The short answer Standard EN 755-9 holds plus or minus 0.15 mm on a 3 mm dimension and 0.25 mm across a hollow, opening to 0.5 mm at 90 to 120 mm. Minimum wall is about 0.8 mm in 6063 and roughly 25 percent thicker in 6061; anything tighter than the standard needs secondary machining. Two standards, two price levels Aluminium extrusion is bought against one of two European tolerance systems, a...

The short answer Extrusion wins above roughly 500 to 1,500 parts when the cross-section is constant: a die costs 1,500 to 10,000 dollars, 95 percent of the bought metal ends up in the part and as-pressed tolerance is around 0.2 mm. Below that volume, or where the geometry changes along the length, machine it from stock. The two processes answer different questions Extrusion is a shaping proces...

The short answer Choose 6063 when the profile is visible, thin-walled or complex, because it extrudes at 50 to 60 feet per minute and anodises evenly. Choose 6061 when the section must carry load: at T6 it reaches 290 to 310 MPa against 186 to 240 MPa for 6063, for about 10 to 15 percent more on the metal. One alloying element explains most of the difference Both alloys are Al-Mg-Si from the 6...

The short answer Design for extrusion means one constant cross-section, uniform walls and generous radii. Keep walls at 1.0 to 3.0 mm with adjacent walls within 2 to 1, use R 0.5 mm minimum at internal corners and R 0.2 mm externally, keep the section symmetrical, and move every hole, thread and cross-wise feature to secondary CNC machining. What the process actually constrains Extrusion pushe...

The short answer Aluminium extrusion gives a structural frame a custom cross-section at a die cost of 500 to 3,000 dollars, a third of the weight of steel at comparable section strength, natural corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity near 200 watts per metre-kelvin, and material use above 95 percent. For long linear parts it is usually the cheapest route. Why a constant section is an advan...