corrosion resistance, ensures reliable performance in thermal management systems. The material's machinability allows for precise cooling channels and heat transfer surfaces crucial for HVAC efficiency.
Common applications:
• Heat exchanger components
• Cooling block assemblies
• Thermal transfer plates
• Distribution manifolds
• Refrigeration fittings
• Temperature sensor housings
• Thermal coupling components
In control and instrumentation applications, copper provides the ideal combination of electrical conductivity and precision machining capability. Its stable properties and corrosion resistance ensure long-term reliability in critical measurement and control systems, while its thermal characteristics help maintain consistent instrument calibration.
Common applications:
• Instrument housings
• Sensor components
• Control system contacts
• Electrical feed-throughs
• Temperature probe fittings
• Power supply components
• Signal transmission parts
With over 75 years of precision machining excellence, we deliver custom copper components that meet the most demanding specifications. From prototype development to multi-million piece orders, our ISO:9001 certified facility specializes in handling complex, high-difficulty work across all copper alloys.
Our commitment to quality, combined with extensive machining capabilities, ensures your custom copper parts and components are manufactured to the highest standards with competitive lead times.
Our advanced vertical and horizontal milling centers with up to 6-axis capabilities excel in precision copper machining. We specialize in heat sink components, electrical bus bars, and thermal management parts where conductivity and surface quality are crucial. Whether you need custom copper components for power distribution or precision-machined parts for HVAC thermal management, our milling expertise covers all common grades including free-machining copper and high-conductivity alloys.
Specialized in high-volume copper production, processing bars up to 1-5/8" and chucking to 6". This service is ideal for large-quantity precision components used in electrical systems, power distribution, and thermal management applications. We help manufacturers like Eaton Electric maintain quality and efficiency through consistent, reliable production of complex copper parts, optimizing our processes for copper's unique machining characteristics.
Offering complete copper turning services for bars up to 4" and chucking to 20" diameter. We excel in manufacturing precision copper components for power equipment, thermal transfer applications, and electrical distribution systems. Our turning capabilities serve diverse applications from high-conductivity terminals to thermal management components, delivering the precise tolerances and surface finishes that copper applications demand.
Precision Swiss turning for copper bars up to 7/8" diameter and lengths to 4". This specialized service is perfect for small, precise components used in instrumentation, electrical connectors, and sensor applications. Our Swiss machining capabilities excel in producing tight-tolerance, small-diameter copper parts for applications where precise electrical contact and thermal transfer are critical, maintaining exceptional accuracy despite copper's challenging machining characteristics.
Learn more about our machining services and capabilities
Delivering high-quality, consistent cponents is a top priority at Spex. Our quality system is built on our ISO 9001:2015 certification, guiding how we work every step of the way. We carefully check parts during production to ensure dimensional accuracy and address the specific needs of machining c
We apply these same quality standards whether we're making a single prototype or thousands of parts. You can be confident in the results, as each project comes with full documentation, including material certifications, detailed measurement reports, and First Article Inspection Reports (FAIRs). This paperwork clearly shows how your parts meet your exact specifications.
We'd love to hear from you!
Scalable production
Short lead times
Fair prices
ISO-9001 certified
Secondary processes
Range of materials
On-time delivery
75+ years in business
Advanced CNC machining
Rapid prototyping
Designing with copper's properties in mind helps ensure successful machining. Because copper is relatively soft and 'gummy', avoid designing features with very thin walls or delicate structures that could deform easily. Use generous radii on internal corners where possible, as sharp internal corners can be difficult to machine cleanly. Also, clearly specify only the tolerances and surface finishes required for function, as achieving extremely tight tolerances or mirror finishes adds complexity.
Raw material costs are typically higher than aluminum or standard brass alloys. The machining process itself can also be more costly. While copper machines relatively easily with the right techniques, managing its 'gumminess' and high thermal conductivity often requires specific tooling and potentially slower speeds or more careful process control than free-machining brass or aluminum, which can increase machining time. The cost is often justified by copper's excellent electrical and thermal performance where those properties are essential.
Copper can be machined to achieve excellent, smooth surface finishes. However, it tarnishes easily when exposed to the environment. For this reason, machined copper parts are often polished and then quickly plated with materials like tin, nickel, or silver to preserve the finish and enhance solderability or wear resistance, depending on the application.
Delivering high-quality, consistent copper components is a top priority at Spex. Despite challenges like its 'gummy' nature, our experienced team utilizes optimized processes and tooling. Our quality system, built on our ISO 9001:2015 certification, ensures careful checks during production for dimensional accuracy and adherence to specifications, applying the same high standards from prototype to high-volume production.
To provide the most accurate quote, please share detailed part drawings or CAD models, specify the exact copper alloy required, required tolerances, desired quantity, any critical features (like conductivity requirements), and details on necessary finishing operations (like plating or polishing). The more detail provided, the better we can tailor a precise and competitive quote.
