Using aluminum extrusion in product development and design has exploded in recent decades. The process is increasingly being leveraged in the automotive, aviation, construction, and other industries. A recent Technavio report reveals that between 2019 and 2023, the global aluminum extrusion market grew by a Compound Annual Growth Rate of nearly 4%.
You likely have heard of this incredible manufacturing process and are curious about what it involves. Don’t fret; let’s explore what aluminum extrusion is, its advantages, and the steps of the extrusion process.
Aluminum extrusion is a process in which cast aluminum pieces cut into billets are placed in an extruder (extrusion machine), heated and pushed through a die opening of a particular shape. The shape of the die opening can be changed to create aluminum products of different shapes and sizes depending on the particular needs of the user.
The dies are often made of steel. Flat dies and pre-chamber dies are preferred for creating solid aluminum bars or profiles, while chamber dies are favored for hollow aluminum bars or profiles.
An aluminum extruder like this one is a machine that utilizes pre-cut billets to create aluminum products of various profiles. Currently, numerous emerging business areas are demanding higher quality and more detailed aluminum profiles that traditional extruders cannot create. Wangeshi offers modern, high-efficiency, energy-saving aluminum extruders that can develop intricate, high-end profiles.
Here is a simplified overview of the aluminum extrusion process:
· Immediately after exiting the press, the extruded aluminum profiles are placed in a water bath to allow uniform cooling (quenching). The controlled cooling ensures that the aluminum profiles acquire the desired material microstructure and mechanical properties.
· After quenching, the aluminum profiles are cut into predetermined interphase lengths and placed on a runout table for further cooling.
· The strengthened bars are cut into lengths desired by customers.
Although the extrusion process described above appears simple, it's actually much more complicated. Numerous correlating parameters need to be adapted during the process. These parameters include temperature, speed, and time, also known as TST parameters.
The following factors have to be monitored closely before, during, and after extrusion:
· Billet temperature in the furnaces
Aluminum extrusion is the preferred option for creating many aluminum products due to the toughness and lightness of the final product. Additional advantages of aluminum extrusion include:
· The impeccable surface finish of extruded products compared to aluminum castings
Our modern aluminum extruders allow for high automation efficiency, thus, needing fewer operational and maintenance personnel. Moreover, our extruders have low energy consumption and high production efficiency. We also customize our extruders to meet the specific precision requirements of our customers.
