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Aluminum Extrusion Bending: An Overview for Design Engineers

Aluminum Extrusion Bending: An Overview for Design Engineers

From rails for industrial equipment to automotive applications to bold artistic sculptures and architectural designs, there are plenty of reasons you may want to create curved aluminum extrusions. While the ductility of aluminum makes it well-suited to bending for...

Category: Aluminum Finishing

Extrusions can be finished in a variety of ways, including by anodization, powder coating, painting, sublimation, and so on. This series of articles takes a look at the different options available as well as their benefits and drawbacks.

What is Alodine Finish, and How Does it Compare to Anodizing?

What is Alodine Finish, and How Does it Compare to Anodizing?

Aluminum is naturally corrosion-resistant, but when that’s not enough, designers will need to choose a protective aluminum surface finish. Alodining is a popular finishing option for preventing corrosion while still allowing electrical conductivity through the...

9 Types of Aluminum Finishes That Will Enhance Your Product

9 Types of Aluminum Finishes That Will Enhance Your Product

The excellent properties of aluminum make it a regular choice for extrusion designers in a wide range of industries. It has a fantastic strength-to-weight ratio, good corrosion resistance, good thermal and electrical conductivity, and more. While this may be enough...

Category: Aluminum Alloys

Profiles can be produced in a variety of alloys and some of the most common include 6061, 6063, 2024, and 7075. This series of articles takes a look at some different alloys, focusing on their properties and applications.

Aluminum Die Casting Alloys: Which One is Best for Your Project?

Aluminum Die Casting Alloys: Which One is Best for Your Project?

Once you have decided that the aluminum die casting process is suitable for your project, a crucial next step is deciding on the most appropriate alloy. The aluminum alloy you choose will substantially impact both the casting process and the properties of the final...

Category: Aluminum Heatsinks

Heatsinks are important in electronics manufacturing because they dissipate the high heat that is sometimes generated. Extrusion is the most common method of heatsink manufacturing. Here are some important considerations.

6 Heat Sink Types: Which One is Best for Your Project?

6 Heat Sink Types: Which One is Best for Your Project?

  Whether you’re designing computers, LED lighting, or other electronics, you need to think about heat sinks. Heat sinks absorb and dissipate the heat from these devices, helping to keep them cool. Today we'll talk about some different types of heat sinks, how...

Copper vs. Aluminum Heatsinks: What You Need to Know

Copper vs. Aluminum Heatsinks: What You Need to Know

  Electronic devices can generate a lot of heat. So, heatsinks play an important role in helping to cool them. You may be aware that aluminum is the most popular metal for heatsinks, but that copper is also sometimes used. You may also realize that copper has...

Anodized Aluminum Heatsinks: What You Need to Know

Anodized Aluminum Heatsinks: What You Need to Know

  Heat sinks play an important role in electronic and mechanical devices. They act as passive heat exchangers, transferring heat from hot components to a fluid medium (usually air). There are different types of heat sinks. Some are made from copper and some are...

Category: Why Aluminum Extrusions?

Extrusions have played an increasingly important role in modern product design. These articles explore some of the reasons why and provide tips for designers who may be considering their use.

What are the Pros and Cons of Aluminum’s Material Properties?

What are the Pros and Cons of Aluminum’s Material Properties?

Aluminum is an excellent material that brings a lot of valuable qualities to the table. Its unique combination of properties makes it the most popular non-ferrous metal in the world today. And it's also often compared to the world's most widely used group of metals,...

What is the Melting Point of Aluminum, and Why is it Significant?

What is the Melting Point of Aluminum, and Why is it Significant?

When evaluating aluminum for a product application, designers are typically most interested in properties like it’s high strength-to-weight ratio, its corrosion resistance, or even its value as a heat sink. This means aluminum’s melting point can easily be overlooked....