Oct. 07, 2024
Mechanical Parts & Fabrication Services
Selecting the fabrication process for your next project can be as important as choosing the base material. If you&#;ve decided you want to use aluminum, you&#;ve likely realized there are several different ways to fabricate it. And each fabrication method may affect its physical properties and your production costs.
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This article provides an overview of four of the most commonly used aluminum fabrication methods: extrusion, casting, rolling, and forging. Familiarizing yourself with these will give you a better idea of which is most appropriate for your situation.
What is Aluminum Fabrication?An aluminum fabrication process is any method used to form aluminum into a specific shape. These techniques can involve a wide array of physical and chemical procedures that give aluminum varying physical properties.
Aluminum fabrication techniques can be drastically different. Therefore, the physical properties of the resulting pieces vary significantly from one process to the next. Consequently, it is crucial to understand the differences between these fabrication methods as some of their characteristics will be the primary driver in choosing the appropriate process.
For example, some parts can only be made through a specific technique that provides the desired characteristics like strength or shape. Or maybe two processes can effectively create a part, but one creates a surface finish that is not ideal. The cost and rate of production can also be important factors when deciding on a specific process.
4 Aluminum Fabrication Processes You Should Know AboutFour of the most common aluminum forming processes are extrusion, casting, rolling, and forging. Each of these employs a different technique and conveys unique properties to the aluminum. As a result, product designers can use them for different types of parts and applications.
#1 Aluminum ExtrusionIn this process, a powerful ram pushes a heated aluminum billet through a die that has the desired final cross-section form. We can liken this process to the way children play with play-dough, creating a long strand of the putty by pushing it through a plastic die, or the way you push toothpaste out of a tube with a circular shape.
The resulting aluminum extrusion will have the cross-section of the die, which can have a vast assortment of forms, including solid, hollow, and semi-hollow shapes. Furthermore, these profiles can be cut at any length, making extrusion the perfect method to create complex cross-sections at a relatively low production cost.
In addition, extrusions have a consistently smooth surface finish that is perfect for further processing to enhance their appearance and prevent corrosion.
If you would like to know more, read our article about the aluminum extrusion process.
#2 Aluminum Casting
Casting is a process that is great for forming aluminum into very complex shapes. The technique involves completely melting ingots of aluminum alloys and injecting the liquid metal into a mold.
The poured metal fills the empty cavity completely and then solidifies to create a perfect aluminum duplicate of the mold&#;s internal shape. Casting can be done using several different mold types, including dies and permanent molds, clay molds, and sand molds.
The parts produced using casting often require minimal additional machining. And if you use steel dies, you can repeat the process many times before replacing the die.
One of the main advantages of using die casting is the complexity of the parts it produces. This complexity is unparalleled by other aluminum forming processes, and it gives you options for different textures with almost no size limitations.
For more information, please visit our &#;What is Aluminum Die Casting&#; article.
#3 Rolling Aluminum
The aluminum rolling process involves passing slabs or billets of aluminum alloys through different sets of rolls to reduce their thickness. This process repeats until the aluminum reaches its final form, resulting in a piece that will be considered a plate, sheet, or foil, depending on the thickness.
The aluminum plates, sheets, and foils produced by aluminum rolling have great versatility. Fabricators can further process them, performing operations such as bending, forming, or machining. For example, they can use rolled aluminum to produce beverage and food cans, aluminum roofing and gutters, and household aluminum foil.
If you&#;re interested in learning more about roll-forming aluminum, take a look at our &#;What is the Aluminum Rolling Process&#; article.
For more information, please visit Aluminum processing.
#4 Forging AluminumForging involves forming metal by pressing, pounding, or squeezing it to achieve the desired form. The producer heats a slab of aluminum and uses a press or hammer to change its shape.
Aluminum can be forged using an open or closed die. Closed dies include two halves that reflect the product&#;s final shape, similar to casting dies. Open dies do not constrain the aluminum slab, so as it is pressed or hammered in one direction, it can expand in the others. Manufacturers generally use open die forging for very large pieces.
Parts produced by forging have great fatigue and impact resistance thanks to the strengthening imparted by the processing technique.
Which Aluminum Fabrication Process Should You Choose?
The best forming process will be the one that offers the best characteristics according to your project.
And if you need assistance to manufacture your custom aluminum part, please reach out to discuss your project.
Material manufacturers should continuously strive for transparency regarding the carbon footprint of their products and how it is measured. At Hydro we believe this is a key step towards reaching sustainability goals.
Transparency also encourages us to inform about conceivably lesser-known truths, for instance, that a kilogram of aluminium can be produced with lower CO2 emissions than a kilogram of eggs or a pair of jeans. We are not telling you to stop eating eggs or to stop wearing your favorite jeans. Rather, we want to put carbon footprint of aluminium into a different perspective to show that it matters where and how aluminium is produced.
Comparison of kilo CO2 equivalents required to produce different products
Sources: Hydro EPD's and internal analyses; Global average: IAI ; OWID; VOX; Expert(s) (Poore & Nemeck, ); LCA Analysis published by major apparel manufacturer
Of course, this is not a fair comparison since a kilogram of aluminium is not a product that can be used as such, meaning that there will be some additional carbon emissions in manufacturing and transport of the aluminium into a final product. However, our intension is to highlight the possibility of dramatically reducing the carbon impact of products by choosing materials wisely, and low carbon aluminium can be part of the solution. Furthermore, there is no question that sustainability should be top-of-mind for material users and producers, but it is also important that the material you choose have other benefits that meets your materialistic expectations.
Its superior properties in strength, light weight and applicability make aluminium an excellent material for hundreds of everyday products. As the third-most abundant element in the earth's crust after oxygen and silicon, aluminium is a resource that will last for generations with today's consumption, and which can be found in everything around us. The cars we drive, the technology we use, the buildings in our cities, only to mention a few.
The light weight of aluminium makes it easy-to-handle, which is a benefit to those working in factories and building sites. Because of the material's light weight, energy consumption during transportation and use of the product is drastically reduced making the material not just a versatile choice, but an economically viable one. The HYDRO chair by Tom Dixon and Hydro is a great example of how the material&#;s lightness can be utilized while still offering robust, esthetic, and sustainable qualities.
Its ability to be shaped, bent and punched provide endless opportunities for architects, designers, and engineers to create exactly what they envision. Aluminium is alloyed to enhance the metal&#;s properties for specific engineering structures and components where light weight or corrosion resistance is important. The stylish and practical bench made by Green Furniture Concept, using recycled aluminium from Hydro demonstrates the material&#;s malleability perfectly.
Surely, a material that is light and malleable cannot be strong, right? Actually, aluminium can be almost, if not just as strong as steel, depending on the alloy, processing technique and product design. Because aluminium is approximately one-third the weight of steel, components may be made thicker and stronger while still reducing weight compared to other materials. Hydro offers aluminium solutions that can cope with aggressive environments and heavy structural loads. While most metals weaken at lower temperatures, aluminium becomes stronger.
Its ability to function as an excellent conductor of heat and electricity opens a world of opportunities for aluminium in several industries, such as the electric vehicle industry, as well as on and offshore. aluminium is ideal for high-voltage applications since it does not have the ability to collect a magnetic charge. It is also ideal for producing computer bits and components that require the usage of magnetic fields. Furthermore, lightweight and cost-efficient battery cables made with aluminium are great examples of how well the material works as a conductor.
Extremely durable in neutral and slightly acidic environments, aluminium copes well when exposed to many aggressive chemicals and performs much better than other metals when exposed to formic acid or ammonia (as a refrigerant). For instance, The Ocean Cleanup uses aluminium profiles from Hydro in their Interceptor, and due to the excellent corrosion resistance of aluminium, it proved to be the perfect material for an Interceptor operating in rivers around the world.
The majority associate aluminium with the simplistic, silvery appearance, and might not be aware that the material can be treated to have considerably different looks. Surface treatment includes a variety of techniques than can regulate and enhance the finish of aluminium, providing several benefits for those who want to use aluminium in their projects but want to modify the looks. For instance, painting gives the user an unlimited selection of colors, whereas anodizing creates a dirt-repellent surface and improves corrosion resistance.
As mentioned, aluminium is one-third as dense as steel, which means you can have three times the thickness before you have the same weight as steel. Consequently, aluminium is an excellent material for crash management system design in cars and can offer high levels of energy absorption in, for instance, an accident. Aluminium&#;s ability to absorb energy is also ideal for other safety purposes, such as fire and blast resistance, bullet-proofing and burglary-resistant systems.
Recycling aluminium saves approximately 100 million tonnes of CO2e each year, as it only requires 5% of the energy required to manufacture aluminium from raw materials. Aluminium is the perfect material for the circular economy due to its high durability and limitless application possibilities. To better understand the rapidity of recycling, take aluminium cans in Europe as an example, where 70% of all aluminium cans are recycled, and the used cans become new cans in less than 60 days. Understanding the importance of recycling, Hydro offers a brand of recycled aluminium made with a minimum of 75% recycled, post-consumer aluminium scrap. Hydro CIRCAL builds on the foundation that aluminium is infinitely recyclable, and by drastically reducing energy use in the production phase, Hydro proactively contributes to reducing climate change.
The production of aluminium is energy intensive, but if the energy stems from renewable sources, the picture changes. Depending on the energy source, aluminium&#;s footprint can vary tenfold. By using renewable energy from wind, solar, and water, Hydro produces Hydro REDUXA low-carbon aluminium with a carbon footprint less than a quarter of the global average &#; less than 4 kg CO2 per kilo aluminium. More than 70% of Hydro's aluminium production is based on renewable energy sources.
The world we live in today moves rapidly in terms of development and inventions, consistently increasing the need for new materials to be able to produce and sustain for the current and future society. Presented above are some of aluminium&#;s advantages and superior qualities as a material. The materialistic qualities of aluminium should put aluminium high on customers&#; watch-list, but we as many others have seen the need to offer more sustainable alternatives.
Therefore, Hydro offers low carbon aluminium through the brands Hydro CIRCAL and Hydro REDUXA. Not only do we offer low carbon aluminium, but through our tailor-made design service, Hydro EcoDesign, you can receive support in developing greener solutions that are ready for the circular economy.
Are you interested in learning more about Best Cylindrical Gear? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!
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