All You Need To Know About Aluminium Extrusion
Lead times can vary significantly within the aluminium extrusion industry. The current delivery times for some specialized products are:
• Drawn Seamless Aluminium Pipe 50-60 weeks
• Structural extrusions in 7xx and 2xx alloys 25-30 weeks
• Bull's eye tube stretched 12-14 weeks
Fortunately, KMC Aluminium is one of the best Tamilnadu aluminium company and has invested in new equipment and facilities over the last 7 years. As a result, our lead times for custom aluminium extrusions have not changed significantly in the last four to five years.
Delivery times generally reflect the demand for a company's products. The extruded aluminium industry currently has a very healthy demand for its products. Automakers have incorporated more aluminium into their designs for added safety and greater fuel efficiency.
Aircraft manufacturers are building airplanes at a record rate. Commercial and residential construction is booming in many regions. For aluminium extrusions and extruded tubes, the lead time for your order is a function of three factors: lead time for tools; extrusion lead time; Manufacturing lead time.
Tool lead time is the amount of time required to manufacture an extrusion die. For a simple solid extrusion, such as a 1.00 ”diameter rod or a 90 degree angle, the die is made from one piece of H13 tool steel. The lead time to produce an extrusion die is 2-3 weeks. If you wish to order a die for a .500 ”diameter tube, the lead time is 3-4 weeks. The difference in delivery time is explained by the fact that an extrusion die for a tube is more complicated than for a solid form. The die is made up of two pieces of steel that must fit together perfectly to produce the tube correctly.
Extrusion lead time consists of the time your order waits in queue to start production and the actual time it takes for your order to go through the manufacturing steps. Approximately 75% of the extrusion lead time is waiting in the queue. The actual extrusion production time for an order can take 15 minutes to a few hours to extrude, depending on its size. Extrusions are rapidly cooled out of the press, stretched to straighten, and cut to size. The extrusions are then artificially aged for eight to twelve hours to achieve their final temper. The total time from extrusion to cooling after artificial aging is 48 hours.
After aging, the extrusions are ready for packaging or further processing. If your order does not require any fabrication, it will generally be packed and shipped 2-3 days after the aging step is complete.
Many projects require that the aluminium profile suppliers tubes and extrusions be fabricated or coated in some way after aging. The processes that are normally requested are: cut to size, deburring, drilling of holes or slots, anodizing and coating with chemical film. A good rule of thumb for lead times for these processes is to add 1 to 2 weeks for each required process to the lead time of the extruded design.
