Extruded
Aluminium Profiles
Design & manufacture of bespoke
aluminium extrusions and profiles
EXTRUDED ALUMINIUM PROFILES
Our skilled team has over 30 years’ of experience creating extruded aluminium profiles to the highest standard. Suitable for use across a wide selection of different sectors and industries, aluminium is a versatile material which allows for great control and flexibility in its manufacture and machining. The light weight property of aluminium, combined with its strength and corrosion resistant quality means that it is a metal which is used in many industries, from aviation and logistics to interior design and construction.
Used everywhere, from aluminium light fittings, fencing and window frames to aeroplane parts and construction, aluminium is a durable metal which can be worked and machined with real precision.
Our aluminium extrusion designing, manufacturing and finishing service will allow us to create a profiles that’s unique to your requirements.
How Extruded Aluminium Profiles are Created
The process of extrusion creates a consistent cross section of the metal, which can be then cut and amended into a finished product. This process starts with the heating the individual cylindrical aluminium logs of metal. The significant temperature makes the aluminium more malleable.
Significant pressure is then applied to this heated metal, to drive it through a specially designed die, which is particular to your specifications. Our team will draw up plans on which the die is based, precisely matching your requirements with their design work. It is this die which dictates the shape of the aluminium profile cross section, which is created by the extrusion process.
Our international manufacturing partners have state of the art facilities, meaning that great pressure can be applied to the aluminium. A higher pressure, lower temperature extrusion process is preferred as high temperatures cause greater fluidity in the metal, leading to different behaviours when being forced through the die.
Lubrication is required when forcing the metal through the die, to minimise friction and any sticking of the metal as it passes through the machining equipment. These need to be specially developed to deal with the intense level of heat involved in the process, due to the preparation of the aluminium stock before it is extruded.
IMPROVED ALUMINIUM MALLEABILITY
As well as the improved malleability of aluminium when it has been heated, it is also naturally a very ductile metal. Where other metals need to be cast through moulds to be manipulated into different shapes and for different purposes, ductile aluminium can be manipulated through the extrusion process. This quality is due to the molecular arrangement of aluminium, where free electrons allow atoms to move over each other within the metal.
Once the metal has passed through the die, the form of the profile has been created along the length of the metal piece. This then goes on to be cooled, as it is still at the very high temperatures required for the extrusion to take place.
Some cooling occurs from the application of liquid nitrogen which is also used in gas form to avoid the oxidization of the metal because of its temperature.
The metal still needs to be brought down to the necessary level for the profiles to pass on to the next stage, and typically takes place using a combination of air and water depending on the the mechanical properties required of the metal upon completion.
The finishing process for aluminium profiles
Once the metal has been cooled sufficiently, it is ready to be further developed into the necessary shape and length. Further processes involved at this stage in the creation of the final extruded profile include the punching of holes and thread tapping bore holes as required, as well as cutting the extended length of aluminium into lengths.
We are then able to artificially age the aluminium through a further exposure to extreme levels of heat (though not so much as in the initial instance). This allows for maximum strength without having to allow an extended period of time for natural ageing to occur, but achieving the same results. This acceleration means that we can respond to your needs in faster times whilst meeting the different EN Standards for the mechanical properties of the aluminium once complete.
This process of extrusion means that we are able to offer a really responsive and bespoke service to those for whom we design, develop and manufacture aluminium profiles. From conception, through the machining and finishing process, we can provide a superb service aiding in perfectly creating a product which is made to order and which perfectly matches your needs.
