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Aluminum Extrusions
By Mark L. Casey | May 4, 2009
One of the most exciting aspects of my job at Baselodge Group is being able to expand my knowledge of different industries and manufacturing solutions. There is something energizing about learning. At the end of 2008 Baselodge Group signed on to represent Extrusion Technology (X-Tech) based in Randolph, MA.
X-Tech is a manufacturer of aluminum extrusions, with a strategic focus on producing aluminum faceplates and bezels that are used extensively in the telecom and datacom industries.
The concept of extruding aluminum is familiar to all of us who as kids extruded Play-Doh through a die into the shape of a star or a circle or any other profile. The extrusion press melts the aluminum alloy billet and conveys the molten metal through the extrusion barrel and into the die. The newly shaped aluminum begins cooling as it exits the die. The cooled and hardened extrusion is then cut to the desired length and undergoes post-processing.
Post-processing can include machining like punching, CNC milling, sanding, texturing, labeling, and surface finishing. Surface finishing of aluminum extrusions can include anodizing and powder coating. When the extrusion is a faceplate, the post-processing can include assembly steps like installing the latching and ejector pins, as well as other hardware.
One of the benefits of using an aluminum extrusion as an enclosure for electronics is the thermal properties of the aluminum. Aluminum is a good conductor of heat, and for this reason high temperature applications are often enclosed in an aluminum enclosure that has airfins or other features designed into the profile. To help facilitate the electronics, the internal features of the profile often include grooves or slots into which the circuit boards can slide for mounting. Aluminum is also relatively lightweight and looks great with any number of surface finishes.
As an alternative to a plastic enclosure, an aluminum extrusion has lower up-front costs in tooling. Whereas a steel tool to produce a plastic enclosure can cost in the tens of thousands of dollars, the tooling for an aluminum extrusion will often be $5,000 or less. The piece-part price of plastics is going to be a lot lower than aluminum though, so if your product is a high volume runner, it will not take long to reach the break even point on the cost of the tooling. In this case, a plastic enclosure will make more financial sense than an aluminum extrusion assuming the plastic satisfies all of your other criteria for thermal properties, weight, durability, and appearance.
If you are considering aluminum extrusion for a faceplate, bezel, or an enclosure, I recommend the X-Tech website as a great resource for learning more.
Topics: Aluminum, Contract Manufacturing, Embedded Systems, Metals, Services | 1 Comment »
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May 4th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
[...] Fedcor Global for user input devices and many other services, and Extrusion Technology (X-Tech) for aluminum extrusion and mechanical systems. Each of these three suppliers has strong technical people in place to [...]