Aluminum Frames
Among the benefits of aluminum is its ability to hold tension longer than other building materials. These aluminum framing systems are used in the transportation, building and construction, machinery and furniture industries to make products such as sky lights, stairs and railings, pool enclosures, boardwalks, docks, window frames and frames for industrial machinery. Common types of aluminum alloys used to fabricate aluminum frames are 6063 aluminum and 6061 aluminum, which are types of structural aluminum. Structural aluminum is defined as an aluminum alloy that undergoes post-forming treatments in order to enhance its inherent beneficial characteristics of light weight, durable and corrosion resistant metal. Thus, structural aluminum is an ideal aluminum alloy for framing applications.
All aluminum framing system parts are fabricated by means of a process called extrusion, which involves a round billet stock shape forced through a die by a ram at room temperature or very high heat. These different temperatures that can be utilized in extrusion processes are evidently an important factor through the names of the three main methods of extrusion: hot extrusion, warm extrusion and cold extrusion. The stock shapes are not pure aluminum, but rather an aluminum alloy with many different metals added, all of which increase the strength. The reason that they are not pure aluminum is because pure aluminum is much to soft, not only to work well for this process but also to function well in structural applications requiring high-strength metals. The billets are forced through die casts that produce differently shaped products-some aluminum frames are round, square, solid, hollow in the middle, or shaped like different letters (T, Z and H are common). After the extrusion process, aluminum frames often go through post-forming processes that increase the strength-to-weight ratio. In addition, the finished framing parts can have an anodized or powder coat finish for aesthetic reasons.
