Balford processes brass into stamped washers, formed components and precision parts for valve and electrical applications, with good dimensional control.
Precision stamped brass flat washers with controlled flatness and edge quality.
Stamped and formed brass components for valve and fitting assemblies.
Brass is processed at Balford for valve, fitting and electrical components — precision stamped washers for solenoid valves, formed parts and machined components — with good formability and dimensional repeatability.
Coolant and water temperature sensor housings are made in both brass and stainless steel. Stainless is the default for most automotive sensor housings, but a temperature sensor is a different case: the housing is a thermo-well, the sensing element sits inside it, and the material has to conduct heat into the element predictably. That is where brass earns its place.
| Consideration | Brass | Stainless (304 / 316L) |
|---|---|---|
| Thermal response | Fast - roughly 10x the conductivity of stainless | Slow, but adequate where response time is not critical |
| Threads and sealing faces | Machine easily, low tool wear | Machinable but work-hardens, higher tool wear |
| Corrosion in glycol coolant | Good, and galvanically compatible with brass fittings | Excellent, and preferred where chlorides or aggressive chemistry are present |
| Strength at temperature | Loses strength above roughly 200 °C | Retains strength to high temperature |
| Typical use | Coolant, water, oil and air temperature sensors | Exhaust-side sensors, ABS, pressure, and any housing at 300 °C and above |
Brass and stainless are often combined on the same programme: the coolant temperature housing in brass, the surrounding brackets and shields in stainless. Balford forms and machines both in the same plant, so the material split is decided during the DFM review rather than split across two suppliers.
See the brass temperature sensor housing page for typical forms - brass water temperature sensor housings - or the stainless side, stainless steel deep drawing and sensor housings.
Because the housing is a thermo-well and has to conduct heat into the sensing element quickly. Brass conducts heat roughly ten times faster than stainless steel, machines cleanly for threads and sealing faces, and resists glycol coolant without a coating.
Yes. Balford deep draws and stamps stainless steel and forms and machines brass on the same site, so a programme can use brass for the coolant sensor housing and stainless for the surrounding brackets and shields without splitting the order across suppliers.
C3604 / CuZn39Pb3 for free-cutting turned housings and threads, C3771 / CuZn40Pb2 for hot-formed fittings, and C2600 / C2680 strip grades for stamped and drawn brass parts.
Real projects from Balford's production history:
Precision stamped flat washers for solenoid valves, formed fittings and machined brass parts. Send a drawing for a DFM review.
Yes — brass has good formability, but tooling should be tuned for springback and burr control, especially for thin washers.
Yes — CNC turning and milling are available in-house for finished brass components.
Send us your 2D drawing or STEP/IGES model. We will review material, tolerances, forming requirements and production volume before quoting.