The primary purpose of formatting is to give a specific shape to the material. The major categories of aluminum shaping include forming, molding and machining. Forming is a general term encompassing manufacturing processes that consist in obtaining a desired geometry by deforming the material in its plastic field by applying a force to it. The forming processes are grouped into two families: plastic deformation and sheet metal work done by a Metal Machining Company.
Aluminum is an attractive metal for forming processes because of its solid state ductility. It is possible to form aluminum parts cold, warm or hot. It is however easier to deform the material when it is heated. The workpiece can be heated from 350 ° C to 500 ° C depending on the process and the alloy.
Since aluminum is more ductile than steel, it requires less energy, smaller machines, and smaller tools to form the same part. It is then more economical to use aluminum. Alloys designed to be further processed by forming processes are referred to as wrought alloys. Wrought alloys are divided into two families: non-quenching alloys and hardening alloys.
The difference between these two types of wrought alloys lies in the technique used to improve the mechanical properties. Alloy elements such as magnesium, copper, manganese and silicon are added to the aluminum to modify the mechanical properties.
It is a process by which an aluminum plate or ingot is mechanically thinned by the crushing action resulting from the passage between two rollers, generally smooth and rotating in the opposite direction. The initial thickness decreases by plastic deformation of the metal.
This is a mechanical process that is done using a bender and that is intended to deform tubes, bars and extruded profiles in a radius and a length of an arc.
Cutting
Several cutting technologies are available for aluminum: mechanical, electrical and thermal shear cutting. The selection of the cutting method is made according to the thickness to be cut, the complexity of the shape and the required accuracy. Common processes are: laser cutting, water jet cutting, saw cutting or plasma cutting handled by a Metal Machining Company.
Stamping is a process that can deform a flat sheet into a hollow form of more or less complex geometry. This process is carried out using a hydraulic or mechanical press equipped with a punch and a die. The metal deforms permanently when the sheet is driven by the punch in the die. The hollow body is called “stamped” with a more or less cylindrical wall.
Stamping consists of plastically deforming a sheet of metal with a die mounted on hydraulic or mechanical presses.