When exploring the properties of aluminum, it quickly becomes clear that the high strength-to-weight ratio of this amazing metal is worth exploiting. This is particularly true when it comes to the design and development of structural components. Not only does aluminum have natural corrosion resistance, but it is also malleable and a perfect choice for extrusion. Whether you utilize standard extrusions or create your own custom aluminum extrusion profiles, advanced solutions for industrial manufacturing are possible.
Our team of engineers, designers, and technicians have decades of experience between them working within the aluminum extrusion industry. We provide a wide variety of services for our clients, some of which include extrusions for building structures and related applications. Choose from a broad range of stock shapes or create your own to provide quality results explicitly designed for your needs. Extrusion is a valuable method used to form raw aluminum into intricate designs that are processed according to the unique specifications of the client.
How Does Extrusion Work?
If you are not familiar with extrusion, it helps to have some real-life examples. When you push the toothpaste out of a tube, the gel or paste comes out in the shape of the hole at the end. It is similar to what happens when kids press playdough through a toy shape to create long strings of spaghetti. Round, squared, triangular, and just about any other type of shape can be used to make these extruded pieces of dough. Custom aluminum extrusion works the same way. It takes advantage of the inherent properties of aluminum, which include being tactile and malleable enough to be pressed through a die or profile to create the desired shape.
However, in the case of aluminum, the metal must first be heated to a specific temperature. Then it must be pressed through the steel shape using 10,000,000 pounds of pressure. The metal flows through the profile to create a piece of aluminum according to the customer’s specifications.
With regard to structural components, standard and custom aluminum extrusion can be used to create parts for complex mounting systems, structural frames, and other types of building components. This process cannot be used for steel or other hard materials. However, it is essential to understand that the alloy and the extrusion process itself helps to increase the strength of the finished product. While aluminum might be malleable when heated to temperature, it is strong enough to stand up to all of your structural demands. The aluminum extrusion industry creates solid, semi-hollow, and completely hollow shapes that have an excellent surface quality and are created accurately according to specifications.
A Variety of Standard Shapes
Custom solutions are not always required for every project. Many of the extruded parts used in structural components are made from a variety of standard shapes. Silver City Aluminum uses aluminum alloys within the 6xxx series to create top quality standard and custom aluminum extrusion for our clients. This series provides excellent strength, durability, flexibility, corrosion resistance, and many other essential properties of aluminum. Our team of engineers, designers, and technicians will work with you from start to finish to create the exact structural components you need for your project.
Some of the standard shapes include:
- C-channels and U-channels
- T-ees and Z-ees
- I-beams and H-beams
- Angles, tubes, rods, and bars
All of the components in our extrusion system at Silver City Aluminum are top of the line. Everything that we use is fully integrated and automated. Through the advancement of PLC control technology, our technicians are able to communicate with our machines via the Internet. It allows our team to monitor and quality check production from any location in the world. This technology helps us to see how the equipment is functioning, while also viewing the rate of speed for extrusion, the recipe that was selected, and all other variables. This approach helps us to provide consistent and dependable quality control while allowing us to monitor the extrusion process every step of the way.
Trust Silver City Aluminum for Structural Extrusion
If you are in the market for a manufacturer to provide you with standard or custom aluminum extrusion, contact our team right away. We have many years of experience working in the aluminum extrusion industry and can help find the best solution for you. Located in Taunton, Massachusetts, we provide top quality services to clients all across the country and around the world. Learn more about how the properties of aluminum can work to your advantage.