Aluminum extrusion companies provide both custom structural products and stock items for common items demanded by industry, retail, warehousing, schools, hospitals, and any business that require strong, lightweight products meeting the need for efficiency.
What is an Extrusion Process?
Quite simply, it is pushing a material through a die to produce a unique, linear, shaped design in cost effective quantities. First patented in 1797 for lead piping development using the extrusion and die to produce large quantities of piping. Aluminum became popular in the 20th Century due to industrial demand for strong, lightweight metals and a cost effective process to produce the product.
When aluminum is mixed with another metal such as magnesium, it becomes a strong alloy, yet still easy for fabricators to work it for various shapes and lengths. The metal can be processed at 900 degrees F. The metal is shaped into a long roll called a billet. It is then pushed into the die to create a linear rod with unique shapes and designs to suit any task. The finished product is cut into specific lengths with a finishing saw and then allowed to cure with simple air-cooling. Sometimes the product is placed in an aging oven to speed up the curing process. This process is cost effective and the metal is strong and lightweight.
Extrusion Allows a Wide Variety of Uses
The transportation industry is a huge consumer of aluminum extrusion products. Aluminum extrusion companies provide lightweight and strong channels and slots used for trains, cars, trucks, and buses for panels, windowpanes, bumpers and safety stops.
Lightweight, durable hollow rods are ideal for making office and hospital furnishing. The building industry uses extrusion for structural beams and support as well as for aesthetic applications.
Highly specialized shapes that require precision fittings and close tolerances for heat and stress can be produced by extruding aluminum flowing through a stationary die with very complex designs with high quality finishing and shapes. Because the material is pliable with low heat and requires less ram force, less energy is expended in production as compared to using other metals requiring greater energy required for its extrusion.
Another Advantage of Aluminum
Aluminum has a relatively long service life and high reliability when in use. When the aluminum has served its usefulness, it can be recycled. Again, its relatively low melting point allows efficient processing into billets for future remanufacturing. Apple computers were the first to advertise its aluminum computer housing was not only strong and lightweight, but also recyclable.
When evaluating aluminum extrusion companies, the key is to use a company with extensive experience using the process for producing quality products. The company must have a staff that can create the die by visualizing the purpose of the end product and the required functions; and then produce the piece to design specifications.
Eagle Moldings has been producing thousands of quality products for a wide variety of industries. Visit their website at
www.eagle-aluminum.com/ to check out their extensive selection.
