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While aluminum extrusion involves the process of forming a product by pushing it through a custom die that matches the product’s profile, it's similar to sheet metal in that both techniques exploit the metal’s versatility by bending it to form a new object.Both techniques also use punching during the forming process, but this depends on the type of product that is being manufactured. 

Custom aluminum extrusions have become an integral building material for countless industry sectors. The beauty, of course, is that the extrusion forming process allows for unlimited options and possibilities when designing a finished product. Beyond the tooling and fabrication of aluminum extrusions, a high-quality product must be the end result. Which is why aluminum extrusion suppliers like Offshore Direct Metals focus on the highest industry standards and a top-quality product.

There are many options for designers, engineers, and manufacturers to choose from when specifying metals for fabrication. When it comes to the extrusion process, every metal offers unique benefits and properties. With custom aluminum extrusions, for example, suppliers are offering finished products that are fast becoming a viable alternative to steel.

Custom aluminum extrusions find themselves in our homes, stores, parks, places of work, and virtually anywhere else. This is because they offer several excellent benefits that outweigh traditional methods and processes of extrusion. They can be used to create things like wreaths, wind chimes, and snowflakes.With custom aluminum extrusions, manufacturers can save money on cost, seamlessly create complex shape profiles, improve the functionality of modern architectural processes, and, importantly, save the environment from carbon release. 

Aluminum has the ideal attributes for healthcare and medical applications – it’s lightweight, corrosion-resistant, structurally flexible, highly durable, and very cost-effective. As such, it’s the perfect metal for fabricating equipment, instruments, and even intricate devices. In short, aluminum extrusions can fulfill the demands of all types of industry sectors – from biomedical research to surgical operating rooms.

When engineers and designers order custom aluminum extrusions, they require specific shapes, sizes, and configurations. And if fabrication and manufacturing were perfect, the sizes and shapes would be faultless and error-free. In reality, variations are inherent to metal forming processes, and these variations require a label description known as “tolerance."

Standard (or stock) aluminum extrusions simply don’t completely satisfy the needs of every industry or every application. On the other hand, with custom aluminum extrusions, it’s possible to fully customize a finished product and meet the strictest specifications. Custom aluminum extrusions enable designers and engineers to create the products, tools, and materials that will satisfy specific requirements while providing maximum long-term performance. The key, of course, is to ensure the usage of high-quality products. OD Metals is one of the nation’s leading aluminum extrusion suppliers, servicing a wide range of industries and often dealing with very demanding customers. We source, fabricate, and ship all of our aluminum extrusion products to customers right around the world.

Custom aluminum extrusions are being used for a wide variety of applications, and the aerospace industry is one of the major end-users. In aerospace, aluminum alloys are integral components in every aspect of production. Aluminum extrusion suppliers manufacture aluminum alloys to allow for increased speed, strength, and safety of all types of aircraft. Because aluminum is durable and lightweight, it also protects the aircraft from the stresses of flight. And practically everything is made of aluminum.

With custom aluminum extrusions, there are many finishes that can be applied during the fabrication process. And while aluminum has a natural ability to prevent corrosion, there are specific finishes that increase corrosion prevention, thus extending the overall product lifetime. Anodizing custom aluminum extrusions is one of the more effective ways for engineers and designers to provide further protection for the finished material. The process increases durability and longevity and is also used to aesthetically enhance the product's color and texture.

While there are countless variations of custom aluminum extrusions, there are also numerous finishes that can be applied to the extrusion itself. These finishes are designed to influence the appearance, performance, and longevity of the finished custom extrusion.