Functionality

There is an almost limitless variety of forms an aluminum extrusion can take. Extrusion's design flexibility allows a great deal of functionality to be designed into extruded components, improving performance, saving secondary operations and speeding subsequent assembly. The extrusion shown below illustrates some of the functions that are commonly incorporated.

However, there are practical limitations to this design flexibility. Some designs will prove very challenging to extrude, while minor tweaks to an extrusion design can often yield significant benefits in extrudability, and consequently, cost. Click here for a series of design tips (coming soon). You can find more complete guidance on effective design of extruded components — along with a host of other extrusion technology information — in AEC's Aluminum Extrusion Manual. Finally, most extruders have professionals on staff who are ready to help in optimizing your design for functionality and cost effectiveness. Click on Find an Extruder to locate a source near you.