Aluminum and aluminum alloys are very often the top choices of many different industries for manufacturing. The aerospace, automotive, construction, medical, military and mining industries are just a few that choose aluminum over other metals for manufacturing. There are many advantages to working with aluminum, such as its natural strength, resistance to rust and ability to be recycled over and over again. Extruded rod and bar aluminum is used to create every day items, such as lighting fixtures, window frames, hardware joints and for many different uses within construction of residential, commercial and industrial properties.
While there are many standard extrusions created and used every day, post extrusion operations help manufacturers create custom parts and items. Beyond the work done in aluminum fabrication shops, manufacturers can also work with aluminum extruders to design custom dies that will yield unique results that can be used for a specific purpose. When aluminum goes through the extrusion process it becomes strong while remaining lightweight. This makes it the ideal choice for light poles, building frames, car bumpers and other situations where strength and reduced weight are an advantage.
Other Benefits of Choosing Aluminum
There are many different ways to use extruded aluminum in industrial manufacturing. Extruded tube, rod and bar aluminum, as well as custom aluminum shapes, are formed through a hot extrusion process where heated aluminum billets are forced through a steel die to shape the material into various shapes, channels and profiles. At a one stop shop fabrication facility, such as what we see at Silver City Aluminum, extruded aluminum can be formed into an unlimited number of complex shapes that are created with precision.
Today’s aluminum extrusions can even be designed to interlock with other parts created by aluminum extrusion. Custom aluminum fabrication shops can do amazing things to help manufacturers reduce the amount of time required for post extrusion operations to help reduce associated costs. Aluminum is very strong and can be fabricated easily. As a material, aluminum is the third most abundant element on the planet, yet it is also the most recycled metal worldwide. The cost to extract raw aluminum ore from the earth is quite expensive, but because aluminum is 100% recyclable, it becomes more affordable for use in manufacturing because many extruders use a very high percentage of recycled materials.
Spotlight: Extruded Aluminum Tubing
One of the best ways to see the clear advantages of extruded aluminum is in the case of extruded aluminum tubing. While most tubing is cylindrical in shape, through the use of standard and custom extrusion dies, tubing can be square, rectangular and other specialty shapes. Squared off or rectangular tubing is seen in real life applications, such as seamless aluminum gutters, downspouts and drains. Unlike other methods of forging the aluminum into the desired shape, extrusion and any custom alterations done in aluminum fabrication shops means that there is minimal opportunity for the gutter system to leak or allow leaves and other debris to catch within the spouts.
There are many other applications for extruded aluminum tubing, as it can be customized in a one stop shop fabrication facility to include a wide variety of post extrusion operations, similar to other types of rod and bar aluminum products. It is used to create light building frames, lighting fixtures, street light poles, transportation of gas and fluids, hardware joints, construction structural applications and different types of mining equipment. Because of the inherent qualities of aluminum, which has a high electrical conductivity and is also a good conductor and reflector of heat, manufacturers also use extruded aluminum tubing to heat shield and heat transfer applications.
Other benefits in using aluminum for extruded tubing is the flexibility and extremely high strength-to-weight ratio. This is why aluminum parts that are created in aluminum fabrication shops, including those that have post extrusion operations done in a one stop shop fabrication facility, are excellent for all types of industrial manufacturing, as well as parts for food processing, petrochemicals, automotive, aerospace, medical and construction. Aluminum tubing, in addition to rod and bar aluminum, can all be created using standard and custom extrusion dies for truly custom results.
Silver City Aluminum: One Stop Shop Fabrication
Today’s businesses rely on the top quality aluminum extrusions that are created at professional extrusion facilities like Silver City Aluminum. For a truly custom experience, our team of highly trained, skilled and experienced technicians provide each client with a true one stop shop fabrication service, taking an idea or concept from the design phase to extrusion, fabrication and finishing all at our Taunton, Massachusetts location.
We do not send out your standard or custom extrusions to get machined or finished at another shop. Everything is done in-house including all post extrusion operations and finishing. Give us a call at 508-824-8631 to find out more about our services or to place an order. At Silver City Aluminum, all you need to do is make one call, and you’re done.