Aluminum Extrusion Bending

Aluminum extrusion bending services are offered by aluminum fabrication company like FONNOV ALUMINIUM.

The extrusion process isn’t enough to meet bending requirements. And for that reason, benders are used to turn these extruded aluminum into curved aluminum extrusions that will allow conversion of simple shapes into complicated ones.

FONNOV ALUMINIUM provides aluminum extrusion bending services in our fabrication factory.

We can custom bend aluminum bars, aluminum extrusions, aluminum tubes (pipes), aluminum channels, aluminum beams, aluminum trims and aluminum structural shapes to meet your specifications.

Engineers design a variety of aluminum parts according to product needs. These designs usually cannot be achieved simply by aluminum extrusion and require further processing, and bending/curving aluminum extrusion is one of the processes.

LED lamps, armrests, furniture, automation, and frame products require bending technology for their products.

Bending aluminum extrusions involves putting the alloy into a bender. The bender is designed with different shapes. The aluminum assumes the shape of the bender in the end. Aluminum extrusions are bended to suit the clients’ desires. Besides, some designs cannot be achieved if the metal is not bended. In terms of costs, more is involved.

Aluminum tube bending is the most requested service among our customers. This is an example of a 90-degree bent aluminium tube OD38 * 2.5MM.

Benefits of Aluminum Extrusion Bending

Aluminum extrusion bending has a number of benefits. This explains why it’s a common practice today. Here are other benefits for bending aluminum extrusions.

• Strengthening

This is one of the reason extruded aluminum is bended. For instance, bended aluminum is combined to form complex shapes that form the foundation of most modern houses today. The irony about this is that the stronger aluminum is the harder it is to bend. And that’s why some shapes are preferred for easy bending.

• Ability to be creative

Aluminum extrusion bending gives room for creativity. You can come up with different shapes and create a masterpiece. Aluminum extrusion experts that specialize in bending aluminum have time and again made uniquely designed products for their clients. That has seen the customers extremely happy thus urged to come back for more.

• Enhance functionality

Take a look at how an elevator works. The bending makes the belts work more efficiently and effectively. This is true especially for the longer elevators that move longer distances.

In busy manufacturing companies, there are many bended aluminum extrusions in use. Through the metal, objects and products can be moved with ease. That way, a lot of money is saved from spending for operations and overheads. For an organization, this is a great step in the right direction.

If you save like this continuously, it becomes easy to grow your cash flows. Enhanced functionality also lifts some weight from the employees thus better delivery.

Cons

• Extreme bends may cause the aluminum to break.
• Sometimes you’ll have to incur additional manufacturing costs.

How to Bend Aluminum Extrusions?

A lot of consideration is put when bending aluminum extrusions. This is because the process can lead to undesirable results if care isn’t taken. But, if everything is considered and all the details included, everything will be well. Below are some of the steps taken to bend extruded aluminum.

• Rotary Draw Bending

After extrusion, place the aluminum profiles on the bending machine. The next step is to move the bending tool. This ensures that the extruded aluminum is turned into the desirable tool.

The state in which the extruded aluminum is at this time allows the metal to change shapes easily. Once the extruded aluminum has turned into the right shape, it can be left to solidify. After solidifying then the curved aluminum can be dispatched for collection by clients or wholesalers.

• Pushing Bending

Aluminum extrusion in a bendable state is pushed to the desired shape. This happens under intense pressure. That way, the aluminum profile can fold easily into the shape the bender is intended for. During this process, minimal human labor is required because the bending machine does most of the work.

• The Three Rolling Bending

There are different types of Aluminum bending techniques. This one is important in the making if complicated shapes like symmetrical structures. For instance, making aluminum symmetrical shapes can be a challenge to say the least. A three rolling bender makes that easy and possible. Besides, it brings up efficiency and that means lesser money is spent during the production process.

• The Strength Bending

Bending Aluminum extrusion with extended diameters is not an easy undertaking. The technique must be right for the best results to be achieved. That’s why you need specific bending techniques to achieve that. The strength bending technique helps achieve this.

The extruded aluminum is compressed with the edges attached to the bender. Under the high pressure, the middle part of the metal changes shape into that of the bender.

This technique mostly applies to heavy metals that requires high level strength. At the end, you’ll have a bended aluminum extrusion with superior mechanical strength. Such curving aluminum extrusion can be used for different purposes including areas that need strong aluminum.

What Factors Need to Be Considered When Designing the Aluminum Extrusion Bender?

• Diameters of the extruded aluminum

There are different types of extruded aluminum to be produced. For hollow aluminum extruded tubes, the internal and external diameters of the aluminum tube must be considered. There must be enough to accommodate the aluminum tube.

In a case where this is not considered, the end results might be something far from what was expected. You must keep in mind that a lot of pressure is used in bending aluminum extrusion. If the right diameter is not put on the bender, undesirable results will be achieved.

• Radii variations

Aluminum expand when heated. This means that aluminum extrusions may change in radii if somethings are not considered. That’s why the bender must be designed well to accommodate possible changes and prevent deformations.

The bender should also be streamlined for this to happen. A streamlined bender will ensure that the bended metal’s radius is standard all through.

Depending on the purpose the hollow metal is made for, such consistency is really important. That’s why the same metal must be designed with the precision it deserves. That way, everything will be in order especially when the metal is in use.

• Extruded aluminum length

Extruded aluminum have different uses. For some, their length is the most important feature considering their use. That means the bender has to get the height requirements correct. Every inch must be included and none left out.

That means the best designers must be employed to design perfect benders. Length must be thought well about and perfectly fixed. That means each complex shape will have a unique bender to be used in achieving that shape. If another shape is to be achieved, another bender has to be formed. Common aluminum extrusions that should have similar lengths at the end can share a bender.

• Mechanical strength

Curved aluminum extruded profiles are used for different functions. This means different mechanical requirements come into play. For instance, the construction industry demand mechanically stronger aluminum extrusion profiles.

The diameter of the bender and other details about its length among other factors affect the final mechanical strength of the extruded aluminum. That’s why experts must be involved in its design. That way, a perfect bender will be constructed and the result would be a significantly strong aluminum.

There can be dire consequences if this is not looked into. The bender and die used for bending aluminum extrusion have a major impact on the product you get at the end.

• Critical surface areas

The extruded aluminum will have specific shapes when bended. Some particular areas of the metal have to be well taken care of.

For instance, the corners of a bended aluminum extrusion shape shouldn’t be too sharp. This will help avoid accidents that would have been catastrophic.

Aluminum Extrusion Bending Thought and Execution Process

For effective bending and execution, there must be a thought process. This will guide the execution and will lead to great work if everything is followed according to plan. Below are some of the considerations to make during these processes.

Design Consideration

Sample a few designers and you’ll get different opinions about bending aluminum extrusion processes. None of them are wrong because they opinionate based on their industrial experience and needs. For instance, the bending requirements for the aerospace industry may not be same as that of the agricultural industry. For that reason, the designs must be done specific to needs of each industry.

When doing large scale projects, it’s important to focus on the alloy to be used, weight, and costs to be incurred. It is to be understood that different alloys will bring out different outcomes. That explains why you need to consult experts of the field you want to supply extruded aluminum with.

Other critical factors to consider include the applications of that curved aluminum you want made. That information helps to shape the details that will be considered when defining curved aluminum extrusion specifications.

Shape complexity is also important to consider. This determines whether the project will be successful or not. Besides, it has a significant impact on the production costs.

Finishing options must also be considered. One may wonder why this should be the case. Well, a superbly finished aluminum will look better and serve longer. That’s value addition and means more satisfied clients.

Another important design aspect is the aluminum’s bendability. It’s easier to bend more bendable aluminum extrusions than the highly resistant ones. This means the bender has to be stronger and more efficient when dealing with less bendable Aluminum extrusions.

Symmetry

Bending aluminum extrusion isn’t the easiest of tasks to do. Balancing sides is even hard. For instance, making a symmetrically perfect shape requires precision and giving attention to detail at the bending point.

The use of asymmetrical metal will surely bring problems during bending. The more asymmetrical side will have severe twists than the symmetrical one. This may bring about some imbalance you don’t want to deal with in the future.

Designing Hollow Sections

It’s two times harder folding hollow sections. The hollow area must be well taken care of to prevent the pressure from folding the aluminum into the space. That means there must be a balance between the external force bending the aluminum tube and that which the inside can handle.

Another common challenge arises in cases where the manufacturer has used square corners. If that’s the case, the pressure from the bender will force the metal to crack. This may mean repeating some extrusion processes to correct the problem. To avoid such, manufacturers ought to use circular corner interiors. That will save the aluminum tube from extreme pressure that may lead to breakages.

There are other alternatives to this. Increasing the metal’s wall thickness is one of them. By doing so, you reduce the tension and pressure reaching aluminum’s interior. There’s also a use of internal support. This helps manage the pressure tending towards the inside of the hollow shape.

Complex Shaping

Extruded aluminum is also used to make channels as well as other complex structures. Shaping these complex products is a process that requires expertise. A significant amount of force is applied to twist the aluminum into channels. The arm exerting the force tends to move in the direction of the central axis. That way, an almost circular shape is made. Sometimes cylindrical aluminum shapes are made out of this action.

If you’ve seen a conveyor belt work, you’ll start to appreciate this process. In most cases, the belt or similar movers are made in this design. This helps smoothen processes in the manufacturing industry and/or transport. It brings about top level efficiency.

When making such products, it’s important to consider the functionality. Once employed for service, a lot of pressure is involved. That means friction will be there and wearing & tearing made inevitable. Quality alloys must therefore be used to minimize the number of maintenance schedules to be done.

Besides, when the friction is too much, the systems are likely not going to last long. That means you’ll have to spend extra money unnecessary calling repair experts to control the damages. That’s why you must get quality aluminum extruded products made of quality to avoid such inconveniences.

Aluminum Extrusion Bending FAQs