Advanced High Strength Steel Archives

Why Engineers Prefer Aluminum Extrusion

jane2025-02-17T15:19:14+00:00February 6th, 2025|

Key Takeaways

Engineers prefer aluminum extrusion for precision and sustainability: Aluminum extrusion processes reduce waste, offer diverse material options, and deliver corrosion-resistant, durable solutions that align with global sustainability goals.
Taber Extrusions offers tailored expertise: With decades of experience, Taber delivers innovative, high-quality solutions for industries, ensuring reliability and precision in every application.
Sustainability and innovation set Taber apart: Taber’s environment-friendly practices, advanced manufacturing processes, and ability to handle complex designs make it a trusted partner for engineers seeking excellence in aluminum extrusion.

Why do engineers prefer aluminum extrusion? Its unmatched versatility, cost efficiency, and sustainability make it an indispensable material across industries. Aluminum extrusion has become a cornerstone in modern manufacturing and design, offering the flexibility and performance engineers need to develop innovative, reliable solutions for applications ranging from transportation to renewable energy.

The benefits of aluminum extrusion are vast, from its adaptability to its eco-friendly properties. Engineers prefer aluminum extrusion not only for its ability to meet stringent design requirements but also for its contributions to reducing environmental impact. This blog explores why engineers consistently choose aluminum extrusions, exploring key advantages, applications, and insights across multiple industries.

Reasons Why Engineers Prefer Aluminum Extrusion

Aluminum extrusion provides several compelling advantages, making it the preferred material for engineers:

Design versatility and precision

Extruded aluminum can be shaped into complex profiles with tight tolerances, enabling engineers to design custom solutions tailored to specific needs. Whether it is lightweight frames for automotive applications or intricate components for aerospace, aluminum extrusion supports creativity without compromising structural integrity.

Lightweight yet strong

Aluminum alloys offer an exceptional strength-to-weight ratio, a crucial benefit in industries like transportation, aerospace, and defense, where reducing weight improves efficiency and performance. Advanced high-strength steels (AHSS) may have their applications, but aluminum extrusions provide a comparable lightweight alternative with added design flexibility. The Aluminum Extruders Council highlights how this combination of strength and weight is an industry game-changer.

Aluminum extrusion in sustainability

As industries shift toward greener practices, aluminum extrusion plays a pivotal role in sustainable manufacturing. Aluminum is 100% recyclable without losing its inherent properties, making it a sustainable choice for infrastructure, renewable energy, and automotive sectors. Engineers favor aluminum for its ability to align with long-term environmental goals, as outlined in the Aluminum Extruders Council’s guide on aluminum sustainability.

Aluminum Extrusion Applications Across Industries

The versatility of aluminum extrusions has secured their role in numerous industries, making it clear why engineers prefer aluminum extrusion. Let’s explore some of its key applications:

Transportation

Automotive aluminum plays a pivotal role in reducing vehicle weight, improving fuel efficiency, and meeting strict emissions standards. From crash management systems to battery enclosures in electric vehicles, extruded aluminum components are becoming essential in modern transportation.

Aerospace and defense

Lightweight aluminum alloys are critical in aerospace and defense applications, where every gram counts. Aluminum extrusion profiles contribute to robust yet lightweight aircraft, satellites, and military vehicle structures.

Construction and architecture

In construction, aluminum extrusion provides durable and aesthetically pleasing solutions. Aluminum for infrastructure includes window frames, curtain walls, and structural supports that combine strength and corrosion resistance, ensuring long-term performance.

Consumer goods and electronics

Manufacturers widely use extruded aluminum in consumer goods due to its sleek appearance, lightweight nature, and excellent thermal conductivity. It’s also a preferred material for components such as heat sinks and enclosures in the electronics industry.

Renewable energy

In renewable energy, aluminum extrusion is essential for solar panel frames, wind turbine components, and energy-efficient building designs. Engineers appreciate aluminum’s durability and resistance to environmental factors in these demanding applications. Learn more about the role of aluminum in renewable energy here.

Why Engineers Choose Aluminum Extrusion

Engineers prefer aluminum extrusion for its ability to deliver precision, performance, and sustainability. Its advantages include:

Efficient manufacturing: Extrusion processes are cost-effective, allowing for reduced material waste and streamlined production.
Wide material options: Aluminum alloys offer diverse mechanical properties, ensuring engineers can select the right material for the job.
Durability: Aluminum extrusion profiles withstand harsh environments, offering corrosion resistance and longevity.
Sustainability standards: Using recycled aluminum reduces energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions, supporting global sustainability goals.

A person wearing a checkered shirt and overalls is handling a piece of metal. Stacks of metal beams with U-shaped cross-sections are in the foreground. The setting appears to be an industrial or construction site with buildings in the background. The worker seems to be inspecting or measuring the metal beams, indicating a task related to construction or metalwork.

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Your Trusted Aluminum Extrusion Partner

When it comes to meeting engineers’ unique needs, Taber Extrusions stands out as a leader in the industry. With decades of expertise, Taber offers comprehensive solutions tailored to the most demanding applications. Taber’s aluminum extrusion capabilities ensure precision, quality, and reliability from transportation to renewable energy.

Why Choose Taber?

Innovative solutions: Advanced manufacturing processes to meet complex design requirements
Commitment to sustainability: Adherence to eco-friendly practices and sustainability standards
Industry expertise: Proven track record serving diverse sectors, including aerospace, defense, and automotive

Engineers trust Taber Extrusions for their commitment to excellence and ability to deliver aluminum extrusion solutions that drive success. Request a quote today to discuss how their aluminum extrusion expertise can support your next project.

About Taber Extrusion

For over four decades, Taber Extrusions has been at the forefront of the aluminum extrusion industry, renowned for its innovative solutions and unwavering commitment to quality. Their extensive capabilities, including the production of complex and wide profiles, set them apart as a leader in the field. Serving diverse sectors such as aerospace, defense, automotive, and renewable energy, Taber consistently delivers precision-engineered products that meet the highest industry standards. Their dedication to sustainability and customer satisfaction underscores their role as a trusted partner in engineering excellence.

Discover how Taber Extrusions can elevate your projects by visiting their website today.

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High Strength Aluminum & AHSS

andre2017-02-24T17:56:44+00:00February 24th, 2017|

As our team began our research to deliver this blog post to you, we kept coming across the most engaging content from the same author as we researched “aluminum extrusions,” “high strength aluminum,” and other metallurgical-related topics. We pride ourselves at being great copywriters, but I found myself getting sucked in to articles like “Sheet Aluminum Alloys for Cans and Cars,” and “Achieving Successful Stamping of AHSS” pulling me in with descriptive content, humor, excellent infographics, and most importantly: highly technical concepts and information that was easy to comprehend. Let’s face it: Aluminum, steel, metallurgy, etc. aren’t the most seductive subjects to write about. Because of this, we decided to see if we couldn’t set up a call with this elusive material science whiz, and what do you know? He accepted our call.

Danny Schaeffler, Ph.D. is currently Founder and President of Engineering Quality Solutions, Inc., and Chief Content Officer at 4M Partners LLC. His resume and experience effortlessly exceed the character counts for each field in his LinkedIn profile. And the best part for us; Schaeffler is an independent third party, so he could discuss anything we asked without either party having concern over commercial or competitive aspects.

The discussion began, not speaking of aluminum extrusions and aluminum casting, but of sheet aluminum in respect to automotive applications. Most of us are aware of the evolving use of Advanced High-Strength Steels due to the new advancements of high-strength steel grades enabling the auto industry to keep costs down while still meeting requirements – especially when it comes to fuel efficiency and crash performance.

So, how do high strength aluminum alloys measure up against AHSS in automotive application?

Advanced aluminum alloys are the fastest growing material (second only to steel) in the design of new vehicles going to market. Drivealuminum.org puts it like this: “Low weight, crash absorbent, durable, corrosion resistant, easily formable and infinitely recyclable, aluminum helps save consumers money at the gas pump while delivering cars and trucks that are safer, greener and better performing. Cars and trucks down-weighted with advanced aluminum alloys are more fuel efficient with fewer life cycle carbon emissions as compared to heavier steel vehicles. Aluminum also is a proven force multiplier for powertrain, vehicle battery, aerodynamic and rolling resistance advances. Aluminum simply builds a better vehicle.”

How about a look at the very different approaches that GM and Ford used in regards to light-weighting vehicles through the use of high strength aluminum alloys over the past decade?

The aluminum truck: The Ford F150 cost approximately two billion dollars to create. Ford gutted their Dearborn and Kansas City plants to build new facilities from the ground up, and filled them with tooling, lasers, and robots designed to work with aluminum rather than steel. By doing this, Ford was able to make an extremely high quality body structure, and shed approximately 700 lbs. per vehicle, according to Ford officials. A very bold move which paid off.

GM, just as committed to reducing the weight of their vehicles, decided to go another route. Without scrapping plants and building new facilities from scratch, GM came up with a patented welding approach to allow for greater use of aluminum and steel on the same vehicle. In summary, they’ve married steel and aluminum through spot welding, reducing the need for rivets, and saving roughly several hundred pounds per vehicle.

The GM approach of being able to spot weld a higher melting point material to a lower melting point material allowed them (more or less) use their existing plants and equipment with a fraction of the capital expense of what Ford had to go through. Aluminum costs more, but you’ll use less of it. Advanced High Strength Steel costs more than high strength steel. But the price premium for AHSS is substantially less than the premium for aluminum. 2 very different approaches. Both effective.

It’s fascinating to keep in mind that most of the sheet aluminum and steel alloys used on today’s vehicles were not even manufactured 20 years ago. They weren’t even a glimmer in Mommy Car & Daddy truck’s headlights. Today we are talking about technologies that didn’t even exist until recently.

Final analysis? The automotive industry is one of the biggest drivers for optimized material selection. The need for globally available parts, and sheer volume and complexity of the automotive assembly process is an ideal litmus test. Lives and livelihoods depend on it. Welcome to the roads, high strength aluminum alloys, your steel counterparts invite you into the mix.

Schaeffler sums it up, “Automotive designers and engineers need to understand the characteristics of today’s materials in order to optimize the balance of cost, manufacturing and safety all while creating a car people want to buy.” Which hits the nail on the head of this riveting discussion!

For more of our super interesting blogs about the aluminum market, aluminum extrusions, and other industry-related topics, visit www.taberextrusions.com or get in touch by e-mailing us at info@taberextrusions.com