Industry News

Define application scenarios and requirements

Load requirement

First of all, it is necessary to determine the weight and external force that aluminum profiles need to bear in the application. If it is used to build heavy-duty shelves and carry a large number of goods, it is necessary to select industrial aluminum profiles with high load capacity, whose section size is usually large and the wall thickness is thicker to provide sufficient strength and stiffness. For example, for shelves that carry more than 5 tons of goods per layer, it may be necessary to select aluminum profiles of the 8080 series (section size is 80mm×80mm) and above, and the wall thickness is above 3mm.

For situations that bear dynamic loads (such as vibration and impact), such as material handling devices on automated production lines, in addition to considering static loads, the toughness and impact resistance of aluminum profiles should also be paid attention to. To choose a profile that can absorb energy and is not easy to brittle fracture, it can generally be judged by looking at the material composition and mechanical properties of the profile, such as containing an appropriate amount of alloying elements (such as magnesium, silicon, etc.) to improve toughness.

Environmental condition

In the application scenarios with corrosive environments, such as chemical workshops and Marine engineering facilities, corrosion resistance is a key factor. Aluminum profiles with special surface treatment (such as anodizing, electrophoretic painting, etc.) should be selected, or aluminum profiles with good corrosion resistance alloy components (such as adding manganese, chromium and other elements) should be selected. For example, outdoor industrial equipment frames in coastal areas use aluminum alloy profiles that are resistant to seawater corrosion, such as 6063-T5 or 6061-T6, and are matched with appropriate surface anti-corrosion treatment.

For high temperature environments, the thermal stability and thermal conductivity of aluminum profiles should be considered. If it is used for heat dissipation devices (such as electronic equipment radiators), it is necessary to select profiles with good thermal conductivity, such as 6063 alloy aluminum profiles, which have high thermal conductivity and can effectively conduct heat out. In the case of high temperature and high dimensional stability requirements (such as precision instruments and equipment frames), it is necessary to pay attention to the thermal expansion coefficient of the profile, and try to choose aluminum alloy materials with small thermal expansion coefficient.

Precision requirement

When the application scenario requires high dimensional accuracy and shape accuracy, such as in the fields of aerospace parts and precision machining equipment, industrial aluminum profiles with high quality and high processing accuracy should be selected. In the production process of such profiles, the quality of raw materials, extrusion process, mold accuracy and other aspects are strictly controlled, which can ensure that the dimensional tolerance of the profiles is within a very small range, for example, the dimensional tolerance can be controlled within ±0.1mm.

Consider ease of processing and installation

processability

Select the appropriate aluminum profile according to the specific processing method (such as cutting, drilling, bending, welding, etc.). If the profile needs to be processed in a complex shape, such as bending into an arc for the production of equipment housing, it should choose a uniform material and good ductability profile, like 6061 alloy aluminum profile in this respect.

For applications that require welding, the weldability of aluminum profiles should be considered. Some aluminum alloy profiles (such as 6063 alloy) have good welding performance and are easy to obtain high-quality welded joints, while some profiles with complex alloy components may have defects such as pores and cracks during welding. At the same time, the strength recovery after welding should also be considered, and the profile with small strength loss after welding should be selected.

Installation method and accessory compatibility

Different industrial applications may have different mounting methods, such as bolted, riveted or slotted connections. Aluminum profiles that are easy to install should be selected, and their structural design should be matched with commonly used installation accessories (such as corner codes, bolts, nuts, etc.). For example, some industrial aluminum profile systems with built-in card slots can be easily assembled through dedicated connectors, improving installation efficiency.

Also consider the compatibility of aluminum profiles with other materials (such as plastic, glass, steel, etc.) during the installation process. If you need to use aluminum profiles in combination with other materials, make sure that the connection between them is strong, well sealed, and will not affect the performance because of chemical or physical reactions between the materials.

Cost-benefit analysis

Initial cost

Compare the price of different brands and different specifications of industrial aluminum profiles. Generally speaking, the price of aluminum profiles with large cross-section size, wall thickness and special alloy composition is relatively high. Under the premise of meeting the application needs, try to choose cost-effective profiles. For example, for some lightweight frame structures that do not have particularly high strength requirements, you can choose the relatively low-cost 4040 series (cross-section size 40mm×40mm) aluminum profiles, rather than the more expensive heavy-duty profiles.