Extruded aluminum has so many advantages compared to other metals and other processes. It is easy to fabricate and assemble, providing the means for effective design of extrusions that can be used to simplify the use of the products. There are many different fabrication processes and secondary operations that are used frequently in the production of components and assemblies created through extrusion. Another benefit to using extruded aluminum is that it has much shorter lead times and is less costly than other materials.
Because it can be easily tailored via a number of standard extrusion profiles and can be created with just about any shape or design through the use of custom extruded aluminum dies, it can meet an unlimited number of objectives with regard to function, appearance and manufacturability. As a result, extruded aluminum and its natural corrosion resistance, has become the top choice for many industries, including the manufacture of aluminum doors and windows, automotive parts, the aerospace industry, modern appliances and much more.
Extruded aluminum is also seamless. Unlike other means of making metal pieces, parts and components where soldering and other means of mechanical joining are required, the entire shape is created through the creation of standard or custom extrusion design to create a truly seamless finished product. Complex shapes can be created in a single, one-piece extruded aluminum, making it much stronger than a joined assembly, which can leak or loosen over time.
Machining: Other Secondary Operations
In order to create specific products, such as aluminum doors and windows or other components for various industries, sometimes additional fabrication processes are required. Aluminum is extremely adaptable to machining and fabrication processes, with tooling costs typically much lower than with other metals. The lead time is also much shorter, allowing processes to be completed faster to reduce labor costs as well.
It is important to note that some of the secondary operations that would have to be used on other materials or for projects created using other methods, can be designed into the extruded aluminum at the point of profile design. This increases the natural corrosion resistance of the material and is a huge benefit for many industries.
The most common secondary operations performed on extruded aluminum at Silver City Aluminum include sawing, deburring, heli-coiling, assembly, mitering, precision sawing, punching and CNC fabrication for long and short parts. Our team of highly trained and skilled technicians can fabricate your extruded aluminum up to 30 feet in length on our high speed Emmegi CNC machines or as small as one-quarter of an inch on our Fanuc Robo Drill units, which allow us to machine your parts to extremely tight and consistent tolerances every single time.
- SAWING – Another advantage to choosing aluminum as the material for components such as aluminum doors and windows or for other industries is that it is possible to achieve higher sawing speeds with aluminum than with steel or other metals. Again, this allows for faster fabrication, lower labor costs and faster finishing times. Most extruded aluminum parts can be sawed with precision without the formation of burrs.
- DEBURRING – If burrs do form at any time during the secondary operations, the extruded aluminum can be put through the deburring process. It is used to remove the small chips of metal that form during fabrication or any burrs that remained after the extrusion cut. Deburring can be done using a mechanical brush or a grinding machine, however it can also be achieved through vibratory or tumbler deburring, both of which are available at Silver City Aluminum.
- HELI-COILING – Our technicians can also add heli-coil inserts, which are helically wound coils that have been precision formed. When they are inserted into a hole that has been heli-coil tapped, the insertion creates a permanent screw thread that is much stronger and more reliable than any screw. This helps with corrosion resistance, eliminating the ability of the materials at the thread site to rust, corrode or seize over time.
- PUNCHING – We have become masters at creating custom hydraulic and pneumatic punches at Silver City Aluminum. In fact, we now have the ability to create custom punches for either low or high volume jobs. This helps us to provide the best possible level of quality standards and consistency to our clients.
- PRECISION SAWING – We have two state-of-the-art B&O precision saws that we use for finish cutting our extruded aluminum. With high tolerance capabilities, we are able to consistently cut pieces that range between one-quarter of an inch on up to 240 feet in length.
- MITERING – Our mitering saw gives us the ability to miter parts ranging from 22.5 degrees on up to 135 degrees. We can perform these secondary operations on extruded aluminum that is in lengths of 13.75 inches to 19 feet, 8 inches.
Contact Silver City Aluminum for Quality Results
We take pride in the abilities of our team and our equipment to provide our clients with the highest level of extruded aluminum, secondary operations, finishing and assembly in the business. Whether you are creating aluminum doors and windows, parts for the automotive industries or components for other types of business, Silver City Aluminum can meet or exceed your expectations. Give us a call at 508-824-8631 or visit our website to use our online contact form and get started creating your extruded aluminum parts and components today!