eae A Publication of the Aluminum Extruders Council @2S TLIGHTSz DESIGNING FOR ALUMINUM EXTRUSIONS Introduction luminum alloy extrusion offers designers a freedom from ‘standard shape restrictions that is unrivaled among structural materials. The cost of a typical extrusion die is counted in hundreds, not thou- sands, of dollars. To design a shape 0 your specific needs is both eco- ‘nomically practical and simple. ‘With aluminum extrusion, you don't have to compromise your design to accommodate standard shapes — you can design exactly the shape you need and let the production process accommodate itself to you Careful design is the way to gain maximum benefit from the many valuable characteristics of aluminum alloys and from the flexibilly of the extrusion process, The Functional Approach To make the most of aluminurn extru- sion’s almost unlimited opportunities, set high expectations for a product or design component and then figure ‘out what takes to meet them. Clear your mind of precanceived shapes. ‘The list quostion is not “What should this part look like?” but "What would I really like this part to. do?” When that question is correctly answered, the shape will foliow naturally. ‘The basic approach is simple: + Identify the part's essential functions + Determine what shapes and dimensions those functions require * Visualize how these elements relate to each other in space; sketch them in place + Sketch in the secondary functional ‘elements necessary to connect, Support and strengthen the primary ‘elements of the design + Then develop and refine the design indetail Design Parameters Five major factors should be consid ered in the detailed development of an aluminum extrusion design: + Shape configuration + Tolerances + Surface finish + Alloy + Circumscribing circle size ‘These parameters are interrelated Intheireffect on the extrusion design and its application. Shape Configuration “The designers first priority is to sat- \sfy a spocific need. Extrusions can bbe designed to aid in assembly, improve product appearance, reduce or eliminate forming and welding operations, and achieve many other purposes. Basically, aluminum extcu sion allows you to design the shape that best meets your structural and aesthetic requirements. Users of computer-aided desian, programs wil find aluminum extru- sions a uniquely satistying product, because cross-sections can be pro- filed to meet optimum structural requirements, Extruded shapes are described in three general categories — semi hollow, solid, and hollow. Dies to produce solid shapes are the least complex, But the difference between solid shape and a semihollow shape may not be obvious at trst lance. Its easior to describe and Understand all three categories by working in reverse, starting with hol- low shapes. hollow shape is simply an extruded shape which, anywhere in its cross-section, completely encloses a void. The void itself may have any sort of shape, and the com- plete profile may include a variety of ‘other forms, Examples iol An oxampe ofa Hoton Extraded Shape Asolid extruded shape is any shape that is not a hollow or a ‘seminollow. This covers a wide range includ ing, for example, compact cross- sections with or without projections: angular or curved shapes; and those wrap-around shapes whose void area/gap* ratios are 100 low for the seminollow- class. Exampto ofa sold shape A semihollow shape is one that partially encloses a void—for exam- ple, a circle or rectangle with a gap in ne side: but a solid shape can also Partially enclose a vord, and the difference may nat be obvious. tis defined mathematically, by compar- ing the area of the partially-enclosed void to the size of the gap (actually, to the mathematical square of the gap size}, that ratio is larger than a cer- tain number, the shape is classified as semihollow; i the ratio is smaller, the shape is considered a solid Tolerances Tolerances are critical. A designer should be aware of the standard dimensional tolerances to which extrusions are commercially pro- duced, These tolerances generally cover such characteristics as straightness, flainess, and twist, and such cross-sectional dimensions as thickness, angles, contours and corner or fillet radi, ‘Aluminum extrusions are often designed to minimize or eliminate the need for machining. If desired, extrusions can be produced to closer-than-standard tolerances, generating cost savings in secondary Operations; such savings may range from modest to very large, depending on circumstances,Use “Metal Dimensions” For Best Tolerance Dimensions measured across solid metal are easier to produce to cost tolerances than those measured across a gap or angle. So rely on ‘metal dimensions” as much as pos- sible when designing close-fittod mating parts or other shapes requir- ing closer tolerances. 300 "An "Open Space Dimension fsmom dtieutto hold to ese tolerances: Adora Dinersion cn be oxrutea to ‘lose tolerances Design With Surface Finish In Mind Always indicate “exposed surfaces ‘on your design drawing so the Exosed Surface Improves ransiton Mecisying the shape by uring the transitions educes te chance 6 opposio Side streaking, extruder can give them special atten- tion and protect ther finish during both extrusion and post-extrusion handling “The narrower the exposed surface is, the more uniform will bets finish, ‘Webs, flanges and abrupt changes inmetal thickness may show up as ‘marks on the opposite surface of an extrusion, particularly on thin sections. ‘The marking of exposed surfaces, can be minimized by thoughtul design Observe These Extrusion Design Guidelines — Avoid Detail At The End of Long, Thin Rail thin detail is needed, such as the channel at the extreme left, you can 1) Move the detail closer to a support | 0r2} increase wall thickness to pre- vent distortion; or 3) provide support at other end of the rail Thicker Walls May Be Less Expensive Very thin walls are difficult and costly to extrude. Smooth All Transitions ‘Transitions should be streamlined by ‘4 generous radius at any thick-thin junetion. Keep Wall Thickness Uniform In addition to using more metal, thick- thin junctions give rise to distortion, dle breakage or suriace defects on the extrusion. Ribs Help Straightening Operation Wide, thin sections can be hard to straighten after extrusion. Ribs help toreduce twisting, anc to improve flatness. ZF Instead of This Parallel Lines Add Illusion of Length With ite extra effort or cost designers can add grooves, ridges, or other decorative deta. ‘Symmetry Preferred in Semi- Hollow Areas By keeping the void symmetrical you lessen the chances that he die tongue may break. Full racion the entrance legs into a void can greatly improve the stabilty of the tongue. Avoid Knife Edges Axknie edge when extruded will ‘appear wavy. Change the protile to blunt or rounded point. ‘Consider This Instead ot This Built-In Indexing Mark Shallow extruded grooves make dril- ling, punching, assembly easier by oliminating the need for center- punching. Index grooves ean also be Used to help identify pieces that are similar in appearance, orto distin- uish an inside vs. an outside Surface. yDesign For Assembly Aluminum extrusions can be designed for joining by a wide variety cof methods such as riveting, bolting, ‘welding, brazing, soldering and adhesive bonding. Serew ports can be extruded in position, aiding assembly Extrusions can also be designed to fit hook or snap together with mating parts. Hinges or slides can often be designed-in’ as integral parts of ex- trusions, eliminating the need for additional assembiy and moving parts Nesting Joints Nesting joints, which include “lap joints” and “tongue-and-groave Joints, have mating elements that are shaped to be assembied with litle or no self-locking action. They serve primarily to align adjoining parts, and they usually depend on riveis, bolts, adhesives, ‘confinement within a rigid frame, oF other fasteners, 1o hold them together, Lap joints, shown here, are the simplest nesting joints Aap joint netwoon two ‘cenica extrusions fono verted om tho ther Interlocking Joints With an interlocking join, the two mating elements are curve and so cannotbbe assembled of (more to the point cisassembled by simple Straight-line motion, They are assembled by a rotating motion and vill not separate without a cores- ponding counter-rotation. As long as the paris are held in their assembled poston, they strongly esist separa tion and misalignment in both the horizontal and the vertical directions. tacking ange which prevents our rotation and aisassomey AA three-piece interlocking joint ‘canbe designed with a “blind” (hid- den) fastener interlocking the two principal extrusions. Such a design presents one side with a smooth appearance and no visible mounting hardware, as in this example, — Slip-Fit Joints Slip-fitoints are assembled by slid- ing two extruded mating parts together in the direction of their length. They are generally classified tither as close-ftting, rigid "dovetail joints" or as loose, freely-rotating hinge joints ‘Bind Fastener with interock ana pe sama. Snap-Fit Joints A “snap-fit” or “snap-lock” joint is one whichis self-locking and requires no additional fasteners to hold the joint together. The mating parts of a snap-fit joint exert cam action on each other, flexing until one part slips past a raised lip on the other part. Once past this lip, the flexed parts sriap back to their normal shape and the lip pre- vents them from separating. After itis snapped | together, this joint cannot be disassembled unintentionally The strength of this joint can be increased by applying adhesive to the mating surfaces before assembly. Even short lengths of an adhesively bonded snap-fit joint cannot be eas- ily sid apart Combination Joints Nesting, interlocking and snap-fit joints can be combined inthe same extruded assembly. Forexample, snap-fit elomnents can easily be combined with rotating elements, Combinations of nesting and inter locking joints incorporate the long mating surfaces of the interiock and the additional faying surfaces of the double nest, to provide an excellent base for adhesive sealants and for mechanical fastening. With such combination joins, modular building panels or other | Units can be pre-assembled at afac- tory, then mechanically joined into a complete structure on-site. | Assomblae wih se 1 [sl Hinge joints, as shown here, have a cross-section with a "ball-and- socket" shape that allows them to folate without separating, Hinge action through 60 to 80 degrees is easy to obtain; incorporating ade- quate reinforcement, hinge joints may be designed to rotate beyond 90 agrees. Since the hinge joints rela~ Lively “loose,” provisions should be made to prevent lateral side-to-side} slippage. cf ef Ce Key-Locked Joints These unusual joints have two or more primary elements which are locked together only when an addi- tional specialized part, the “key,” is slid into position, Keyed interlocks ofthis type permit rapid, easy assembly and > disassembly making them particularly adaptable to temporary and portable installations, as well a relatively perma- ent structures.(One advantage of aluminum ex- trusions is the variety of ways the surface can be finished, and this offers another range of choices to the designer. ‘As-extruded, or “mill. finish can range from "structural," on which minor surface imperfections are acceplable, to “architectural,” pre- senting uniformly good appearance. ‘thar finishes include scratch finishing, satin finishing and buffing ‘Aluminum can also be finished by clear or colored anodization, or by painting, enamelling or other coatings. Aluminum extrusions are made in a wide variety of alloys and tempers to meeta broad spectrum otneeds, Selection is made to meet the spe- cific reauirements in strength, weld- abiity, forming characteristics. nish, corrosion resistance, machinabilty, and sometimes other properties. The complete list of registered aluminum alloys is quite long, but in practice a few alloys are chosen repeatedly for extrusion because of their versatiity and highly suitable characteristics. Extruders generally stock the three or four most fre- uentiy used alloys. When their spe- Cialized markets justify it, individual companies include in their invento- fies additional alloys which will vary with the needs of their major custo- mers, Thus, a substantial variety of extrusion alloys is ceadiy available. (One measurement af the size of an extrusion is the diameter of he smal- lest circle that will entirely enclose its cross-section — its “circumscribing circle. This dimension is one factor in the economics of an extrusion. In gen- eral, extrusions are most economical when they fit within a medium-sized circumscribing circle: that is, one with a diameter between one and ten inches. this stage in the development of an ‘extruded product, the designer has determined its functional shape and size, and considered appropriate tolerances, surfaces finishes ang alloys Bofore proceeding, it makes sense toreview the extruder’s available standard shapes. it may be possible toadapt a standard shape to the needs of the product, with litle or no modification. Ifa standard shape is nat reacily adaptable, the design can be com- pleted as a custom shape perfectly Suited to the requirements af the product. Here are a few tips on good practi= es in cusiom-designing alurninum extrusions. ‘Specity metal thicknesses that are just heavy enough to meet your structural requirements. Even in low stress areas, however, keep sufficient thickness to avoid risking distortion or damage. Some shapes tend to invite distortion during the extrusion process (such as an asymmetric pro- file or thin details al the end of a long flange} Extrusion allows you to put extra metal where itis needed—in high- stress areas, for example—and still ‘save material by using normal dimensions elsewhere in the same pigce. Adjacent-wall thickness ratios of ess than 2-to-1 are extruded with- out difficulty, Remember what an extrusion die does: while it lets metal flow through its shaped aperture, it must hold back ‘metal all around that aperture against great force. When you design a shape for extrusion, you are simul- taneously designing adie aperture and you must take extrusion forces ‘and metal flow info account, For example, a U-shaped channel in an extrusion corresponds to a solid ‘tongue’ in the die, attached at only ‘one end. Flexibilty'in this tongue can alter the aperture slightly under the pressure of extrusion; the deeper you make the channel, he longer you make the tongue and the more diffi- ‘oultit becomes to regulate the extruded dimensions, Visualize the shape of the die that must produce your design, and try to minimize shapes that would weaken the die or impede metal flow.23 DESIGNING FOR ALUMINUM EXTRUSIONS Fabricating Properties The ease of forming, machining and joining aluminum extrusions is an iimporlant advantage in fabricating more complex structures. Forming Extruded aluminum tube, pipe and ‘shapes can be formed on conven tional bending equipment. The mini- mum bending radius of a specific exirusion willdepend on its size, its alloy and temper, the complexity of is shape, and the characteristics ofthe available equipment. ‘Analloy is usually selected for rea- sons other than the demands af form- ing. But when formabilt Isa signit- fant question several properties of the alloy and tomper should be con- sidered, including: elongation, hard- fess, and the spread between yield strength and utiate strength. Alloys with high elongation, low hardness ‘and maximum spread between yield and ultimate stength are the easiest to form. Machining ‘Aluminum extrusions may be ‘machined rapiiy, with some modifi- Galion of conventional practices, ‘Smooth surfaces can Ue oblained by finishing the cutting tools with con- siderably more side and top rake than is used for cutting most other metals. The softer alloys particular, ‘such as 3003 and 6063, require large rake angles and ight cuts Parts that are to be machined and asymmetical shapes thal wil be cut {o size should be ordered ina stress- relieved temper, such as TSI, ihe {inal parts must meet close Tolerances. Joining ‘Aluminum extrusions may be joined by most standard metal-joining methods. And fabrication may be fur- ther simpli by thoughtul design features, for example: + Asan aidto riveting, a guideline SHAPEMAKERS ° EO Bitsy otto Sie 2 Wouaeds, 1.0084 47751620) nisi. a93 nai meine og race mas, 620, 97 ams NBS OOK ‘can be extruded into the surface marking the precise location of the fivet line. Fillet welding can be faclitated by incorporating a weld preparation, ‘Such as a vee groove, into the extruded shape. + Screw slots can be incorporated in the extruded shape to eliminate driling and tapping Economics of Design ‘The economic advantages of extru- sions are influenced by several Imporiant variables, ncucing roduction Quantity + Product Shape + Tolerances * Alo * Surface Finish * Length Quantity Even in short production runs, alumi- ‘num extrusion may “break even” and become more economical than alter- Native processes—particularly when Secondary savings such as reduced machining, finishing and assembly are factored in. ‘A product may be manufactured intially using standard exiruded shapes, bulas product volume increases, it often becomes more economical o redesign components 2 custom extrusions, matched more precisely to product needs, Atlarge volumes, manufacturers can benefit rom the volume-prices available on large mill runs of a. shape. Product Shape ‘Shape also infiuences product eco- nomios: in general (although not always), semiholiow extrusions are ‘more economical than hollows: solid shapes are more economical than semihollows; and symmetrical shapes are more economical than asymmetrical shapes. Extrusions, however, can often save a manufacturer money in idden” ways. A more complex extrusion may be well worth some moderate expense for the savings it reales in reducing machining, frm ing, joining, assembling, shipping or other costs Tolerances Extrusions produced to industry- Standard tolerances are mote eco- nomical than those requiring special tolerances, Product fabrication and assembly techniques sometimes change, making special tolerances less necessary. Periodical review of an extuson design tay reveal an op- portunity to reduce costs by easing or eliminating special tolerances. Alloy For an extrusion design there may be several alloys and tempers that would be suitable for production. The selec- tion is usually made on the basis of structural or fabrication requirements, butit's a good idea to look, as well, for the most economical alloy among ‘several that may be functionally, ‘equivalent in the specific application at hand, ‘Surface Finish Careful production, handling and shipping can deliver extrusions with premium-quality surface finishes. But a premium finish may not be needed on all faces of an extruded shape, and as circumstances change the need for premium fir ishes may diminish or disappear. It may be possible, upon review of an extrusion design, to reduce or elimi nate premium finish specifications. Length Atrelatively low product volumes, fabricators often purchase extrusions in economic warehouse lengths. AS production volume increases, how- ever, even greater savings may be gained by purchasing extrusions in exact required lengths or multiples of exact lengths, to reduce scrap. Fact-Filled Reference Manual from “The Shapemakers” (hat wien ant strate. Th Aria Extrusion Manda acampretensiereterence aude, roudes & comalete answer sours fx the exeyday foaasofslunerum extrusion design's, purcase's and produces. The Auriga Srusion Manuals designe fo se aga eualtora and tinea guek eerence oo) ‘hen covers vanety of topes dept. clued, are separate chapters on ao enero aspous Gfexttson desgn and prodetion Aluminum Extrusions and Competing Malti, Appliaions of ‘luminun Exrasons, Desiging for Alar tum Entusions, Te Aluminum Exusion races, Extusion ies ad Stabe. Tolerances for Adminum Erusions and nts for ui Estrudad Pres. To Order. Te Aluminum Extrusion Manual contac {Me aluminum Ecruders Couns 1000 end Road, Suita 214 Wauconda I O0e4.Paye must tcompény/ yout ore, (Meriter aunts sm)