How Does Temps Form Aluminum Tube’s Hardness?

For customers who don’t know much about aluminum tubes, they often ask questions like this: Why are the hardnesses of the same aluminum tubes so different? Is the hardness of aluminum directly related to its quality? In fact, there are already differences in the hardness of aluminum tubes during the production process. There are many factors that affect the hardness of aluminum tubes during the production process. We will focus on the impact of the production environment temperature on the hardness of aluminum tubes.

As a professional aluminum tube manufacturer for more than ten years, Pride will help you answer this question.

Different hardness produced at different temperatures

The extruded aluminum tube passes through the cooling bed, and then straightens it into the aging furnace for artificial aging treatment. The purpose is to meet the aging treatment of the aluminum tube and obtain better hardness.

Aluminum profiles are divided into AL6063 and AL6061 aluminum alloys according to their materials, and the hardness after aging is required to be 9-12 degrees and 15-17 degrees respectively. However, if the temperature is not well controlled during the extrusion process, or the aging time is incorrect, it will cause insufficient hardness or over-aging problems. There are three temperatures that have a greater impact on the forming hardness of aluminum tubes. One is the temperature of the extrusion tube, that is, the temperature of the extrusion die, and the other is the temperature of the aging furnace. The temperature of the aluminum profile must be controlled at not less than 490 degrees. Otherwise, the temperature is too low and the ideal hardness cannot be achieved after the first cooling, and it is difficult to achieve the artificial aging.

The temperature of the 6061 aging furnace is controlled at 175 degrees, and the temperature of the 6063 aging furnace is controlled at 185 degrees. The aging time of 6061 is 6 hours, and 6063 is about 4 to 5 hours, so that the aluminum tube can reach the ideal hardness after aging. If the aging time is too long, the aluminum profile may be annealed and the entire batch of aluminum may be scrapped. Pay attention to the air distribution of the fan during the aging process, and place the aluminum material evenly to avoid uneven hardness after aging.

Application of aluminum tube

Aluminum tubes are used in various industries and hobbyists, various DIY projects, and manufacturing and construction fields. In addition, it is also widely used in the aerospace industry.

A good example is the 6061-T6 aluminum tube, which is often used in the aircraft/aerospace industry due to its strength, weldability and ease of processing. Most all-aluminum tubes can be brazed and welded by various welding methods.

For various reasons, aluminum and aluminum alloys are the most commonly used metals in the aerospace industry. Its relatively low cost, light weight and processability are the main reasons for its widespread use.

Aluminum has good physical properties such as non-sparking, non-magnetic, non-conductive, non-conductive, and strong chemical resistance. In addition to the aircraft industry, it is also popular in construction and marine applications due to its ease of manufacture, non-toxicity, high strength, and corrosion resistance in industrial and marine environments.

Anodizing aluminum can improve its corrosion resistance and obtain a rainbow finish of various colors. Since some alloys may be slightly corrosive, they are coated with a thin layer of aluminum to provide additional protection.

Other reasons affecting aluminum hardness

1. The aluminum extrusion frame should not be too narrow, and there should be a gap between the material and the material, especially the small thick-walled aluminum tube with no ventilation. The pipe is placed below, which is conducive to the aging cycle air supply.

2. Before the aluminum profile enters the furnace, other 6xxx special alloys and ordinary 6063 alloys should be separately aged. When aging is performed in the same furnace due to production reasons, a special alloy process should be used for aging.

Pride's custom tube processing

No matter what hardness aluminum tube you need, one of Pride's most professional aluminum tube suppliers, we can provide you with the best products. We can also provide you with aluminum plates, aluminum foils, aluminum circles, etc. These profiles are widely used in various industries. In addition, as an OEM aluminum product supplier, our professional staff will help you create customized aluminum profiles to meet your needs. Our customized service allows us to meet almost all the requirements of our customers.

Please contact us if you need: zhang@pride-cnc.com.