What Does "Billet" Mean

[gleninjersey 2,139]

Is it simply the way it looks?

[Malsua 1,422]

No, it means a block of metal that gets machined.

[MidwestPX 172]

Billet means machined from a bar of metal so basically starting from nothing but a square piece of metal. Forged means starting with a forging that has the exterior features already present.

[djg0770 481]

Definition of BILLET

1

a :  a chunky piece of wood (as for firewood)

 

b obsolete :  cudgel

2

a :  a bar of metal

 

b :  a piece of semifinished iron or steel nearly square in section made by rolling an ingot or bloom

 

c :  a section of nonferrous metal ingot hot-worked by forging, rolling, or extrusion

 

d :  a nonferrous casting suitable for rolling or extrusion

Origin of BILLET

Middle English bylet, from Anglo-French billete, diminutive of bille log, of Celtic origin; akin to Old Irish bile landmark tree

First Known Use: 15th century

[bhunted 887]

Billet: A guy wanted web work done but when I Billet, he refused to pay.... Billet!

 

 

Sent from my iPad 2 using T2 Pro

[NYMetsFan86 9]

hahahah BOOM! that was a good one bhunted. I'd assume that's why some people really prefer billet lowers. 

[raz-0 1,259]

Also left out is that forged tends to be stronger for the same material, ounce per ounce. 

 

If you have a CNC machine, designing a billet lower with custom features is a matter of design and programming and push a button. 

 

If you want non standard features on a forging, you have to go to one of the few companies that do it, and convince them to make you one. Which translates into having serious money tied up in inventory. 

 

The noveske lowers with the flared magwell started out as billet lowers. They then eventually moved on to forgings once they had the capital to do so. 

[Silence Dogood 468]

As stated, billet is removal of metal (typically CNC) from a block.   Forging, on the other hand, is compression or hammering of heated metal which increases it's toughness, density and strength as the molecules are forced closer together.

[PK90 3,570]

Why does Billet typically cost more than Forging?

[Vlad G 345]

Why does Billet typically cost more than Forging?

 

Small scale and special. It is cheaper to forge 1000 items once you have the tools, but it is cheaper to machine 2 items from blocks then to forge 2 items. The problem is that machining 2 items is still far more expensive then the per unit cost of forging 1000 items. 

 

So when someone wants to make something slightly different (integral trigger guard, or flared mag well or whatever) and they are a small shop, it is nearly impossible to get forgings done because it is expensive to start that ball rolling. It is cheaper to get a CNC machine to make a block of metal smaller, but it does not compare with cost forging at large scales. 

[MidwestPX 172]

Why does Billet typically cost more than Forging?

Machine time primarily. Forgings and billet aluminum, when purchased in high enough quantity, are nearly the same as far as cost goes. However, billet parts need more features machined in them therefore the cycle times are longer which means less output per hour.

[raz-0 1,259]

Why does Billet typically cost more than Forging?

 

 

Like midwest said, machine time, but also intellectual property. A billet lower machined ot the middle of mil-spec (or with very small deviations like a trigger guard built in) runs about a $20 premium when things are not scarce. You get into the fancy stuff like unique ambi controls, funky mag wells, reinforcement, etc. You start paying for the manufacturer's desire to see their creative input to the design paid back. 

[gleninjersey 2,139]

So advantages of billet is the ability to have the lower customized to how you want?

[Vlad G 345]

So advantages of billet is the ability to have the lower customized to how you want?

 

No, that is sorta the advantage for the manufacturer.  Let me try explaining this way.

 

Lets say you Glen's House of Special Lowers Inc and you want to make a lower that it is a bit different then all the others, lets say you want to make new lowers with a pear shaped mag release or whatever, something you can't buy of the shelf.  You also know that standard lowers are $80 and you want to sell yours for $100 because its special.

 

So you don't have a forge, you are a small shop, so you figure out who makes Spike's lowers and you give them a call. You tell them you want a new forging mold made to your specs and for them to cast a few for you.  The guys on the phone sure, no problem, making the molds is $200,000 and forging lowers will cost you $50 per item, minimum order of 1000 pieces. 

 

You crank the math in your mind and go whoa .... that means my 1000 lowers are gonna cost me $250 each. Shit, you think to yourself, I'll never sell 1000 lowers nevermind make any profit because who the hell is gonna buy a $300 lower for a pear shaped mag release?  Sure, each lower is only $50 to make but the initial investment is very high.

 

So you walk over to a local metal shop that has a CNC machine and ask the dude there "If I give you a CAD drawing can you buy some aluminum billet and machine me a few of these?" The dude looks at his wear rate on his bits, making rent and all those things and says "Sure, I can do that, its gonna cost you $80 per lower for work and $20 for metal stock". You do the math again and see that this $100 and that really you are gonna have charge $125 but you think there is a market for 500 of these a year so $12,500 profit a year is not bad so you pay and make them.  The unit cost is higher but the total cost of  small run is MUCH lower because you lack upfront costs.

 

Alternatively, if you want to do it in house, buying an aluminum forge and hiring trained people to operate it and paying its electric bills will be fantastically expensive. Buying billet and a used CNC machine will be a lot cheaper and the CNC machine can do other stuff for you. Again, your unit cost might be higher, but the total cost lower.

 

You as a consumer either want a pear shaped mag release or you don't and you are willing to pay $125 or not. Or you can design your own and find someone to machine it for you.