Tuesday, July 18, 2017

The Process Of Aluminium Extrusion

By Donald West


Extrusion is the process whereby objects of cross-sectional profile are created. The process involves a series of complex procedures. Aluminium extrusion is therefore, the process of taking aluminium alloys and shaping them into objects with a cross-sectional profile. Being one of the most abundant elements, it makes up about 8% percent of the earth crust. It has numerous properties such as being ductile and malleable, soft and lightweight. It can also be non-magnetic and has a shiny silvery appearance. Its lightweight nature allows it to be cast, drawn, and extruded.

The process of extruding it is quite complex and involves a number of steps, the first one being designing and creating the shape of die. After the completion of this, an alloy having a cylindrical shape is heated at high temperatures of between 800F and 925F after which it may be transferred to a loader. In order to prevent it from sticking to the extrusion machine, a lubricant is applied.

The next step involves the application of tremendous pressure onto a dummy block. This pressure is responsible for forcing the element into the die. When this element comes into contact with oxygen it tends to form oxides. In order to prevent this, nitrogen either in gaseous or liquid form is passed through sections of a die.

At this stage, the extruded aluminium has the die shape and is passed through a run-table after which it is placed on a cooling table where it is cooled using cooling fans. Once this has been accomplished, it can also be brought to a stretcher for hardening and straightening after which it might be brought under sawing machine where fine cuts are made to produce the length desired.

Finally, the extrusions are treated with heat. They are brought into age ovens where they are hardened through speeding up the age process. Other changes may be made during this step. Color, brightness, and texture adjustments can be made to give it the desired finish. Different shapes can also be obtained.

There have been a lot of transformations in terms of the growth and development in the extrusion industry. Various new techniques have been employed to enhance the process making it more efficient; thus, producing better quality element, which has many uses. A number of household items get manufactured using the metal. Such items may include watches, utensils just to mention a few. It might also be widely used in the manufacture of food and beverage containers, foils used in wrapping food, walking poles as well as streetlight poles.

It can be most preferred in the manufacturing industry because it has a low density and is also able to resist corrosion. Another great feature is that it does not ignite easily. For these reasons, many industries such as the transportation industry, aerospace as well as construction industries make use of this metal. In addition, it may also be used in the fabrication process of superconducting qubits due to its ability to conduct both thermal and electrical charges.

The metal is also preferred to make gadgets such as smartphones and tablets because it is highly durable and has a sleek classy appearance; thus, a remarkable element in the universe.




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