Aluminium extruded profiles seem to be everywhere. You can see them in house plans, cut-outs for furniture, exterior elements of a building or even industrial components. Their primary key features, durability, flexibility, low cost-efficiency and the fact they're lightweight make them ideal both for domestic use, in the home and in specialist industrial applications. Understanding how they are made and what makes them so appealing is key to understanding why people use them so frequently.

Typically aluminium extruded profiles consist of a single or multiple flat plate element which is thermally bent to create the profile's shape. The plate can either be made from a solid or a mixture of metals - stainless steel, aluminium, copper, tin, steel or zinc. The flat surface can either be polished or be left with a Matt finish, depending on the application. In flat pack manufacturing, extruded profiles might be used where a good tight fit is required for support or structural strength, while a smooth flat surface is used for aesthetic appeal and to optimise production time and space. The fact that aluminium extruded profile can be extruded at relatively low pressure and with a high yield rating (the maximum weight that can be supported by the extrusion), make them very suitable for high volume production where small errors in calculations do not have much impact.

While aluminium extruded profiles are typically used for their mechanical properties and to produce component parts in large numbers, the process of making them also has another important benefit. That is that the design elements of aluminium extruded profiles lend themselves to rapid prototype making, as the need for prototypes is far less. This can translate into significant cost savings, as production runs can be completed more quickly and at a lower cost. For instance, in some areas where there are a limited number of manufacturers producing a wide range of products, it may be necessary to set up a prototype facility on a part-by-part basis.

This is made possible through the use of specialised aluminium extrusion equipment which provides the precise tolerance and surface treatment required. This equipment includes a computer system which is able to read the data from the various aluminium profiles during the manufacturing process. It is this information which enables the machine to determine the precise profile diameter, flow rate, surface treatment resistance and so on, all of which determine the performance of the product and help to create a quality product.

The benefit of using aluminium extruded profiles is not just their speed of production, as is often thought. Because aluminium profiles can be produced with a high degree of precision, they are an environmentally friendly option, reducing the consumption of fossil fuels such as coal. They also contribute to a better economic system, through both direct and indirect employment. Aluminium extrusion manufacturers can offer a variety of options to their customers, creating a wide range of different aluminium products, from low-density small aluminium profiles, to high-density large aluminium profiles, which can provide a significant competitive advantage in the market.

In addition, the use of aluminium extrusion manufacturers enables the manufacture of many more parts than would be possible without their expertise. For instance, large aluminium extrusions are often used to create large antenna components and vehicle bumper lids. However, large aluminium profiles alone would not be sufficient for these applications, which require a relatively small overall volume. Aluminium extrusion manufacturers can also provide the tools and materials needed for other types of small products, such as nails, screws and bolts. This means that there is no need to purchase large amounts of materials, which reduces the cost and time-intensive preparation stage involved with most large projects.