In recent years, the amount of extruded aluminum parts and components used by the automotive industry has increased significantly. Automakers are continually striving to improve fuel economy, reduce emissions, and design safer cars. Custom and standard extrusions tick all the boxes and are making a beneficial contribution to the industry as a whole. Car builders are able to reduce the overall vehicle weight when they use aluminum extrusion solutions for automotive industry needs, as the aluminum alloys used come in at just one-third the weight of heavier steel. This provides many benefits that were seemingly impossible just a few years ago. The aluminum extrusion industry has come a long way since the development of standard extrusions, including rod and bar aluminum, tubes, and angles, to help many diverse industries and consumers alike.
How Extrusions Are Being Used
Some of the ways that aluminum extrusions are being used by the automotive industry include replacing heavy steel in areas like the roof headers, cross-car beams, cross-members, and subframes. However, these extruded aluminum parts and components are also being used in the battery box, rockers, design elements, and even in crash management technology. The roof headers are used to support the windshield, protecting passengers in the event of a rollover. The high strength and low weight of extrusions for automotive industry needs helps to create a safer yet more lightweight vehicle. The cross-car beam and cross-members are the backbone of any vehicle. They are used to carry payload and support essential elements, including the instrument panel and other features.
What might seem like little parts and components adds up quickly to provide car designers with lighter weight and superior solutions to all of their manufacturing goals. Not only are these custom and standard extrusions helping to improve fuel economy by reducing the overall weight of the vehicle, but they are also cheaper and more efficient to make. Once the design has been developed and the custom profile or die created, it becomes easy for the extrusion facility to make as many parts as are required to support the demands of the auto manufacturer. Extruded parts and components can be created quickly without any delays caused by secondary operations and fabrication. Our standard lead time at Silver City Aluminum is three to four weeks maximum from the time of order to delivery via our own fleet of trucks.
The Secret to Our Success
Even among other facilities that provide custom aluminum extrusion, Silver City stands out from the crowd. We are fully committed to ensuring that our clients maximize the return on their investment and receive high-quality products for their industry needs. All of the components in our extrusion system are top of the line, and we are continually investing in new technology, training, and support for our team to ensure that they have the tools they need to meet or exceed expectations with every order we fill. Every component is fully integrated and automated, supervised through the advancement of PLC control technology, which also allows us to communicate with our machines from any location in the world.
We keep a constant eye on the extrusion process every step of the way with the goal of delivering consistent and dependable quality control. We do everything in-house, never sending off your extruded parts and components to a third-party service. Everything from design and development to extrusion, fabrication, secondary operations, finishing, and even shipping is done in-house. Our technicians supervise the entire process and remove each item from the line by hand so it can be inspected for quality control. While much of the business that we do is in the Massachusetts area, we also ship our extruded aluminum parts and components all across the country and around the world. If you would like to learn more about our services or wish to place an order for custom or standard extrusions, give us a call at 508-824-8631. We can answer any questions you might have about using extrusion solutions for automotive industry needs, as well as offer insight into the benefits of using extruded aluminum within the industry that you serve.