Tuesday, October 10, 2023
With the increasing demand for specialised aluminium alloys designed for use in high-end applications such as aerospace, automotive or safety products, there is a growing need for metal producers to meet complex mechanical specifications and to decrease final product weight.
Achieving these goals and delivering the high-quality aluminium products required relies heavily on accurate temperature measurements. Extrusion and quench process temperatures are crucial to both process and product quality and must be monitored continuously.
For example, the temperature of the extrusion at the press exit affects the dimensional properties and surface finish of the final product. If it is too high, the surface may suffer imperfections or even crack, but is even slightly too low, the die in the extrusion press may wear more rapidly since the metal will be harder and so requires additional pressure to extrude. As the die wears, the physical size of the extruded section changes; it is also expensive to replace the die.
Precision temperature measurements also benefit extrusion plants manufacturing lowerquality profiles, as monitoring provides greater control over the process, allowing them to increase their press speeds and improve production rates.
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