Basic knowledge of aluminum, types and common brands of aluminum

1. Basic properties of Aluminum

Silver white, it can form a layer of oxide film to prevent metal corrosion in humid air, with relative density of 2.7g/cm3, melting point of 660 ℃, boiling point of 2327 ℃, high specific strength, good conductivity and heat conductivity, high reflectivity and oxidation resistance.

2. Category

Profiles: aluminum profiles, aluminum pipes, aluminum bars, etc

Plate type: aluminum plate, aluminum foil, aluminum strip (roll)

Casting: aluminum castings, aluminum particles

3. Common brand

(Extended reading: eight series numbers of aluminum and Aluminum Alloy, becoming an aluminum expert instantly!)

The first digit of the grade indicates the aluminum alloy series, the second digit indicates the modification of the original aluminum alloy, and the last two digits indicate the purity of aluminum alloy in the same group.

1100: It is used for processing parts that require good formability and high corrosion resistance, but do not require high strength. For example, storage containers, sheet workpieces, deep drawing concave vessels, heat exchangers, printed plates, nameplates, reflective devices, etc.

2011: Fast cutting alloy, with good machinability and high strength, but poor corrosion resistance, is suitable for volume shaft, optical components, screw heads, screws and machining products requiring good machinability.

3003: It has the properties of 1xxxx series alloy and has higher strength than 1xxx series alloy, such as kitchenware, food and chemical product processing and storage devices, tanks and tanks for transporting liquid products, and various pressure vessels and pipes for sheet processing.

4A01: High silicon content, heat-resistant, wear-resistant, belonging to building materials, mechanical parts, forging materials, welding materials.

5052: The most representative alloy of medium strength (5083 is the highest), with good corrosion resistance, dissolution and formability, especially high fatigue strength and seawater resistance. It is used to manufacture aircraft fuel tanks, oil pipes, and sheet metal parts of traffic vehicles and ships, instruments, street lamp supports and rivets, hardware products, etc.

6061: Heat treated corrosion-resistant alloy. T6 treatment can have a very high endurance value, but the strength of the fusion joint is low, so it is suitable for screws, ships, vehicles, and land structures.

6N01: Medium strength extrusion alloy, which can be used as large thin meat profiles with complex shapes, and has good corrosion resistance and dissolution. It is applicable to vehicles, onshore structures and ships.

6063: A representative alloy for extrusion, with low strength ratio of 6061 and good extrudability, it can be used as a profile with complex cross section shape, and has good corrosion resistance and surface treatment. It is suitable for building road guardrails, vehicles, furniture, household appliances and decorations.

7072: Low electrode potential, mainly used for anti-corrosion covering leather, heat exchanger fins, air conditioner aluminum foil and ultra-thin strip.

7075: It is one of the alloys with the highest strength among aluminum alloys, but its corrosion resistance is poor. It can improve its corrosion resistance with the covering leather of 7072, but its cost is increased. It is suitable for aircraft, ski poles and thick plate forgings.

Example of material selection:

The product requirements are relatively hard, and the surface treatment is coarse wire drawing or coarse sand surface. 5000 series aluminum alloy is selected, commonly used: 5052

Products with high surface treatment requirements shall be free of sand holes and profile traces. 6000 series aluminum alloy shall be selected. Common use: 6063/6061

The product is required to be cheap and needs to be rechecked for stretching shape. 2000 series pure aluminum is selected, commonly used: 2011

The product has high strength and hardness, and needs to be used as a load-bearing structure. 7000 series aluminum alloy is selected. Common use: 7075

4. Surface treatment of aluminum

(Extended reading: introduction to aluminum surface treatment process)

1. Anodizing after sand blasting or wire drawing

2. Electrophoretic painting

3. Powder electrostatic spraying and fluorocarbon spraying after polishing

4. Electroplating after polishing mirror surface

5. Wood grain heat transfer printing

6. Polymer PVC coating

5. Aluminum profile

Aluminum profiles are aluminum tubes with different cross section shapes obtained from aluminum rods through hot melting and extrusion. The forming process mainly includes five processes: casting, extrusion, cutting, CNC washing and cutting, surface pretreatment, coloring.

Titanium plating and electrophoresis are the most expensive processes, followed by wood grain heat transfer, anodizing, and finally spraying. The specific price shall be subject to the manufacturer's quotation.

The main applications of aluminum profiles are as follows:

1. Architectural aluminum profiles (doors and windows, curtain walls)

2. Radiator aluminum profile

3. General Industrial Aluminum Profiles: mainly used for industrial production and manufacturing, such as automatic machinery and equipment, skeleton, etc., which can be customized by mold opening.

4. Aluminum alloy profile of rail vehicle structure: mainly used for manufacturing of rail vehicle body.

5. Decorate aluminum profiles, make aluminum alloy face frames, and mount various decorative paintings.

6. The appearance of aluminum profiles is mainly used for the internal structure and appearance decoration of household appliances or communication industries, such as mobile hard disks, mobile power supplies, televisions, displays, etc.

6. Aluminum sheet

Aluminum sheet 0.15-2.0mm

Aluminum sheet 2.0-6.0mm

Aluminum plate 6.0-25.0mm

Aluminum plate 25-200mm

Over 200mm thick plate

Single layer aluminum plate

It can be used for the shell of electronic products, the shell of household appliances or the internal heat conducting parts.

The finished aluminum shell is stretched and formed by the metal stamping die, and the surface is pretreated and colored in three processes.

Polymer film aluminum plate

The forming slope is required, which is not easy to stretch, the material is not easy to corrode, has super weather resistance, has various colors, and is easy to maintain.

Applicable to electronic product shell, household appliance shell, etc

aluminum composite panel

It is a new material made of aluminum plate with surface treatment and paint coating as the surface, polyethylene and polypropylene plastic as the core layer, and processed by a series of processes.

It can be used for the decoration of curtain walls, interior and exterior walls, hallways, restaurants, shops, conference rooms, etc., as well as the reconstruction of old buildings, as the surface course of counters, furniture, interior and exterior walls of vehicles, etc.

Honeycomb aluminum plate

The composite honeycomb structure is adopted, which is formed by hot pressing of preformed box shaped panel and back plate and aluminum alloy honeycomb core material.

It is applicable to building curtain wall decoration, ceiling, bus, train, subway and rail transit vehicles, commercial transport vehicles and container car bodies, ship buildings, billboards, and interior decoration projects.

The product is decorated with aluminum parts, with a high tensile surface. The material is generally 0.4-0.8mm thick, brand 6063/6061 or pure aluminum.

The aluminum parts are used as the functional shell with a bottom stretching and bending structure. The material is generally 0.8-1.2 thick, and the hard brand 5052/7075 or special brand is selected.

When aluminum parts are used on electronic product shells, the radium oxide layer is required for conductive grounding, because there is an oxide layer that does not conduct electricity after anodizing.

7. Aluminum alloy die casting

(Extended reading: introduction to aluminum surface treatment process)

In the structural design of aluminum alloy die castings, the structure with inclined roof shall be designed as little as possible to prevent the subsequent burr removal.

In the structural design of aluminum alloy die castings, attention should also be paid to the average glue thickness and smooth glue flow, which can reduce many problems such as poor appearance caused by molding and increase subsequent polishing recheck.

If the soft grade is selected, the structural strength shall be considered when designing the bearing structure, otherwise it is easy to break.