Aluminum is a soft material, when a shape is desired it can be accomplished either by pushing a billet of heated aluminum through a die which has an opening the same shape as the desired finished extrusion or a slug of aluminum can be cold forged which requires no pre-heating. Both of these processes are done by aluminum extrusion companies which have the equipment and skilled operators to perform the work.
Extruded aluminum parts or shapes are used in a number of different industries from furniture manufacturing to the production of aluminum cookware. Although the shapes are different, aluminum is the ideal material as it is lightweight, durable and not prone to corrosion as is ferrous metals such as steel. Heat is a necessary component of push extruding as the billet which is usually round and of considerable diameter must be pushed through the opening in a die. If the billet was not heated close to melting it would not pass through the die.
Aluminum extrusion companies that perform cold forming are not faced with the need for heat, the process they use takes aluminum slugs, and using a punch and die, the slug is formed using pressure only.
The first step in the cold forming process is to coat aluminum slugs with a lubricating material after which they are set in the die. Once the component has been formed, it is either ready for use or it may need trimming before final finishing. During impact the stresses can cause small cracks in the material and it is the task of the designers to ensure that molds and pressures are matched to avoid this.
There are two types of impact extrusion; forward and backward. In forward extrusion the metal is forced into a mold, in reverse extrusion the metal is formed around a punch. These techniques are used to form many products including metal discs which proceed to other presses where they become cylinders or other shaped components. The forms are well maintained as are extrusion dies, this attention to detail means that these expensive tools can be used over and over.
Depending on the complexity of the extrusion, Eagle Mouldings aluminum extrusion companies offer prices which are competitive but in line with the manufacturing costs. The prices offered are often based on volume as the set-up times can be amortized over a longer run.
The best aluminum extrusion companies offer their client’s standard extruded shapes as well as custom extrusions. Eagle Mouldings are your single source for any aluminum extrusion; standard or custom.
