Stainless Steel, Bronze, Brass, or Aluminum: How to Choose Handle Materials

Stainless Steel, Bronze, Brass, or Aluminum: How to Choose Handle Materials

Door handles are a ubiquitous part of daily life, being used constantly in almost every space but rarely given thought by the passing user. Nevertheless, the chosen material of each handle can vary widely in terms of aesthetics, durability, and sustainability, with good choices going noticeably right and poor choices going noticeably wrong. For objects that are seen and used multiple times every day without fail, it’s imperative that designers get the choice right.

Stainless Steel

Stainless steel is a naturally corrosion-resistant, hard-wearing, and low-maintenance material. No matter the force or frequency of use, it rarely reveals traces of dents or scratches, even after years of employment. As a result, mirror polished stainless door handles require very little, if not no, care at all. First patented in 1912 by Krupp in Essen, stainless steel was referred to as “V2a-steel” and “Nirosta” (never rust). Recognized for its easy-care and blemishless properties at the outset, the material has since been used in scenarios requiring continuous use and infrequent maintenance. As a material for door handles, stainless steel is thus best applied to heavily used doors, particularly those in public buildings such as the public authorities, hospitals, on ships in motorway service areas, in parks and sports facilities, and other locations with large user populations that will be in use for a long time.


While stainless steel does not rust, traces of dirt that collect over long periods of time can be quickly removed with a moist cloth. For stainless steel handles in chlorinated swimming pools, what appears to be surface rust is usually not from the material itself but is transported from outside to the fitting. These blemishes can be removed as well with vigorous rubbing.

Brass

Formed by an alloy of copper and zinc, brass has been used since time immemorial in the manufacture of decorative elements and accessories for doors and windows due to its unique golden tones. If not waxed or lacquered, brass will react naturally to environmental conditions, causing it to corrode and develop a brown to greenish-gray patina. This effect is valued by many designers and users for gracefully representing the passage of time. However, for those who wish to maintain the original golden tone, it is recommended to choose polished surfaces and avoid using the brass for frequently used doors or in spaces exposed to environmental conditions.

Aluminum

Aluminum is a lightweight and highly durable material, conceived of from the start as a high-tech option. It is strong and pleasant to handle, being highly adept at matching ambient temperatures, and allows for a multitude of aesthetic options due to its ability to be painted any range of colors.


With a reputation for being used in the auto, aeronautical, and aerospace industries due to these unique qualities, aluminum can likewise be applied to door handles not just for its low weight, strength, and durability, but because of its ecologically friendly life cycle. While the initial extraction of aluminum requires a large amount of energy, the material can be recycled repeatedly with no loss, making up its initial extraction many times over through extensive energy savings.


Aluminum coloring options additionally pave the way for seemingly unlimited aesthetic possibilities, ranging from classic emulations of real hardware metals to lively applications of hundreds of pure colors. Depending on methods of coloring, some mirror polished alu door handles are more durable than others – for example, blasted anodized aluminum finishes are typically more resistant to knocks and scratches than traditionally worked and anodized aluminum. If both color and durability are a priority for the designer, we recommend considering the differences in properties produced by differing processes.


Do Your Furniture and Equipment Have the Proper Feet?


Although people often don't think about the feet on furniture or heavy machinery, these items are of great importance. A home or office furnishing may take a great deal of abuse, especially at the floor level. When people sit down, they may unintentionally kick the furniture or vacuums and other cleaning supplies may run into the piece. Everything can do damage to the item, and the same is true when it comes to equipment in a home or office.
   
Furthermore, machinery and heavy-duty shop equipment can damage the surface they rest on during operation, when in use, or when moved from one location to another, yet these components can help to prevent this damage. Furniture foot come in many varieties and provide numerous benefits, thus individuals need to understand the options and advantages when choosing feet for any purpose.

What Exactly Does Bathroom Hardware Suite Include?

Bathroom hardware is usually defined as any metal furnishing in a bathroom that you can interact with. The bathroom, in particular, has more hardware than most other rooms due to all of the handles, racks, and drawers. Hardware can include towel racks, shower curtain rods, showerheads, tub accessories, drawer handles, and other bathroom hardwares. There are even more possibilities and every bathroom is different depending on how it was designed. Even bathroom shelves contain hardware – you can read this article we wrote on different types of bathroom shelves that are available. When all of these things are considered together they are referred to as hardware.

As with most home design guidelines, there is often not a hard rule about what is right and what is wrong. Most designers agree that hardware should match within the rooms they’re found in a home. This is suggested because it’s easier to create compelling combinations with those guidelines. That doesn’t mean you should keep yourself from experimenting and finding a hardware composition that makes you the happiest.

CNC processing is a term commonly used in manufacturing and industrial applications. But exactly what is CNC? 

CNC 101: The term CNC stands for 'computer numerical control', and the CNC machining definition is that it is a subtractive manufacturing process that typically employs computerized controls and machine tools to remove layers of material from a stock piece—known as the blank or workpiece—and produces a custom-designed part. This process is suitable for a wide range of materials, including metals, plastics, wood, glass, foam, and composites, and finds application in a variety of industries, such as large CNC machining, machining of parts and prototypes for telecommunications, and CNC machining aerospace parts, which require tighter tolerances than other industries. Note there is a difference between the CNC machining definition and the CNC machine definition- one is a process and the other is a machine. A CNC machine is a programmable machine that is capable of autonomously performing the operations of CNC machining.

Subtractive manufacturing processes, such as CNC machining, are often presented in contrast to additive manufacturing processes, such as 3D printing, or formative manufacturing processes, such as liquid injection molding. While subtractive processes remove layers of material from the workpiece to produce custom shapes and designs, additive processes assemble layers of material to produce the desired form and formative processes deform and displace stock material into the desired shape. The automated nature of CNC machining enables the production of high precision and high accuracy, simple parts and cost-effectiveness when fulfilling one-off and medium-volume production runs. However, while CNC machining demonstrates certain advantages over other manufacturing processes, the degree of complexity and intricacy attainable for part design and the cost-effectiveness of producing complex parts is limited.

While each type of manufacturing process has its advantages and disadvantages, this article focuses on the CNC machining process, outlining the basics of the process, and the various components and tooling of the CNC machine (sometimes incorrectly known as a C and C machine). Additionally, this article explores various mechanical CNC machining operations and presents alternatives to the CNC machining process.