Alloy 6060 6063 Anodized Wood Grain Powder Coated Extrusion Aluminum Profiles in China

Common Applications of Extruded Aluminum

Weight and lightweighting are big concerns in transportation. Aerospace is an obvious example, but then there are automotive applications like trailers. Keeping trailer weight low lets the tow vehicle expend more torque on hauling stuff and less on moving the trailer itself. Note that this applies as much to horse and boat trailers as it does to 53' semi trailers.
Aluminum extrusion is used extensively in RV's for the same reason. Plus it won't rust and can be polished up to look almost like chrome, so it's good for decoration too.

Aluminum Extrusion

• For solid bars or profiles
  • flat dies
  • pre-chamber dies

• For hollow bars or profiles
  • chamber dies

The 6 Steps of Aluminum Extrusion

The extrusion process is carried out in direct or indirect extrusion presses with different power levels. The basic process can be broken down into six distinct steps, although they can be modified or expanded upon depending on the customer's specific requirements.
But even before the extrusion process begins, the cast aluminum rods needs to be cut into smaller pieces. These short pieces are called billets. The pre-cut billets ensure that the length of each extruded bar will be roughly the same and there will be no material wastage.

Step 1: Preheating the aluminum billet and steel die to a specified temperature

• The billets are heated in induction furnaces from room temperature to the specified temperature for the extrusion. The temperature varies depending on the alloy and the final temper.
• The heated billets need to be malleable enough to take on the required shape, but still firm enough to retain their shape during transportation.
• The push bat starts applying pressure into the heated billet and pushes it towards the die opening.

Step 2: Loading the billet into the steel extrusion press container

• To prevent heat loss, the billets are quickly transported from the furnace into the press. They are loaded into the recipient and are ready to be extruded.
• The ram starts applying pressure into the heated billet and pushes it towards the die opening.

Step 3: Extrusion

• The heated billet is pushed through the openings in the tool. Those openings can be modified to create different shapes and sizes. The process is similar to a cookie press, where the different shaped discs create different cookie designs.
• When the bars exit the press, they are already extruded to their required shape.

Step 4: Controlled cooling

• The extrusion process is followed by quick cooling of the extruded bars/tubes/profile
• When exiting the press, the fully formed bars/profiles are pushed through a water bath which guarantees uniform quenching of the heated aluminum.
• The quenching process is necessary to ensure the required mechanical properties and adequate material microstructure.
• To prevent any material deformation, the cooling process must be carried out without delays immediately after the extrusion process.

Step 5: Stretching

• Immediately after quenching, the extruded bars are cut into the prescribed interphase length.
• The cut bars are then grabbed by a puller, which lays them over the runout table. This allows them to further cool down.
• In this phase, the extruded bars are run through a strengthening process, which stretches the bars and ensures their mechanical properties by removing the internal tension within the bars.

Step 6: Cutting and final packaging

• The quenched and straightened bars are cut to the length specified by the customer.
• At this stage, the aluminum bars have the properties of the T1/T4 temper. To ensure better mechanical properties of the T5/T6/T66 temper, the bars are artificially aged.
• The aging process further strengthens the extruded profiles and ensures they fulfill the mechanical properties specified for individual alloys.

1. Package:Non-woven fabric interleave, several pieces per pack, shrink film package.
2. Package:Non-woven fabric interleave, several pieces per pack, shrink film package, wooden case package
3. Custom package

Situation 1. If there are existing moulds, lead time: 15 days after placing order.
Situation 2. If there is no moulds, lead time about 30 days