When it comes to engineering, the most in-demand materials combine corrosion resistance with strength and low weight. Also notable is that the materials allow for creativity but can meet standards regarding thermal, structural, and acoustics while in use. One of the materials that hits all of those requirements is aluminum. There are endless options for aluminum extrusion shapes, which adds an additional benefit to this commonplace metal.
Advantages of Aluminum Extrusion
Aluminum is a malleable metal, which makes it ideal for creative design, but is also cost-effective. Unlike other options, the malleability does not lead to less durability or strength in the final structure. In most cases, aluminum is blended with other metals into an alloy which can offer additional benefits for engineers or others who practice extrusion.
Here are some of the common areas where aluminum extrusion shapes are utilized on a regular basis:
* Corrosion Resistance – Useful in architecture, mining, military, marine, wires, and cable projects.
* High Heat and Electrical Conductivity – Useful in radiators, electronics, air conditioning, and heatsink applications.
* Low Weight to High Strength Ratio – Ideal for use in manufacturing railway stock, automobiles, marine items, and aeronautical vehicles.
With aluminum extrusion, you are likely to find a viable solution to most products that need specific performance and design flexibility. It is also a low-cost option to other metals, which makes it accessible to a more significant number of individuals and companies.
Why Aluminum Extrusion
Through aluminum extrusion, many components can be designed and used to provide interlocking systems, channels, and fixings which can limit the need for other expensive parts. In many cases, these can even be incorporated into the larger project to add a higher level of structural strength.
When using modern fabrication techniques, aluminum extrusion becomes even more appealing. By building extrusion dies made of aluminum, the price of prototypes can be lowered while the design is occurring. Once it is time for manufacturing, the technology can easily be transferred into production for the market. The high rate of optimization available through extrusion of aluminum can provide an excellent solution for many different applications.
Environmentally Friendly
Another perk of aluminum is that it is recyclable in full. Unlike other recycled items, aluminum that has been recycled will still have the properties of the original metal. It also takes only 5% of the energy to recycle than it did to produce the aluminum the first time.
All of these benefits make it no surprise that aluminum extrusion is an excellent choice. You get a low-cost metal that is available in abundance which can do nearly anything another metal could do.
