Aluminium’s combination of properties mean that it can be easily shaped by any of the main industrial metalworking processes, including rolling, extrusion, forging and casting, guaranteeing virtually unlimited design potential.
Light-weight
Aluminium’s light weight makes it cheaper and easier to transport and handle on site.
Strength
The use of aluminium in buildings assists architects meet performance specifications while minimising expenditure on foundations. Alloyed aluminium can be as strong as steel at only a third of the weight.
Durability
Aluminium building products are made from alloys that are weather-proof, corrosion-resistant and immune to the harmful effects of UV rays, ensuring optimal performance over a very long lifetime.
Corrosive Resistance
Aluminium’s natural oxide coating provides an effective protective barrier against elements that wear other metals.
Insular
A layer of insulated aluminium cladding can be four times more effective than uninsulated timber cladding, 100mm of brick, or 200mm of stone masonry.
Recyclability
Aluminium is 100% recyclable and uses only 5% of the energy used to make the original product. Almost all aluminium used in construction is recycled.
First of all, although aluminum tube does have a great strength-to-weight ratio, when we’re just talking strength alone, stainless steel is often stronger. So for structures where weight isn’t an issue, steel might be the way to go. In addition, another drawback is that certain alloys of aluminum tube do not have the same level of corrosion resistance as stainless steel. That’s why, for example, aluminum tube is not as popular a choice for electrical cables as it used to be. When deciding on an alloy, it’s very important to know exactly what the material will be exposed to so that you know that it will be able to withstand the elements for as long as necessary.
Advantages of Aluminum Extrusion:
Aluminum is a very commonly specified material for use in extrusions and shape profiles because it possesses mechanical characteristics that make it ideally suited for the shaping and forming metal from billet sections. The high malleability of aluminum means that the metal can be readily shaped into a variety of sections without expending significant energy on the tooling or forming process, and the melting point of aluminum is also generally on the order of half that of ordinary steel. Both of these facts mean that the aluminum extrusion process has a relatively low energy footprint translating into low tooling and manufacturing costs. Finally, aluminum also possesses a high strength to weight ratio, making it an excellent choice for industrial applications.
Types of Profiles
A wide variety of intricate aluminum extrusion profile types can be created at varying thicknesses. These profiles can feature a wide variety of intricate void spaces, as necessitated by the end use application. A wide range of internal voids are available in order to facilitate a wide variety of automation applications and also satisfy any performance weight requirements. The most common type of aluminum profile is the hollow beam profile which is simply a variation of the square profile. There are also other profile types such as the triangular, single radius, and L-shaped profile.