Minimum wall thickness of aluminum extrusion

[Adrian2]

Dear Folks;

Could anyone tell me if there is a limit to wall thickness in aluminum extrusion using 6061-T6 ?

I have drawings of parts made in China with wall thickness 0.90mm and 0.80 +/- .15mm

I am being told that no one in North America can extrude sections of this thickness

Would appreciate any information that could be shared

Many Thanks in adviance


Adrian Dunevein
AAA Drafting Services

http://www.aaadrafting.com

 

[mcgyvr]

You are right around the possible limit.
Some vendors may do it.. others may not.
There are charts for minimum thickness vs circumscribed circle of the part for extrusions..
Most recommend about .030-.040" for up to a 2" circumscribed circle

To say that no one in North American can extrude a section of that thickness is incorrect.. But other factors may come into play too beyond just thickness.. relationships/volumes/costs/overall part size,etc...

 

[ornerynorsk]

That's a pretty broad brush for someone to say that. I have a "widget" sitting on my desk done by an extruder less than 100 miles from me (Minnesota) that gets down to 0.7mm wall. Like mcgyvr said, there are a lot of factors at play. There are most definitely shops that will push the boundaries of what is possible, and do it well.

It is better to have enough ideas for some of them to be wrong, than to be always right by having no ideas at all.