Extruded Aluminium And Its Process

Aluminium: Its Alloys and Extrusions

Aluminium metal is a soft, lightweight, durable, ductile and malleable. Pure aluminium has a low tensile strength, but when combined with other metals in accurate proportion it forms aluminium alloys with a marked improvement in its mechanical property. Majority of the materials (e.g. cans and aluminium foils) considered to be formed of aluminium are actually aluminium alloys. The components manufactured from aluminium by Aluminium extrusions manufacturer and its alloys are vital for wide array of industries like aerospace, transport, construction etc.

Properties of aluminium and its benefits:

1. The weight- It is approximately one-third of the steel. This property helps to extensively reduce the weight of the materials.
2. Nonmagnetic- Thus, aluminium is used in the majority ships as it doesn’t affect compasses.
3. Corrosion resistance- This property of aluminium has made it the preferred choice for engineering structures and automobile components
4. There are a number of aluminium extrusion plants in India. However like the Indian aluminium industry, where the top few companies dominate the industry, the top players of the market also own the majority of the extrusion plants in India.

Aluminium Extrusion Process

Round ingots are preheated for the process of standard aluminium extrusions. An ingot is pressed at high pressure inside the steel die with the opening of required shapes. These extruded sections have many  alternatives like large, small, hollow and solid to name a few.

There are several variants of the equipment for the extrusion process:

1. Relative movement of the ram and the extrusion, either Direct or indirect extrusion
2. The type of load applied, either conventional (variable) or hydrostatic.
3. Based on the position of press it can be vertical or horizontal
4. Either hydraulic or mechanical depending on the type of drive

These aluminium extrusions are utilized in wide array of applications. They are extensively used in the world of sports for manufacturing of bats, tennis rackets, cycles etc.

Meticulous and splendid surface finish and complex cross-sections of finished parts are the major benefits of extrusion process.

Tips for Aluminium Extrusions

standard aluminium extrusions is the process to change the structure and shape of different metals. Some of the metals that are commonly extruded include aluminium, copper, lead, magnesium, zinc, titanium etc.

As aluminium is malleable in nature, it is easy to extrude. Extrusion dies are used for the aluminium extrusion process. These steel dies have opening of the desired shapes. Primarily, the extrusion process can be of two types – hot extrusion and cold extrusion. For hot extrusion process, precise heating is very important. It is done above the aluminium’s recrystallization temperature. While, cold extrusion is done at room temperature or near room temperature.

To obtain superior quality and improved surface finished aluminium extrusions, accurate temperate and its monitoring is vital. The finishing of the extrusions increases the durability, strength and its appearance. In the extrusion process, a billet is heated at the temperature of 400 °C to 500 °C and is pushed through the die under pressure to create preferred profiles. The shape, structure and specifications of the aluminium extrusions vary according to the requirements of the product, customers and its application.

The aluminium extrusions manufacturer prefer extrusion process over welding as it gives product with constant cross section. The strength and lightweight (strength-to-weight ratio) of aluminium extrusion makes it popular among customers.  Its several other properties gives it edge over other metal extrusions. These are cost-effective, corrosion-resistive, flexible and durable.

The prime source of aluminium is bauxite ore and Feldspar to some extent. Whether it is aluminium or aluminium extrusions, both are extensively used in numerous applications. Some of the fields were the aluminium extrusions are used are transportation, building and construction to name a few.