Aluminum bar is one of the most common metal products used by industry today. It comes in several shapes and sizes and greatly simplifies the process of manufacturing and fabricating aluminum products. Here is important information on how bar aluminum is made and some of the many uses it sees today.
Extrusion
In most cases aluminum bar is extruded. This is one of the easiest and most cost effective ways to produce it. To begin with, the manufacturer purchases raw aluminum is the form of billets. A billet is a long log cast from molten aluminum and once unloaded, the logs are placed in an area to be heated.
Aluminum logs are not heated to the point of melting but just to make them soft enough for the extrusion process. Imagine taking a piece of clay and pushing it through a metal plate with a square hole in it. What would happen? Your clay would come out in the shape or a long square rod or bar. This is the basic principle behind the extrusion process. To produce round aluminum bar, a soft aluminum billet is pushed through a die with a round hole in it. Although the manufacturing process is more complicated than this, it gives you a general idea of how the extrusion method works.
Aluminum Bar Shapes
Bar can be round, flat, hollow and in many shapes and sizes. Aluminum tubing pipes are created with an extrusion process. Extrusion is used to manufacture top rail for chain link fences and many other parts too.
In the construction industry, seamless aluminum guttering is made with a portable extrusion machine. The raw aluminum is placed into the machine and it produces large sections of guttering all in one piece. This eliminates the need for connecting standard 10 foot sections together and there is no chance for leaks.
Aluminum bar can be rod shaped and this is a common way to create small parts like bolts and screws. Long sections of rod are cut into smaller pieces and then machines create the shapes and thread designs.
Stock and Custom Aluminum Bar
Once you choose a trusted and experienced aluminum supplier, you will have the choice of stock or custom aluminum. For instance, when you need standard sizes of aluminum bar, you can have your order promptly because your supplier has what you need in stock. However, should you have special needs for aluminum extrusion products you can count on your supplier to deliver custom made extrusions to your specifications.
