What is the difference between cold finish and extruded aluminum

Extruded aluminium products, for example, can be used to produce tubes, doors, window frames, brackets, and railings. Whereas, cold finished aluminium products create products such as cans and pots and also to create tubing. But for most end-users, the deciding factor is always whether the component is easily obtained and easily made accessible. Your email address will not be published. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment.

Cold Finished Aluminium Products: The cold finishing of aluminium is more generally referred to as cold drawing or cold rolling, which are methods of aluminium cold finishing by pulling material into what is referred to as a draw die or rollers. Extruded Aluminium Products: A manufacturing process that has been around for a long time is the aluminium extrusion process. Such variations include: Cost: The aluminium extrusion process appears, in general, to be cheaper than cold processed aluminium.

Leave a Reply Cancel reply Your email address will not be published. Search for:. What are Aluminium Rolled Products? Recent Comments. Our Services First service. Because the process takes place at a high temperature, as much as 75 percent of the melting point of aluminum, less pressure is required to force the metal through the die. This means it is faster than cold forming processes.

Whereas an extrusion is typically performed at a high temperature when the aluminum is easier to form, cold finishing takes place at room temperature. When cold finishing occurs, it leads to extremely close outer diameter tolerances. The most common form of cold finishing is known as drawing. Drawing also uses a die to reduce material diameter in aluminum bar production. While it is possible to perform drawing at elevated temperatures, it is normally done at room temperature.

The cold finishing depends upon the flow and stretch of the aluminum. This also improves the surface finish of the bar stock. The primary advantage of standard aluminum extrusions is that it is much easier working with the aluminum at higher temperatures.

This equates to faster production speeds and why extruded bar is typically less expensive than cold finished product. Faster production also makes for shorter lead times to market. While extruded aluminum is extremely common in a wide range of applications, it is not suitable for everything. Any requirement for elevated properties may turn toward cold finished product as raw material.

Aerospace and defense products requiring high strength often specify cold finished bar, as well as a host of automotive applications. For example, roll forming aluminum requires the continuous bending of a long strip of sheet aluminum into a specified cross-section.

The strip passes through consecutive sets of rolls with each set creating an incremental part of the bend until the desired cross-section, or profile, is completed. Aluminum extrusion is a production process that has been around for a long time. Over years ago, in , the modern hot extrusion process was invented by an Englishman named Alexander Dick.

Since that time, metallurgists and manufacturers have used this process as a common method for creating a variety of metal parts and other products.

And, due in large part to the relatively low tooling costs and its ability to form lightweight parts, aluminum extrusion is a popular forming method for many manufacturers.

One article describes the process this way,. What comes out on the other side is the shape of the final product. After the product comes out of the die, it is cooled and then stretched to remove any twisting that occurs during the cooling process. As it hardens, extruded aluminum becomes stronger. The hardening process can take place at room temperature, but since that can be time consuming, most manufacturers employ heated rooms to temper the aluminum quickly. Extruded aluminum tubing is a common product using this method and there are two basic types.

One type is formed from an aluminum tube that is split and then resealed using high temperature, pressure and welds. Post by toastydeath » Tue Jun 16, pm. Post by mechanicalmagic » Tue Jun 16, pm. Privacy Terms. The Home Machinist! A site dedicated to enthusiasts of all skill levels and disciplines of the metalworking hobby. Skip to content.