Since its discovery in 1827, aluminum has become an important raw material in many fields such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, medical devices, and industrial equipment. It has many advantages, such as light weight, durability, recyclability, good electrical conductivity, etc. But do you know some trivia about aluminum?
Understanding the performance characteristics of aluminum can help you make full use of aluminium fab to meet your various needs, next, the article will introduce you 4 aluminum related knowledge in detail to help you fully recognize and understand aluminum alloy and aluminium fab.
4 Things about aluminum
5052 aluminum: the optimal choice for metal prototyping and batch sheet metal processing
Not all aluminum has the same performance characteristics. 5052 aluminum belongs to the aluminum-magnesium non-heat treatment alloy, which retains the lightweight characteristics of aluminum and increases its tensile strength to 230MPa, and at the same time, has excellent ductility, bending, forming, and weldability. In the processes of stamping, cutting and bending in sheet metal processing, it is not easy to crack or deform, and can accurately manufacture metal prototypes.
Aluminum is cost-effective and has a variety of surface treatment options.
The cost-effectiveness of aluminum lies not only in the material itself, but also in its full life cycle value. On the one hand, the raw material acquisition and smelting costs of aluminum are lower than those of copper, titanium and other metals, and its lightweight characteristics effectively reduce transportation and installation costs; on the other hand, the natural formation of an oxide film on the surface of aluminum enhances corrosion resistance and reduces maintenance costs, making it more cost-effective for long-term use.
It is easy to process, can be extruded aluminum, laser cut aluminum, custom aluminum welding and other processes, can reduce the loss of equipment and labor costs, and Aluminum and its alloys have a variety of surface treatment methods to choose from, which greatly expands its application scenarios. You can do it:
Anodizing: to produce a hard, abrasion-resistant, dyeable oxide film in a wide range of colors.
Sandblasting/brushing : to obtain different textures and appearance effects.
Spray painting: to achieve any color coverage.
The strong decorative and functional properties of Aluminum and its alloys allow them to be transformed from industrial parts to housings for high-end consumer products.
custom aluminum welding requires higher professional
The characteristics of aluminum, such as fast thermal conductivity, low melting point, oxide film on the surface and no color change from solid to liquid, make custom aluminum welding more challenging than steel:
Aluminum has a very high thermal conductivity, about 4 to 5 times that of steel. This means that when custom aluminum welding, heat is rapidly transferred from the weld area to the rest of the base material. Therefore, a very high concentration of heat is required to quickly build up a localized melt pool, and control of the melt pool is difficult, as the melt pool solidifies quickly when the heat input is insufficient or unstable.
Aluminum in the air will instantly form a layer of oxide film, the melting point of up to about 2050 ° C, while the melting point of aluminum is about 660 ° C. This layer of oxide film needs to be completely removed by mechanical grinding or chemical cleaning, otherwise it will hinder the fusion of the metal, resulting in a weak weld, weld forming poor, reduce the strength of the weld.
Steel undergoes a distinct color change from dark red to bright red to orange-white when heated. Aluminum, on the other hand, does not change color significantly until it melts. This makes it difficult to judge the state of the molten pool when custom aluminum welding, and it is easy for the molten pool to collapse and burn through the sheet due to excessive heat input; or insufficient heat to cause defects that are not fused.
The melting point of aluminum is much lower than that of steel, but its coefficient of thermal expansion is about twice that of steel. Due to the low melting point of aluminum, the “solid-liquid” state of the molten pool changes very quickly, and is very sensitive to fluctuations in heat, custom aluminum welding process, it is easy to burn through the aluminum sheet. The high coefficient of thermal expansion means that aluminum expands more when heated and contracts more violently when cooled. This not only leads to severe distortion of the workpiece, but may also initiate thermal cracks at grain boundaries during solidification and crystallization.
aluminum metal is infinitely recyclable
Recycling aluminum requires only 5% of the energy required to produce primary aluminum, with virtually no degradation in performance. aluminum products can be quickly reintroduced into the production cycle at the end of their useful life, dramatically reducing resource consumption and carbon emissions for society as a whole.
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Integrate product design, bending, stamping, cutting, surface treatment, etc. to provide a series of manufacturing solutions.
common aluminum alloys in metal processing
6061 aluminum alloy
With silicon and magnesium as the main alloying elements, aluminum 6061 has good strength, corrosion resistance, weldability, and heat treatment properties, and is suitable for a variety of processing and manufacturing scenarios. aluminum 6061 is well suited for extrusion processes, and its strength and durability are significantly improved after T6 heat treatment.
7075 aluminum alloy
7075 aluminum is a high strength aluminum alloy with copper and zinc as its main alloying elements. It has excellent strength and stress resistance and is widely used in applications requiring high strength, such as aerospace and aircraft structural components.
5052 aluminum alloy
aluminum 5052 is a corrosion-resistant, medium-strength alloy that is particularly suited to saltwater and marine environments, making it an ideal choice for shipbuilding and related parts production. As a 5xxx series aluminum alloy, aluminum 5052 cannot be strengthened by heat treatment, but it has good formability and corrosion resistance, and is suitable for sheet metal processing such as stamping, cutting, and bending.
6063 aluminum alloy
6063 aluminum also magnesium and silicon as the main elements, with medium strength and high ductility, suitable for complex shapes of the mold die casting and profile extrusion processing. It is widely used in architectural decorative structural parts, furniture frames, aluminum tubes, etc. It is also suitable for laser engraving and other precision machining processes, and has good processing adaptability and surface treatment effect.
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Precautions for aluminum fabrication processing
Processing technology is unreasonable, it is easy to cause all aspects of aluminum products error, including size and shape of the error, so in the aluminium fab before carefully understand the shape and size of the processed parts, choose the appropriate aluminium fab process and develop a reasonable processing program. At the same time to do a good job of cutting fluid configuration and use, so as to avoid overheating, burning paste and other phenomena during processing.
Cutting fabrication
Laser cutting: high efficiency and good precision. Need to pay attention to the problem of high reflectivity, for thicker aluminum plate, the bottom may be attached to the slag, need additional cleaning.
Waterjet cutting: no heat affected zone, suitable for any alloy. However, the cutting speed is slow.
Plasma cutting: suitable for thicker plates, but the heat-affected zone is larger, and the precision and kerf quality are relatively low.
forming fabrication
Bending: The rebound effect of aluminium is more pronounced than that of steel and excessive bending is required to compensate for rebound. Avoid too small a bending radius or cracking may occur, especially when working with hard (e.g. T6) alloys.
Stamping/drawing: Special aluminum lubricants are required to minimize scratching and die sticking.
welding fabrication
Custom aluminum welding is highly specialized and requires experienced welders and strict process control to ensure the quality of the weld.
CNC Machining fabrication
Use sharp, special aluminum cutting tools with large positive rake angles and large chip holders to prevent sticking knives and chip tumors.
aluminium fab equipment and tools
The choice of aluminium fab equipment and tools will directly affect the quality and service life of the products.
Specialized tools: For the processing of aluminium products, try to use special tools, which can improve the quality of products and reduce the loss of tools.
Equipment: Choose the right aluminium fab equipment, including milling machines, lathes, punching machines, bending machines and so on. Processing cutting speed, feed, depth of cut and tool compensation and other basic cutting elements will have a certain impact on product production, need to pay attention to the parameter settings of the equipment. At the same time regular inspection and maintenance of aluminium fab equipment to ensure that the equipment runs normally.
Stress treatment in aluminium fab process
Stress is the cause of deformation and dimensional instability of aluminium products. In machining, welding, cutting and other processes, the material will be destroyed the original stress balance, resulting in deformation of the workpiece.
Low-temperature annealing treatment: Put it into an annealing furnace, heat up to 120-180℃ at a rate of 50/h, hold for 2-4 hours, and then cool down to below 50℃ with the furnace and take it out of the furnace. This process releases 70-80% of the internal stress without significantly reducing the strength of the material.
Stepped aging treatment: For complex molded parts, the stepped heating mode of “120℃×1h + 160℃×2h” is adopted to gradually relieve stresses at different depths through gradient temperature changes, and avoid surface oxidation and discoloration due to instantaneous high temperature.
Local percussion method: For the stress concentration parts such as bending corners, stamping edges, etc., use rubber hammers to conduct uniform percussion to relieve the stress through local plastic deformation. The thickness change should be detected by micrometer after hammering to prevent deformation caused by excessive hammering.
Surface treatment after aluminium fab
Surface treatment is not only for aesthetic purposes, but also to enhance the corrosion resistance, wear resistance and other functionalities of aluminium products. You can choose the appropriate surface treatment method according to your specific needs:
Anodizing: Enhance the oxidation resistance, surface hardness, wear resistance and thermal conductivity of the material.
Mirror polishing: make the metal show different luster.
Brushed: The metal surface has a linear texture with uniform direction, its used to beautify the material surface, presenting the visual effect of metal texture.
Powder Coating: Coating powder is adsorbed on the product surface by electrostatic force, after heating and baking, the powder will form a sealed protective layer on the product surface, which effectively enhances the corrosion resistance of the parts.
Electroplating: The process of attaching a layer of other metals or alloys to the metal surface through the principle of electrolysis, which can effectively prevent oxidation and improve wear resistance, conductivity and aesthetics.
Laser engraving: use laser to burn the surface of the material, engraving text and logos on the surface, cost-effective, commonly used in product logos and instructions, but a single color, can create a very complex pattern and text.
Surface treatment of aluminum alloy
Supro MFG will choose the right materials, accessories, manufacturing process, etc. according to your needs and application. At the beginning of custom metal bracket projects, all fabrication details will get your permission. Helping you to complete your project with the easiest and most efficient way.
Powder Coating
Effectively wraps metal surfaces and resists rust with aesthetically pleasing custom colors.
anodic oxidation
Forms an oxide film on the surface of aluminum alloy to improve hardness, aesthetics, and corrosion resistance.
Brushed polished
It presents a glossy metallic texture with an even grain that enhances the aesthetics of the product.
sandblast
Cleaning the metal surface, presenting a uniform roughness and improving the adhesion of the paint.
mirror polishing
The metal surface is polished and honed to give a mirror-like finish, increasing the aesthetic effect of the part.
electroplated
A metal protective film, improve wear resistance, conductivity, reflectivity, corrosion resistance and enhance the role of aesthetic.
laser engraving
Commonly used for engraving on the surface of parts, logos, product descriptions, or complex patterns.
screen printing
Printing paint onto the surface of a product creates content of any shape and color that is hard-wearing and beautiful.
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