Aluminum extrusion Service
As one of the manufacturing methods of products and components, aluminum extrusion can be classified as “equal material” or forming manufacturing. This manufacturing process is different from 3D printing and CNC machining.It does not increase or decrease raw materials during the manufacturing process. Aluminum alloy is the most common material used for aluminum extrusion, because aluminum alloy is extremely malleable, allowing it to be easily extruded in a variety of desired cross-sectional shapes, and the extruded products and parts can still hold up well its mechanical properties of these extruded profiles can be greatly improved in strength and hardness as well as appearance even after specific surface treatments.
JHMOCKUP is keen to study the aluminum extrusion technology and apply it to low-volume production. Based on the complexity of products and the integration difficulty of the project of customers', we can make rapid response and execution. While ensuring product quality, we will scientifically analyze the entire manufacturing process allows reasonable optimization of manufacturing costs and production efficiency, and ultimately helps customers complete orders.
What is Aluminum extrusion?
It is necessary to know about Extrusion in prior to touching Aluminum extrusion.Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile by pushing material through a die of the desired cross-section. Its two main advantages over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex cross-sections; and to work materials that are malleable, because the material encounters only compressive and shear stresses. It also creates excellent surface finish and gives considerable freedom of form in the design process.Extrusion may be continuous (theoretically producing indefinitely long material) or semi-continuous (producing many pieces). It can be done with hot or cold material. Commonly extruded materials include metals, polymers, ceramics, concrete, modelling clay, and foodstuffs. Products of extrusion are generally called extrudates. So now we mainly share some knowledge about Aluminum extrusion.
To complete the aluminum extrusion, you need to have the necessary hardware conditions, such as extruding devices/ extrusion machines,dies and raw materials,aluminum alloy that is used to extrude into extrudates. We will spend more time introducing knowledge about extruding equipment/machines later. First of all,we will be aware of what kind of aluminum alloy can be used for extrusion fabrication.
JHmockup adopts three primary aluminum alloy material mainly coming from 6000 series to accomplish aluminum extrusion manufacturing at our rapid prototyping manufacturing center. Certainly there are others alloy materials can be used for extrusion from aluminum family,here we just introduce three key kinds of aluminum:Aluminum alloy 6005, Aluminum alloy 6063 and Aluminum alloy 6463.
Aluminum Alloy 6005
Based on greater strength and better durability of structural 6000 series aluminum alloys like Aluminum alloy 6005, there are more and more parts and products have been made by extrusion. The particularity of this aluminum alloy can be employed in designs requiring super quality corrosion resistance and moderate strength. Each alloy has a range of various properties, including its performance during extrusion, machining and finishing. By different elements adding to aluminum, we can be in further prevent corrosion by design and create superior results when choosing an extruded aluminum alloy.
Aluminum Alloy 6005 material has excellent extrusion properties. Because it contains a large amount of silicon element so that it can reduce the melt temperature and improve its extrusion ability. It also has similar minimum tensile and yield strengths to aluminum 6061 alloy, but is easier to be machined and has higher strength properties. Aluminum Alloy 6005 also has certain flexure/bending properties, which makes it not the best choice for applications that may be subject to overload or shock. This alloy can be welded and fabricated by other means, but the heat will reduce the strength, so any unique function is best accomplished through an aluminum extrusion design rather than a secondary operation.
Typical material properties for aluminium alloy 6005 include:
>Density: 2.70 g/cm3, or 169 lb/ft3.
>Young's modulus: 69 GPa, or 10 Msi.
>Ultimate tensile strength: 190 to 300 MPa, or 28 to 44 ksi.
>Yield strength: 100 to 260 MPa, or 15 to 38 ksi.
>Thermal Expansion: 23 μm/m-K.
Common applications for 6005 aluminum alloy include in ladder structures,automotive industry,seamless and structural tubes/pipes,structural applications,etc.,
Aluminum Alloy 6063
Aluminum Alloy 6063 is one of the most widely available options for aluminum extrusion, which provides a high-quality finish and is an excellent choice for extrusion. Alloy 6063 is used to design as custom and standard aluminum extrusion, as well as seamless tubes, structural tubes&pipes, radiators/heat-sinks and more.
Due to its electrical conductivity and other properties of aluminum, alloy 6063 is also a great choice for electrical tubing and applications. Aluminum 6063 has excellent resistance to corrosion so it can be engineered to prevent corrosion, in which including stress corrosion cracking, in terms of the heat treated condition.
It is also an excellent candidate for secondary operations and works beautifully with glossy finishing options including color, clear, impregnated/dipping and hard coat. These finishes can be used for aesthetic, functional and protective reasons, depending on the intended use of the finished extrusion profile design.
Typical material properties for aluminium alloy 6063 include:
The mechanical properties of 6063 depend greatly on the temper, or heat treatment, of the material.So here are some typical conditions for reference.
>Un-heat-treated 6063 has maximum tensile strength no more than 130 MPa (19,000 psi), and no specified maximum yield strength. The material has elongation (stretch before ultimate failure) of 18%.
>T1 temper 6063 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 120 MPa (17,000 psi) in thicknesses up to 12.7 mm (0.5 in), and 110 MPa (16,000 psi) from 13 to 25 mm (0.5 to 1 in) thick, and yield strength of at least 62 MPa (9,000 psi) in thickness up to 13 millimetres (0.5 in) and 55 MPa (8,000 psi) from 13 mm (0.5 in) thick. It has elongation of 12%.
>T5 temper 6063 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 140 MPa (20,000 psi) in thicknesses up to 13 millimetres (0.5 in), and 130 MPa (19,000 psi) from 13 mm (0.5 in) thick, and yield strength of at least 97 MPa (14,000 psi) up to 13 millimetres (0.5 in) and 90 MPa (13,000 psi) from13 to 25 mm (0.5 to 1 in). It has elongation of 8%.
>T6 temper 6063 has an ultimate tensile strength of at least 190 MPa (28,000 psi) and yield strength of at least 160 MPa (23,000 psi). In thicknesses of 3.15 millimetres (0.124 in) or less, it has elongation of 8% or more; in thicker sections, it has elongation of 10%.
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Common applications for 6063 aluminum alloy include:construction materials like frames of window and door structures,heat-sinks,irrigational system pipe and tube,hand rails and furniture,electrical conduit and other components,architecture products etc.,
Aluminum Alloy 6463
Al-6463 is an aluminum alloy wrought aluminum magnesium silicon series (6000 or 6xxx series). It's related to the 6063 aluminum alloy (the Aluminum Association's name differs only by the second number, a variation of the same alloy), but unlike 6063, it doesn't usually use any process other than extrusion. It is usually heat treated to produce a temper with higher strength but lower ductility. Like the 6063, it is often used for architecture or building applications.
When alloy 6463 extruded, the extrudates can be into bars, rods, tubes,wire, and others profiles according to the desig purpose.Composed of approximately 98% aluminum and small amounts of copper, iron, magnesium, manganese, silicon, and zinc, the properties of 6463 aluminum alloy include high density and yield strength, as well as a fair amount of tensile and yield strength.
Typical material properties for aluminium alloy 6463 include:
>Density: 2.69 g/cm3, or 168 lb/ft3.
>Young's modulus: 70 GPa, or 10 Msi.
>Ultimate tensile strength: 130 to 230 MPa, or 19 to 33 ksi.
>Yield strength: 68 to 190 MPa, or 9.9 to 28 ksi.
>Thermal expansion: 22.1 μm/m-K.
What kinds of shapes san be extruded with Alluminum alloy material?
There are three main categories of extruded shapes:
Die design for Aluminum extrusion
The design of the extruded profile has a large impact on the ease of extrusion. The maximum size of the extrusion is determined by finding the smallest circle that fits the cross-section, which is called the circumcircle. This diameter, in turn, controls the size of the die required, which ultimately determines whether the part will fit in a given press. For example, a larger press can handle 60 cm (24 in) diameter outer circles of aluminum and 55 cm (22 in) diameter round steel and titanium.
The complexity of an extruded profile can be roughly quantified by calculating the form factor, which is the surface area produced per unit mass extruded. This affects tooling costs as well as production speed. Thicker slices often require increased slice size. In order for the material to flow properly, the length of the legs should not exceed ten times their thickness. If the sections are not symmetrical, the adjacent sections should be as close to the same size as possible. Sharp corners should be avoided; aluminum and magnesium should have a minimum radius of 0.4 mm (1/64 in.), steel corners should be 0.75 mm (0.030 in.), and rounded corners should be 3 mm (0.12 in.). The table below lists the minimum sections and thicknesses for various materials.
Examples of Aluminum extrusion Service
To provide customers with the best quality service