Aluminum is a versatile material that’s strong and resistant to rust and corrosion. Aluminum extrusion involves pushing flexible and ductile alloys through dies to produce new shapes and structures. The process serves a broad range of applications, including construction and architecture, automotive parts, OEM and other fixtures and displays. With advancing sophistication in aluminum extrusion methods, the potential for custom applications keeps growing.
Advantages of Aluminum Extrusion
Aluminum’s reputation is as strong as it is structurally. Here’s how this malleable material excels in ways that other metals cannot, making it a solid choice for numerous projects.
Cost-Effective
Aluminum comes from bauxite, a mineral found in abundance within the Earth’s crust. With no foreseeable shortages soon, it’s one of the least expensive metals to mine for and use.
Lightweight
Aluminum is about one-third of the weight of steel, iron, brass and copper. In the transportation industry, aluminum components are useful for vehicles that need greater durability with less bulk. Shipping aluminum parts isn’t as cumbersome of a job either.
Corrosion Resistant
The naturally occurring oxide film on the surface of aluminum prevents the build-up of rust. That equates to lower maintenance over time.
Precision Specs
Beyond the standard profiles available, extrusions can take countless forms to meet functional and aesthetic needs. Extrusions also can even be fabricated to be hollow or solid throughout.
Dissipates Heat
This metal cannot burn and therefore, won’t produce fumes even when exposed to high temperatures. As an effective heat conductor, aluminum can create heat shields and heatsinks.
Conducts Electricity
Aluminum is twice as conductive as copper on a pound-for-pound basis, so extrusion is beneficial for producing electronics and electrical connectors.
Highly Reflective
The material can be adonized, polished and buffed for a bright finish, which makes for an attractive element in product design or construction.
Uniform Quality
Aluminum extrusion can produce complex shapes with seamless, one-piece sections. With no joints to assemble, any resulting product is consistently durable throughout and less susceptible to wearing down and breaking apart.
Environmentally Sustainable
Aluminum can be recycled indefinitely using just a fraction of the energy used to manufacture it. Plus, no matter how many times it melts and reshapes, the material won’t lose its structural integrity.
Quick-to-market
Extrusion dies are relatively cheap to produce. If you use extruded aluminum for prototype design, for example, you’ll have highly-replicable parts with fast and inexpensive turnarounds during manufacturing.
Work With Pennex Aluminum Company
Having worked with aluminum products since 1979, we’re more than familiar with all the advantages of aluminum extrusion. Pennex Aluminum Company uses four extrusion presses at a pair of plants in Wellsville, PA, and Leetonia, OH, certified under IATF 16949:2016. Our world-class equipment can work with all standard or custom shapes and compositions.
By partnering with us, our engineers and metallurgists can consult on design and manufacturing to help you select which aluminum alloys to use. Our services extend to aluminum billet casting and fabrication to create a unique product of the highest quality.
Are you interested in how you can use the Pennex Aluminum Company advantage to benefit your project? Contact us to learn more today.