There are many advantages to choosing to work with aluminum as a material. In addition to its beneficial properties, it is also easily adaptable to fabrication and machining processes even after custom aluminum extrusion. Because it works so easily in this process, tooling costs are often lower than with other metal materials. The ease at which aluminum is processed also means that it can be extruded and fabricated at a faster rate, which cuts costs for clients and allows a greater speed of production, reducing the lead time compared to other metal fabrications considerably.
In addition to faster extrusion, other benefits are available through the use of aluminum as well. For example, many of the additonal fabrications that would have to be done separately with other metals can even be designed directly into the extrusion process of the aluminum. Therefore, custom aluminum extruders are even more customized than other types of metal, helping to streamline the production process, eliminating some of the secondary options that would be required by other metals.
Types of Fabrication
There are many different types of secondary operations that can be done with custom aluminum extruders. Sawing and deburring, as well as long and short part fabrication, punching, precision sawing, mitering and heli-coiling in New England are all available to clients of Silver City Aluminum. In addition to creating custom aluminum extruders and providing a wide array of finishing options, Silver City also provides fabrication in-house to its clients, reducing lead time and providing cost-savings compared to other extruders that outsource the fabrication process to another shop. Silver City Aluminum is truly a one-stop shop that helps businesses get the products they need with all of the secondary operations they require without having to use multiple vendors or wait on outsourced fabrications.
SAWING
Most aluminum alloys allow for amuch faster sawing speeds than steel or other types of metal, providing our clients with a very cost-effective solution. Another advantage is that custom aluminum extruders can be fabricated more accurately without forming burrs to the degree of other metals. Sawing and deburring typically go hand-in-hand as secondary operations to create a quality end result. Silver City has two B & O state-of-the-art precision saws that are used for finish cutting on extrusions that are capable of sawing pieces that range from one-quarter of an inch on up to 240 inches in length.
DEBURRING
This process is used to remove small chips of metal that might remain on the extrusion cut. While most aluminum alloys do not form burrs like other types of metal, it can still occur depending on the situation and the secondary operations being used. The most common method of deburring requires the use of a grinding machine or a mechanical brush. Silver City deburrs every single machined part that we create as a standard part of our process. This typically occurs after the fabrication process to ensure that no burrs are left behind. We do this service as a part of our quality control measures that we put in place to ensure that our clients are completely satisfied with our work.
- VIBRATORY DEBURRING – or high volumbe jobs, a big vibrating tumbler encasement is used to remove the burrs off the parts that we create as they are vibrated and moved around inside the porcelain encasement. This process does not create any scratching or damage to the products.
- TUMBLE DEBURRING – This process is similar to vibratory deburring except that the pieces are tumbled in an encasement at 360 degrees on a continuous basis until all of the burrs are completely removed.
SHEARING
Also known as punching or pressing, this process is typically carried out with a cutting or shearing tool. The creation of burrs can be avoided by sharpening the punch and the die on a regular basis between extrusions. Silver City Aluminum has perfected the ability to create truly custom hydraulic and pneumatic punches for either low or high volume jobs with amazingly high standards of consistency and quality for our clients.
LONG PART FABRICATION
Silver City Aluminum has the ability to fabricate up to 30 foot custom aluminum extruders using a high-speed Emmegi CNC machine. With spindle rotation, angle machining heads that can machine the five faces of a processed part, these high-speed machines can do a number of secondary operations, including machining, drilling and tapping, all at extremely tight tolerances with great consistency for better finished results.
SHORT PART FABRICATION
In addition to long part fabrication of up to 30 feet in length, Silver City Aluminum also has the ability to do short part fabrication as small as one-quarter of an inch on up to 27 inches in length using a high-speed Fanuc Robo Drill unit. Similar to the long part fabrication, these machines operate using a 3 axis high-speed system that can machine the parts to very tight tolerances with consistent results every time.
HELI-COILING
One technique that is a part of our secondary operations in the fabrication department is heli-coiling. Heli-coil inserts are precision formed to create helically wound coils that are inserted into a heli-coil tapped hole to provide a permanent screw thread that is stronger and much more reliable than traditional screws, due to its tight fit. Materials that are connected using this method are less likely to corrode, wear out, seize or rust over time. Heli-coiling in New England is becoming a more widely used type of fabrication and is being used by airlines and other major industries.
Call Silver City Aluminum for Secondary Operations and Fabrication
For clients who are looking for high-quality custom aluminum extruders, as well as a full service shop that provides secondary operations such as sawing and deburring or heli-coiling in New England, look no further than Silver City Aluminum. To find out more about all of the fabrication, finishing and extrusion capabilities available at Silver City, contact our local office in Taunton, Massachusetts. One of our technicians or customer service agents can help you chose the best custom aluminum extruders and fabrications that you need in any shape or size that your project requires.