Top Extrusions: Everyday Uses for Custom Aluminum Products

everyday-usesOne of the most versatile materials available in production today is the aluminum frame. Custom aluminum products are used across many different industries, from automobile frames to screen doors, furniture manufacturing to custom residential windows. The creation of a channeled aluminum frame through the use of custom extrusion dies, is slightly different than standard aluminum extrusions in that it is curved or bent to make a “U” or “J” shape in the finished product. Channeled frames are used in a number of different ways, providing extra strength to the framing because of the shape used to make these custom aluminum products.

How It Works
All of the custom aluminum extrusions create at Silver City Aluminum are made from 99.9 percent recyclable aluminum. We purchase our billet from several area suppliers in the northeastern region to get a really good quality product. We purchase long length billets and then cut them into 7-inch diameter pre-cuts to help minimize the amount of scrap that is produced. Our cuts are based on the length and weight of the profile in the client’s custom extrusion dies.

The billets are then heated in a long oven before reaching the extrusion press. The temperature is very important for proper extrusion. The custom shape is then created using 10,000,000 pounds of pressure while the aluminum materials are pressed through the client’s steel profile or die. This can be a custom extrusion die or a standard stock profile, depending on the project. The final phase involves the cooling down of the finished products. Stretching the materials while still warm in order to achieve the desired shape and length is also performed at this stage while the metal cools.

Here are some examples of uses for aluminum extrusion that you see every day and might not even realize it:

  • TRIM – One of the great properties of aluminum is that it has the ability to be shined to an almost chrome-like finish. Channeled aluminum, created through the process of custom extrusion dies, can be used as a decorative trim. You will see this most often on vehicles, buildings, furniture and in home decor applications. When all shined up, aluminum extrusions as trim can be used just about anywhere!
  • EDGING – Custom aluminum products can be created to protect individuals from unsafe edges and also serves as a means of creating smoother, neater looking finished products. Aluminum extrusions are the perfect material for this purpose because they look great, are very lightweight and can stand up to outdoor weather conditions that would damage other metals. There are many uses for aluminum extrusion as edging in residential, commercial and general manufacturing applications.
  • FRAMES – Another use for channeled aluminum extrusions is as a means of helping to construct building frames for permanent and temporary structures. There are a lot of build-it-yourself project prodcuts, such as playhouses, sheds and other outdoor structures, that use aluminum frames because they are lightweight, durable, easy to work with and don’t require a lot of extra tools for construction.
  • SLIDES – One place that you will frequently see both standard and custom aluminum products used is in doorways, windows and other similar objects that open and close. For example, the channeled shape of aluminum extrusions makes them ideal to use in doorways for opening and closing sliding glass doors. They can also be used to create collapsible frames, such as tents, portable tables, folding chairs and more.
  • RAILS – Another one of the more excellent uses for aluminum extrusion is with railings. Outdoors or indoors, channeled aluminum is an ideal choice for this purpose. It can also be used to create fence railings, staircase railings and other related materials. Aluminum extrusions are resistant to water and weather, making for a great-looking finished product that will last for many years to come. Compared to other materials, custom aluminum products will also be more affordable, making it a perfect choice for long rails for walkways, balconies and other large areas. The shape of these custom extrusion dies makes it easy to attach aluminum extrusions used as railing to just about any base material, such as other metals, glass, plastic or wood.

Custom Aluminum Products in Our One Stop Fabrication Shop
Contact Silver City Aluminum today for more information on all of our services and custom aluminum extrusions available. Choose from our stock dies or create your own custom extrusion dies according to your specifications. Once you realize all of the uses for aluminum extrusion you will see why so many of our clients depend on our services for the products and parts that they provide to their own customers. Call Silver City today or use our online form to request a FREE estimate on your next project.