What are the advantages of Brass over Steel?
Contrary to what many think, brass offers several advantages over many leaded steels. First, brass itself as a material cost is approximately 17% less than steel on a net cost basis. Secondly, brass has higher machinability efficiencies that directly reduce the production cost by increased cycle times and reduced tool wear; not to mention the added costs to coat steel for rust protection and/or electroplating. From a quality and design perspective, brass offers several advantages as well. First, brass allows for better tolerance control because of its forgiving machining properties that greatly reduce tool wear, thus creating less variation over longer periods. Also, brass allows for significant advantages for surface finish requirements. The design of a part can normally be more complex made from brass because of its machinability. It allows for deep hole drilling and/or tapping, recesses and trepans, to name a few. All of these design features are compromised in steel due to potentia
