Gulf Extrusions, a prominent UAE-based supplier of aluminium extrusion products, has announced it has developed a new aluminium alloy that can sustain high quality surface finish at significantly high extrusions speeds.

The new alloy can be used as raw material through extrusion processes accelerated to an amazing 133 per cent higher than normal production speeds,” a company spokesman said. “While optimising machine use for extruders, the alloy will ensure higher productivity without requiring higher investment in production equipment,” he added.
Introducing the innovation, Robert Holtkamp, director of sales and marketing, said the development came from the company’s efforts to improve machine output and achieve higher metal recovery.
“The development of the new alloy was a result of Gulf Extrusions investment into improved product quality, as well as optimised extrusion processes,” he said.
 “That means, with the existing infrastructure Gulf Extrusions will now have significantly higher production capacities, without compromising in any way on the structural strength or surface quality of the extruded profiles.”
The development of the alloy was the result of an experiment that was carried out by Gulf Extrusions, with the support of Dubai Aluminium Company Limited (Dubal), over a period of two years. The objective of the experiment was to examine and improve upon the output limitations of normal extrusion processes. It was noted that many factors influence machine output; with one of the most important being the speed at which the extrusion process takes place. The existing composition of the aluminium alloy 6063 (most commonly used in extrusion processes) could support speeds of approximately 30 m/min (metres per minute). At speeds higher than this, the extruded profile becomes prone to problems such as high temperature surface cracking (or hot tearing), resulting in poor surface finish and lower over all quality.
During the experiment, Gulf Extrusions trialled four different aluminium alloy compositions, as well as improved die designs to facilitate higher m/min ratio, without affecting the surface finish.  While die correction was carried out by rounding off edges to improve surface finish, the four alloys went through process tests as billets (raw material for extrusion); through the extrusion process; and through the anodising process for achieving the final profile finish.
The chosen alloy could sustain improved extrusion speeds ranging from 87.5 per cent to 133 per cent, depending on the extrusion die used. Besides sustaining high speeds and delivering extremely good results for all kinds of surface treatments, including anodising, the new alloy also facilitates extrusion of complicated profile shapes without creating any process difficulties. It has also been extensively tested for quality and strength and has proven to have mechanical properties of the highest standards.
“Gulf Extrusions’ commitment to quality and innovation goes back more than a quarter of a century, to the time of the company’s inception. Over the years, Gulf Extrusions has become the market leader for aluminium extrusion profiles in the GCC region,” said Holtkamp.
“The company has also captured significant market share of the aluminium extrusion imports made by the UK, Germany and Canada, as well as many other countries around the world. This new development will ensure that the Gulf Extrusion brand becomes synonymous around the world with best-of-breed aluminium profiles.”
The modern processing equipment and techniques permit the company to produce a range of over 7,000 profiles. These vary from architectural sections to components for household items, AC grills and customised products.