Sandblasted Anodized 6061 Aluminum CNC Milled Housing

Housings start from plate or extruded bar and are roughed with high-feed cutters to leave even wall stock, then semi-finished and finished in separate passes so internal stress relieves before final size. Thin walls are machined in a staggered sequence to avoid chatter. Datum faces and bearing bores are cut in the same setup wherever the geometry allows, which keeps the mating features of lids and covers aligned.

Bead blasting before anodizing gives the uniform matte texture buyers expect on consumer and instrument housings and hides fine tool marks. Type II anodizing typically adds 5–25 µm, so tight bores are either masked or machined slightly oversize to compensate. 6061-T6 anodizes evenly and costs less than 7075; choose 7075 only when strength justifies it, because it anodizes with a slightly warmer tone. Laser engraving adds logos or labels after coating.

First articles are checked on CMM for bore positions and flatness of sealing faces, then the color is compared against an approved sample under consistent lighting. In production, critical dimensions are 100% inspected and threads are gauged after anodizing. These housings are commonly used for sensor heads, handheld devices, motor controllers, audio amplifiers and camera bodies.