There are two principle reasons to coat aluminum extrusions. The first one is to control the appearance for purposes of color coordination, uniformity, or visual appeal. Secondly, to protect the substrate from environmental damage due to acid rain, sulfur pollution, salt corrosion, or excess oxidation. The type of finish selected for aluminum extrusions depends upon the use of the...

Aluminum extrusion offers product design key advantages inherent in the flexibility of the process to reduce fastener and assembly costs as illustrated in the Alex-Cube business card holder. Snap Fit Assemblies A “snap-fit” joint (O) is one that is self-locking and requires no additional fasteners to hold the joint together. Several rolled shapes, riveted together, can be...

Precisely manufactured components are critical to helping OEM engineers bring their product designs to life. When those products involve bent and formed aluminum extrusions, product designers need to consider factors, such as inside and outside diameters, critical surface areas and mechanical strength that can affect a part's final fit and finish. Different types of bending and stretch...

Saving money while maintaining freedom of design presents a challenge for every manufacturer using machined extruded parts. Every industry that uses the extrusion process as an integral part of their design can benefit from the expertise Alexandria Industries offers. Fastening extrusions together without unnecessary machining or fabricating will reduce costs and increase...

The ability for engineers to utilize a near-net shape process coupled with a list of superior physical characteristics, offers unsurpassed advantages through the aluminum extrusion process. Aluminum has numerous design advantages, in terms of physical and chemical characteristics as well as providing beneficial tooling advantages and reduced lead-times. Process Typical...

In today's fast-paced, first-to-market environment, product design engineers will want to explore the benefits afforded through the aluminum extrusion prototyping process during the design stage. It allows you to set high performance expectations for your components and the value they bring to the end product. From a functional perspective, it is important to ask what key purpose the...

Gaining a competitive advantage in an increasingly demanding marketplace can be as simple as reducing supplier lead times, while minimizing inventory liabilities associated with large batch orders. Most domestic manufacturing operations will define lead-time as, “the time from when a manufacturing order is transmitted until the order is received by the customer.” Defining lead-time...

A universal misconception of aluminum is that it is not strong enough to use in load-bearing structural applications. Perhaps that stems from the known fact of an aluminum can and its crushability. In all actuality, aluminum is probably a “victim of its own strength” in this respect, as its high strength-to-weight ratio is partly what allows manufacturers of aluminum cans to use...

Product flexibility can be defined as the amount of responsiveness (or adaptability) for any future change in a product design, including new products and derivatives of existing products. A flexible design will reduce redesign costs and allow quicker response to customers with increased performance. Many manufacturers offer products that are specifically designed to present...

It might seem like some people are natural born leaders, while others have to work hard at becoming one. At Alexandria Industries, every employee has the potential and the opportunity to be a great leader. Think of leadership as a verb. It is an action word. We must do something to make it happen. Leadership is taking the initiative to help someone. It is seeing something...