How to Machine High Purity Aluminum
Aluminum derives from bauxite ore or recycled aluminum scrap. It is combined with oxygen and other elements in bauxite ore. After extraction and processing, pure aluminum is a soft, silvery-white metal. In high-purity aluminum nearly all impurities have been removed. It is 99.99 percent pure and is machined like other grades of aluminum. To process aluminum for various applications, the manufacturer heats the aluminum in a smelter and then forms it into ingots (large blocks) or billets (log-shaped rods). Using rolling mills, workers machine ingots into aluminum plates, sheets or foils. Dies machine ingots or billets into extrusions or forgings.
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Instructions
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Generate aluminum plate by putting ingots between rolls under pressure. Preheat the ingots to make rolling easier. Larger rolling mills can handle larger ingots. A typical ingot may be 20 feet long, 6 feet wide and 2 feet thick, according to the Aluminum Association. Roll the ingot back and forth in a mill, called the breakdown mill. Keep rolling the ingot until you reach the desired thickness. Plate is 0.250 or more inch thick. Prepare plate to the specifications required for various applications. High-purity aluminum and its alloys are used in high-tech applications such as electronics and aerospace.
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Produce aluminum sheet from plate. Trim the plate after it leaves the breakdown mill. Place the plate into a continuous mill for further rolling to reduce its thickness. When the generated sheet is thin enough, coil it and heat it in a furnace to soften it for cold rolling. For some sheet, cold rolling is the last step, but heat-treatable sheet needs to be processed further at high temperatures to improve its strength. The thickness of sheet ranges between 0.249 and 0.006 inch. Sheet is the most widely used form of aluminum, mostly used to make cans, cookware, appliances and building materials.
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Generate aluminum foil from plate or sheet. Roll aluminum plate or sheet until it reaches a thickness of 0.0075 inch or less, depending on the desired specifications.
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Produce aluminum extrusions by pushing the aluminum metal through a die. Aluminum extrusions range from simple to complex shapes. Use aluminum billets to make extrusions such as wire, rods or bars.
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Forge aluminum to make it into a predetermined shape. Hammer the aluminum metal or use a closed die.
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Machine or cut all aluminum metal with tools that have a highly polished edge so that the aluminum does not bond to the cutting edge. You need less force to cut aluminum than other metals, because it is soft. When cutting aluminum, reduce all vibrations to make precision products. Use compatible lubricants during cutting to dissipate heat and prevent the aluminum from bonding to the tool.
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Tips & Warnings
The aluminum industry uses the term "aluminum" to refer to pure aluminum as well as aluminum alloys. Aluminum alloys are produced by adding small amounts of metals such as copper, magnesium, silicon, manganese or other metals to improve the strength and properties of aluminum..
Custom dies for producing extrusions are relatively low in cost.
Cast aluminum products are usually made from aluminum alloys.
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