When it comes to product design, the materials that you choose, as well as the methods of creating them, can have a huge impact on the final results. Aluminum is one of the most widely used materials when it comes to creating extruded metal products. Whether you choose to create standard aluminum extrusions or custom aluminum extrusions designed to your unique specifications, the process and the results will be the same. The properties of aluminum are a huge part of why extruded aluminum products are so popular and widely prized in the manufacturing, assembly, production and construction industries.
What Are the Properties of Aluminum?
Some of the many reasons why people choose to use extruded aluminum instead of other types of extruded metals is due to the lightweight, yet strong properties of aluminum materials. This makes aluminum custom aluminum extrusions ideal for vehicles and other applications where a lighter finished product could make a difference in the overall use of the product. A lightweight vehicle means less fuel is needed to move the vehicle down the road and a higher miles-per-gallon or MPG is achieved.
In addition to lightweight strength, even standard aluminum extrusions have advantages associated with high thermal conductivity, making extruded aluminum a great choice for many industrial and consumer based applications. The process used to create aluminum extrusions is much faster than other types of metal extrusions, increasing the speed at which products can be developed and manufactured to fill orders and make sales.
In addition to finished products, these advantages also apply to businesses that are busy developing prototype and testing products for evaluation, giving them the unique ability to go back to the drawing board and make tweaks without wasting too much time in between phases. At Silver City Aluminum, our team of designers and technicians can help you in the design and creation of dies for custom aluminum extrusions according to design changes or tweaks that you come up during the testing phase or product development process.
More Properties of Aluminum to Explore
In addition to all of the stated advantages, there are other benefits to using standard aluminum extrusions and custom aluminum extrusions in your product or part manufacturing process. The properties of aluminum make it very desirable across many different industries and applications.
- SAFETY – One of the properties of aluminum is its ability to be more resilient to damage due to its strength and flexibility, as well as its natural corrosion resistance. As a result, extruded aluminum is used to make tailgate frames, roof consoles and engine mounts within the auto industry.
- WEIGHT – Compared to steel extrusions, extruded aluminum can reduce the weight of a finished product by 40-50 percent. With regard to the auto industry, this can mean a savings of over 20 pounds of CO2 emissions throughout the lifetime of the vehicle. Lighter weight also means faster speeds, in the world of auto racing, speedboat racing and other types of sporting equipment.
- SUSTAINABLE – Aluminum is perhaps one of the most earth-friendly materials available. Standard aluminum extrusions are used frequently in the construction of commercial and residential buildings that are working toward achieving LEED certification for energy efficiency and use of sustainable materials.
- FLEXIBLE – The properties of aluminum that make it so extremely flexible and easy to manipulate in the creation of custom aluminum extrusions helps new innovations to come to life. Aluminum is affordable, flexible and allows for unique shapes and designs to be created by designers and manufacturers for a variety of industries.
Extruded Aluminum Basics
Put simply, extrusion is the “plastic deformation” of a material that is then forced through a smaller die opening to create a specific shape or design. Standard aluminum extrusions include solid and hollow tubes, square and rectangular bars and angles. Plastic, metal and other materials may be used, but extruded aluminum is by far the most popular version that is used by industry today.
Extruded aluminum is created when aluminum billets are heated to help soften the metal and aid in the plastic deformation process. There are many different factors that can be entered into the creation of custom aluminum extrusions, including the type and design of the layout, the length and width of the billet, the properties of aluminum and the alloy used in its creation, the temperature of the material prior to and during extrusion, the die used to create standard or custom aluminum extrusions and the speed at which the material moves through the extrusion equipment.
Silver City Aluminum in Taunton, Massachusetts
We create standard aluminum extrusions and an unlimited array of custom aluminum extrusions according to the unique specifications of our clients at Silver City Aluminum. We provide our services to customers throughout the New England area, as well as across the nation, throughout North America and all around the world.
Our dedication to working with the client every step of the way to create high quality extruded aluminum is what sets us apart from other extrusion companies. Our commitment to excellence and ability to do all post extrusion fabrication and finishing on-site at our local shop helps us to deliver amazing results in much less time than our competitors. Give us a call at 508-824-8631 to find out more about our extruded aluminum services or to start creating your own custom aluminum extrusions.