Finish Architectural Knowledge Base
Common Aluminium Fabrication Techniques in the UK
In the UK, aluminium fabrication covers a wide range of methods that are essential for crafting complex and functional aluminium products. From the precision of extrusion to the skill involved in welding, each technique is crucial for transforming raw aluminium into items that meet various industry needs. Exploring these techniques gives us a clearer picture of the craftsmanship and technological expertise that characterise aluminium fabrication in the UK.
Choosing the right fabrication technique is key to achieving the desired strength, appearance, and functionality of the final product.This is something our team here at Finish Architectural can assist with, as understanding why aluminium is so valued and how to select the best fabrication method lays the groundwork for successful manufacturing.
Looking for Aluminium Fabrication Services?
Finish Architectural offer bespoke aluminium fabrication services, perfect for a wide variety of industries.
Why Aluminium is a Popular in Metal Fabrication
Before we understand what fabrication techniques are used, we need to look at why aluminium is used across a range of industries.
Aluminium is widely favoured across various industries for its impressive blend of strength, lightness, versatility, and sustainability.
Its unique properties make it incredibly adaptable: it’s both robust and lightweight, durable yet easy to shape, and environmentally friendly with a sleek appearance. Designers appreciate aluminium for its flexibility, which allows it to be moulded into almost any form.
The material is used extensively in industries ranging from construction and aerospace to electronics and packaging, highlighting its adaptability.
Aluminium’s ability to be recycled infinitely makes it an economical and eco-friendly choice. Recycled aluminium, or secondary aluminium, maintains the same qualities as the original, helping to lower production costs and energy use significantly.
These sustainable benefits, along with its lasting qualities, explain why aluminium remains a key material in many industries. In fact, 75% of all aluminium ever produced is still in use today.
Overview of Aluminium Fabrication Techniques
In the UK, aluminium fabrication involves a variety of methods used to shape and form aluminium for different industrial purposes. These techniques include cutting, welding, bending, punching, drilling, and assembling aluminium parts, each of which plays a role in creating a diverse range of products.
Extrusion
Extrusion is a core process in metal fabrication where a metal workpiece is shaped by applying compressive force.
The process starts with a billet or ingot, which can be heated or kept at room temperature before being fed into an extrusion press. This press uses a piston or plunger to exert significant force, pushing the billet through a die with the desired cross-section.
The intense pressure makes the metal flow through the die, giving it the desired shape. After extrusion, the part is removed from the press and typically undergoes heat treatment to improve its mechanical properties.
Applications of Extrusion
Extrusion is particularly valuable for creating complex shapes and structures across a variety of industries. It is frequently used to manufacture aluminium frames for doors and windows, as well as structural parts for the automotive and aerospace sectors. The process allows for precise, complex cross-sectional profiles, making it ideal for applications where accuracy is crucial.
In the construction industry, extrusion is widely used to produce curtain walls, railings, and other architectural features. Its versatility means that custom-designed components can be made to meet specific project needs.
Additionally, the lightweight nature of aluminium extrusions makes them a popular choice where reducing weight is important, such as in the transportation sector.
Cutting
Cutting in aluminium fabrication involves dividing or severing materials to create sheets of the desired size, remove excess material, prepare weld joints, and fix defects.
This process includes various techniques such as mechanical cutting (machining, sawing, shearing, punching, and drilling), thermal methods (oxygen cutting, spark erosion, laser cutting, and plasma cutting), and hydraulic approaches (water jet cutting and abrasive water jet cutting). Each method has its own benefits and is chosen based on factors like precision, material thickness, and the required finish.
Applications of Cutting
Cutting techniques are widely used across different industries. For instance, in the aerospace sector, precision cutting is critical for making aircraft components. The automotive industry also relies heavily on cutting for parts like body panels and engine components.
In construction, cutting is used to produce structural elements such as window frames and curtain walls. The electronics industry benefits from cutting for creating aluminium enclosures for devices, while the marine sector uses it for making boat parts like hulls and masts.
The renewable energy sector uses cutting to produce components for wind turbines and solar panels. Overall, cutting is vital in various fields, enabling the accurate shaping of aluminium to meet diverse needs.
Bending
Bending is a key process in aluminium fabrication that involves applying force to deform the material along a specific axis. This technique is used to shape aluminium sheets, profiles, and extrusions into various forms while preserving the material’s structural integrity.
Using tools like press brakes or rollers, aluminium is bent to create angles, curves, or complex shapes. Bending is crucial for making everything from simple brackets to detailed architectural features. It allows for both functional and aesthetically pleasing designs without compromising the material’s strength and durability.
Precision and expertise are essential in bending to ensure that the final shape is achieved without defects like cracks or wrinkles. Factors such as material thickness, alloy type, and the equipment used all play a role in the success of the bending process.
Applications of Bending
Bending techniques are used across a wide range of industries, highlighting their versatility and importance. In the automotive industry, bending is used to make parts like panels, trim, and structural components.
In construction, it is employed to manufacture window frames, roofing, and structural supports. Aerospace relies on bending for parts of aircraft, such as fuselages and wings.
The marine industry uses bending to craft boat components like hulls, masts, and railings. For consumer goods, aluminium bending is used in creating furniture, appliances, and sports equipment. The signage and electronics sectors also benefit from bending for custom enclosures, brackets, and casings.
In the medical field, bending is used for specialised equipment, and in the renewable energy sector, it is employed in making components for solar panels and wind turbines.
Welding
Welding involves fusing two or more parts together using heat, pressure, or both to create a strong and permanent bond. This process typically starts by melting the base metal and, if needed, adding a filler material to form a molten pool. Once the pool cools, it solidifies, forming a secure joint between the materials.
The result of welding is a joined piece known as a weldment. Welding is widely used for metals and thermoplastics, and sometimes even wood. Various welding techniques, including arc welding, gas welding, and laser welding, are chosen based on the material type, thickness, and the strength of the joint required.
Applications of Welding
Welding is used extensively across different industries, highlighting its importance in creating strong, lasting connections between materials.
In manufacturing, welding is essential for assembling metal components in sectors such as automotive, aerospace, and construction. It ensures the structural integrity of components like beams and frames.
Welding also plays a significant role in the repair and maintenance of machinery and equipment. Skilled welders can fix broken parts, restore worn components, and extend the lifespan of various mechanical systems.
In the oil and gas industry, welding is vital for constructing pipelines, storage tanks, and offshore platforms, where the quality of welds is crucial for preventing leaks and ensuring safety.
Additionally, welding is important in producing consumer goods like appliances, furniture, and electronics. The precise and efficient joining of materials through welding results in high-quality products that meet industry standards and consumer expectations.
Forming
Forming is a fundamental manufacturing process that alters the shape of raw materials to create a final product. This process includes various techniques that permanently change the shape of the material through plastic deformation.
Plastic deformation happens when a material is subjected to stresses such as bending, compression, torsion, or tension, leading to changes like bending, twisting, buckling, shearing, elongation, or compression.
Applications of Forming
Forming techniques are vital across various industries, showcasing their importance in shaping raw materials into complex and specialised products.
In the automotive industry, forming is key to producing lightweight yet robust components like body panels and structural supports. The aerospace sector depends on forming methods to create precise parts like airframe components and wing structures with optimal strength-to-weight ratios.
In construction, forming is essential for making architectural elements such as curtain walls, window frames, and roofing systems, combining aesthetic appeal with structural integrity. The electronics industry also benefits from forming processes to produce heat sinks, enclosures, and other crucial components for electronic devices.
Anodising
Anodising enhances aluminium’s natural corrosion resistance by using the metal as an anode in an electrolyte bath. By placing a cathode in the anodising tank and passing an electric current through the solution, the aluminium’s surface reacts with oxygen to form a thick anodic layer.
This layer, created through a chemical reaction, offers excellent protection without chipping or peeling. Anodising not only increases aluminium's durability and resistance to wear and corrosion but also improves its appearance. The anodised aluminium retains its purity and is fully recyclable.
Anodising can introduce natural colours to the metal, offering a variety of finishes.
Applications of Anodising
Anodised aluminium is used across a range of industries due to its enhanced corrosion resistance and aesthetic appeal. In the automotive industry, anodised components are found in vehicle bodies, trim, and wheels, where durability and resistance to harsh conditions are crucial.
In construction, anodised aluminium is used in facades, windows, and roofing systems, where the protective layer extends the lifespan of the material and reduces maintenance needs.
The aerospace sector also relies on anodised aluminium for aircraft parts, enhancing resistance to corrosion and wear to ensure safety and reliability. In electronics, anodising provides a non-conductive surface for devices like smartphones and laptops.
The medical industry uses anodised aluminium in equipment and devices for its biocompatibility and ease of sterilisation. The broad range of applications demonstrates how anodising significantly enhances both the functionality and appearance of aluminium products across various sectors.
Joining
Joining refers to methods used to connect aluminium parts together. Welding is a common technique where two pieces are permanently joined by melting and fusing them. The materials are heated to a molten state, mixed, and then allowed to cool, forming a strong bond. Different welding methods, such as MIG (Metal Inert Gas), TIG (Tungsten Inert Gas), and arc welding, are used depending on the project's needs.
Riveting is another joining method where rivets are used to secure two pieces together. This mechanical process involves inserting a rivet into pre-drilled holes and deforming it to hold the parts in place, without melting the materials.
Adhesive bonding is also widely used, involving applying a strong adhesive between surfaces to join them. This method is particularly useful for materials that cannot be welded or riveted, offering a clean finish and evenly distributing the load across the joint.
Applications of Joining
In the automotive industry, it is used to bond aluminium panels, hoods, and other parts, providing lightweight properties and vibration dampening for quieter vehicles.
In aerospace, adhesive bonding helps join aluminium parts, contributing to lighter aircraft and better fuel efficiency. The construction industry also benefits from adhesive bonding in curtain walling systems, creating sleek, modern facades with enhanced structural integrity.
The marine sector uses adhesive bonding for aluminium boat hulls and structures, where it offers excellent resistance to water and corrosion. Additionally, the electronics industry relies on adhesives for aluminium heat sinks and casings, aiding in heat dissipation and shielding against electromagnetic interference.
Rolling
Rolling involves passing metal sheets through a pair of rollers to reduce their thickness and improve their surface finish. This technique is commonly used to produce aluminium sheets of varying thicknesses and sizes. The rollers apply pressure to the metal, causing it to deform and elongate in the desired direction.
As the metal moves through the rollers, its thickness decreases while its length and width increase, resulting in a smoother, more uniform surface.
Rolling can be carried out with different types of mills, such as hot rolling mills or cold rolling mills, depending on the required properties of the final aluminium sheet. Hot rolling involves heating the metal above its recrystallisation temperature, making it easier to shape. Cold rolling, performed at room temperature, results in a harder, stronger sheet.
Applications of Rolling
Rolling is fundamental in aluminium fabrication, with a range of benefits and applications. One major use is to reduce the thickness of aluminium sheets while maintaining their length and width, producing thinner, more malleable sheets crucial for industries like automotive, aerospace, and construction.
Additionally, rolling ensures aluminium sheets have a consistent thickness and surface finish, which is vital for applications requiring precision and uniformity, such as electronic components and packaging materials.
The rolling process can also create specific textures or patterns on the surface of aluminium sheets, adding aesthetic appeal and functional properties for architectural and design purposes.
In summary, the aluminium fabrication industry in the UK utilises a range of techniques such as extrusion, cutting, bending, forming, anodising, joining, and rolling to produce high-quality aluminium products for various industrial applications.
These techniques are crucial in shaping aluminium, enhancing its properties, and fulfilling the diverse requirements of different sectors.
The use of these advanced fabrication methods ensures the production of durable and efficient aluminium products across the UK.
Ready to Elevate Your Aluminium Fabrication Project?
Whether you’re in the early stages of planning or looking to refine the details of your aluminium fabrication, Finish Architectural is here to help. With our expertise in techniques like extrusion, cutting, bending, and rolling, we’re committed to delivering top-quality results tailored to your specific needs.
Let’s bring your vision to life. Contact us today to discuss how we can collaborate on your next project and turn your ideas into reality.
Need more information?
To see how Finish Architectural could support your next project - simply call us, or use the form below.