ALUMINUM EXTRUSIONS

We offer standard and custom extrusions in a range of 6000 series aluminum alloys. Our presses handle diameters up to seven inches, enabling a range of sizes and profiles, and we’ll help you determine the ideal alloy and finish for your situation. Need a custom extrusion? Our in-house engineering team can create custom profiles using state-of-the-art CAD/CAM technology.

UNDERSTANDING THE PROCESS

Although aluminum extrusion is a complex and technical process, the basic idea is simple: aluminum is forced through a die to create a continuous, uniform shape. It’s the same approach used to create all sorts of products, from PVC pipe to pasta.

Aluminum extrusion starts with raw billets of aluminum alloy. The billets are heated, depending on their alloy composition, to temperatures between 800-925F—soft, but still solid. Billets are then squeezed through the die, which must be cooled with liquid nitrogen.

We give the extruded aluminum some time to cool before sawing it down to a workable length. After a bit more cooling, the aluminum is stretched. Stretching helps to straighten, strengthen, and harden the extrusion—which is then cut to final size. To finish things off, the cut aluminum product is heat treated to further improve hardness.