English
English
In the current wave of rapid development in industrial manufacturing, complex aluminum profiles are widely used as key materials in various fields such as aerospace, automotive manufacturing, and construction. However, aluminum extrusion molds face a series of severe challenges when processing complex profiles, which seriously restrict the improvement of production efficiency and product quality. Exploring these common problems in depth and exploring effective coping techniques has become an urgent task for the development of the industry.
1、 Frequently Asked Questions
（1） Mold clogging
Mold blockage can be considered one of the most challenging problems in the processing of complex profiles. When processing large thin-walled car body profiles with vastly different aspect ratios, or complex profiles with multiple small holes and thin walls, due to the complex shape of the profiles and significant differences in wall thickness, it is difficult to maintain consistent aluminum flow velocity inside the mold. When the flow rate is too fast, the aluminum matrix cannot flow uniformly and is prone to accumulate in narrow areas, working belts, or empty blades of the mold, leading to mold blockage. Moreover, improper control of extrusion temperature, whether too high or too low, can have a negative impact on the fluidity of aluminum, further increasing the risk of mold blockage. According to industry statistics, production interruptions caused by mold blockages result in annual economic losses of tens of millions of yuan for enterprises.
（2） Die deformation
Mold deformation is also an issue that cannot be ignored. When extruding complex structures such as porous, long cantilever shaped profiles with large cross-sections, the cantilever part of the mold will bear enormous pressure. If there are defects in the mold design and the strength of the cantilever part is insufficient, it is easy for deformation to occur during the extrusion process. In addition, during long-term high-intensity use, the mold will gradually deform due to fatigue damage, resulting in changes in the size of the mold hole, ultimately affecting the dimensional accuracy and surface quality of the profile. A well-known aluminum profile production enterprise once had to scrap a batch of products worth millions due to mold deformation, resulting in dimensional deviations exceeding the allowable range and causing serious economic losses.
（3） Surface defects on profiles
After the completion of complex profile processing, surface defects are more prominent. Small protrusions, foreign objects, or insufficient smoothness on the surface of the mold will leave scratches on the surface of the profile; During the extrusion process, if the gas is not completely expelled, bubbles will form inside the profile, affecting the strength and appearance of the product; Unreasonable design of the mold working belt, inadequate mold repair work, or inappropriate size of the diversion hole and pre chamber can all lead to uneven surface of the profile; Equipment shaking, inappropriate mold support pads, and poor mold stiffness can cause vibration patterns on the surface of the profile. These surface defects not only damage the aesthetics of the product, but may also reduce its service life and performance, putting the product at a disadvantage in market competition.
2、 Coping skills
（1） Optimize mold design
Reasonable design of mold structure is the core of solving complex profile processing problems. When designing molds for large section profiles of porous thin-walled profiles, a design with inclined and symmetrical upper and lower diversion holes can be adopted to ensure uniform thickness of the porous wall and feeding of the intermediate ribs, effectively solving the problem of uneven aluminum flow velocity. For porous and elongated reinforced profiles, a porous back hole design is adopted to ensure balanced feeding of intermediate long bars. At the same time, precise planning of parameters such as length, width, and angle of the work zone can avoid uneven aluminum flow velocity, thereby reducing the occurrence of mold blockage and surface defects on profiles. A certain enterprise successfully reduced the probability of mold blockage by 60% and significantly improved the surface quality of its products by optimizing mold design.
（2） Control processing parameters
Strictly controlling the extrusion speed and temperature is crucial. For complex profiles, the high-temperature slow extrusion method is usually used. For example, a certain enterprise reduced the extrusion speed by 30% and increased the extrusion temperature by 20 ℃ when processing complex profiles, effectively avoiding the problems of aluminum material accumulation and deformation. Accurately control the extrusion temperature to ensure good fluidity of aluminum and prevent various problems caused by high or low temperature. Adopt the correct upward pressure method to avoid excessive pressure in an instant and ensure that the aluminum substrate is evenly stacked inside the mold. Through these measures, the product qualification rate of the enterprise has increased from 70% to 90%.
（3） Improve the precision and maintenance of mold manufacturing
Improving the precision of mold processing and ensuring a smooth mold surface can effectively reduce the possibility of aluminum substrate adhesion. After processing, the diversion hole should have no tool marks. Before heat treatment, the stress should be roughly ground off, and then polished to control the hardness within an appropriate range. Regular maintenance and upkeep should be carried out during the use of the mold. A certain enterprise has carried out multiple nitriding treatments on the molds, improving their wear resistance and corrosion resistance, resulting in more stable discharge, and extending the service life of the molds by 50%. Timely detection and repair of minor damage to the mold can prevent the problem from escalating and effectively reduce production costs.
（4） Standardize operational procedures
Strict adherence to operating procedures by operators is the foundation for ensuring smooth production. Before squeezing, carefully inspect the tooling to ensure that the squeezing cylinder, squeezing rod, etc. are well matched with the mold and have appropriate gaps. Strengthen the cleaning management of the production site to prevent foreign objects from mixing into the aluminum substrate. Timely collect material heads and samples, grasp detailed information on defective products in production, in order to make timely corrections to the mold. A certain enterprise has reduced mold problems caused by improper operation by 80% and significantly improved production efficiency by strengthening operator training and standardizing operating procedures.
Although aluminum extrusion molds face numerous difficulties in complex profile processing, a series of coping techniques such as optimizing mold design, controlling processing parameters, improving mold manufacturing accuracy and maintenance, and standardizing operating procedures can effectively solve these problems. This not only helps to improve production efficiency and product quality, but also meets the growing demand for complex aluminum profiles in the market, promoting the development of the aluminum profile processing industry towards higher quality. In the future, with the continuous innovation and progress of technology, the aluminum profile processing industry is expected to break through existing bottlenecks, achieve more efficient and high-quality production, provide more solid material support for the development of various fields, and occupy a more advantageous position in global industrial competition.
