ALUMEC

High strength aluminium

ALUMEC
2
Thi s i nf ormat i on i s based on our present st at e of know l edge and i s
i nt ended t o provi de general not es on our product s and t hei r uses. It shoul d
not t heref ore be const rued as a warrant y of speci f i c propert i es of t he
product s descri bed or a warrant y f or f i t ness f or a part i cul ar purpose.
ALUMEC
3
General
ALUMEC i s a hi gh st rengt h al umi ni um al l oy
suppl i ed i n t he f orm of hot rol l ed, heat t reat ed
pl at e. It undergoes a speci al col d st ret chi ng opera-
t i on f or maxi mum st ress rel i evi ng. Thanks t o i t s hi gh
st rengt h and good st abi l i t y, ALUMEC has become
w i del y used i n t he t ool i ng i ndust ry.
Del i very condi t i on: heat t reat ed t o 146180 Bri nel l .
Applicat ion areas
The propert i es and charact eri st i cs w hi ch ALUMEC
of f ers make i t an i deal mat eri al f or prot ot ype t ool s
and f or moul di ng short and medi um l engt h produc-
t i on runs w hi ch are not subj ect ed t o hi gh pressures
or abrasi ve pl ast i cs. Consi derabl y short er t ool
maki ng t i mes, l ow er t ool i ng cost s and short er cycl e
t i mes gi ve val uabl e savi ngs bot h f or t he t ool maker
and t he t ool user w hen usi ng ALUMEC.
ALUMEC has t he f ol l ow i ng charact eri st i cs w hi ch
make i t sui t abl e f or many t ypes of t ool s especi al l y
pl ast i cs moul ds:
Excellent M achinabilit y
Hi gh cut t i ng speeds, reduced machi ni ng t i me,
l ow er t ool i ng cost s, qui cker del i veri es.
Low Weight
The l ow w ei ght , w hi ch i s approxi mat el y 1/3 of
t he w ei ght of st eel , al l ow s easi er and more
conveni ent t ool handl i ng. Low i nert i a makes i t
possi bl e t o speed up cl osi ng and openi ng of
moul ds.
High Thermal Conduct ivit y
Cycl e t i mes are reduced and l ess compl i cat ed
cool i ng syst ems may be used.
Good St abilit y
A speci al st ress rel i evi ng operat i on guarant ees
mi ni mal def ormat i on duri ng and af t er machi n-
i ng.
Good Corrosion Resist ance
Good resi st ance agai nst al l commonl y used
pl ast i cs mat eri al s.
Appl i cat i on Areas Prot o- Short Medi um Long
t ypes runs runs runs
Bl ow moul di ng X X X X
Vacuum f ormi ng X X X X
Foam moul di ng X X X (X)
RIM-moul di ng X X X (X)
Inj ect i on moul di ng
of t hermopl ast i cs X X (X)
Rubber moul di ng X X
Hol ders and support
pl at es, j i gs and
f i xt ures
Tool i ng Cat egory
Suit able f or Surf ace Treat ment s
ALUMEC can be hard anodi zed, hard chromi um
or ni ckel pl at ed f or i ncreased hardness, w ear
resi st ance and corrosi on resi st ance.
ALUMEC
4
re
190
180
170
160
150
140
Vi ckers hardness 10kg VPN
AA 7075-T651
HB
180
170
160
150
140
130
Cent er l i ne
150 mm
ALUM EC
Val ues at room t emperat ure unl ess st at ed
ot herw i se.
Densi t y kg/m
3
2 830
l bs/i n
3
0,102
Modul us of el ast i ci t y N/mm
2
71 500
psi 10,3 x 10
6
Coef f i ci ent of t hermal expansi on
per C f rom 20C t o 100C 23 x 10
6
per F (68212F) 12,8 x 10
-6
Thermal conduct i vi t y W/m C 165
Bt u i n/f t
2
h F 1 144
Speci f i c heat J/kg C 890
Bt u/l b. F 0,20
TENSI LE STRENGTH
Tensi l e st rengt h val ues, w hi ch f or most pract i cal
purposes can be compared t o compressi on st rengt h
val ues, shoul d be regarded as t ypi cal .
Val ues at room t emperat ure f or di f f erent pl at e
t hi cknesses.
Pl at e (t hi ckness) Tensi l e st rengt h Yi el d st rengt h
mm N/mm
2
N/mm
2
> 1050 590 550
> 50100 570 520
> 100150 550 500
> 150200 535 485
> 200300 430 365
Round bar (di amet er)
mm
40 680 630
100 680 620
200 670 610
Not e t hat t he pl at e i s t est ed i n t he t ransverse di rect i on and t he
round bar i n t he l engt h di rect i on.
Propert ies
PHYSI CAL DATA
Hardness di st ri but i on t hrough t he pl at e cross
sect i on
CUTTI NG TOOL
DESI GN AND M ATERI AL
Al t hough al umi ni um al l oys gi ve l ow cut t i ng f orces,
i t i s necessary t o use hi gh qual i t y cut t i ng t ool s. In
order t o achi eve t he hi ghest possi bl e cut t i ng speed
t he use of cement ed carbi de t ool s, especi al l y duri ng
t urni ng and end mi l l i ng, i s i deal .
The same cut t i ng t ool s normal l y used f or st eel can
al so be used f or machi ni ng of ALUMEC. How ever,
f or good product i on economy, t ool s w i t h l arge
posi t i ve angl es shoul d be used. The f l ut e shoul d
have a l arge chi p space and be pol i shed t o prevent
chi ps cl oggi ng t he cut t er.
When saw i ng ALUMEC, a coarse t oot h saw bl ade i s
recommended.
COOLI NG/ LUBRI CATI ON
The purpose of cut t i ng f l ui d i s t o cool t he w ork
pi ece and t o l ubri cat e t he cut t i ng t ool . Because of
t he hi gh cut t i ng speeds possi bl e w hen machi ni ng
ALUMEC, cool i ng i s i mport ant , al t hough t he heat
conduct i vi t y of ALUMEC i s very hi gh. Good l ubri -
cat i on i s of speci al i mport ance duri ng deep hol e
dri l l i ng, as t here i s a prol onged cont act bet w een
chi ps and t ool .
Cut t i ng f l ui ds recommended f or st eel may some-
t i mes di scol or t he al umi ni um surf ace, i f PH val ues
are hi gh. Most manuf act urers of cut t i ng f l ui d have
uni versal f l ui ds sui t abl e f or bot h st eel and
al umi num.
M achining
GENERAL
A maj or advant age w hen machi ni ng al umi ni um
al l oys i s t he possi bi l i t y of usi ng hi gh cut t i ng speeds.
The reason i s t he l ow cut t i ng f orce needed com-
pared w i t h st eel and brass. Because of t he excel l ent
combi nat i on of mechani cal and physi cal propert i es
i n ALUMEC t he maxi mum cut t i ng speed possi bl e i s
very hi gh, w hen sui t abl e cut t i ng t ool s are used.
When usi ng hi gh speed mi l l i ng machi nes, cut t i ng
speeds exceedi ng 3 500 m/mi n. (11 500 f t ./mi n.)
has been used w i t h good resul t s.
ALUMEC
5
Rough Fi ne Fi ne Turni ng
t urni ng t urni ng t urni ng w i t h hi gh
w i t h w i t h w i t h speed
carbi de carbi de PCD
1)
st eel
Cut t i ng
speed (v
c
)
m/mi n 6001200 12002500 6001500 250300
f.p.m. 19803960 39608250 19804950 825990
Feed (f )
mm/r 0,31,0 0,3 0,3 0,3
i .p.r. 0,0120,04 0,012 0,012 0,012
Dept h of
cut (a
p
)
mm 26 2 3 3
i nch 0,080,24 0,08 0,12 0,12
Carbi de
desi gnat i on
ISO K20 K10
DRI LLI NG
High speed st eel t wist drill
1)
Indexabl e Sol i d Brazed
i nsert carbi de carbi de
1)
Dept h of cut
(v
c
)
m/mi n 200400 200300 200300
f.p.m. 6651330 665990 665990
Feed (f )
mm/r 0,050,25
2)
0,100,25
2)
0,150,25
2)
i .p.r. 0,0020,01
2)
0,0040,01
2)
0,0060,01
2)
Carbide drill
1)
Dri l l w i t h i nt ernal cool i ng channel s and brazed carbi de t i p.
2)
Dependi ng on dri l l di amet er.
Dri l l di amet er Cut t i ng speed (v
c
) Feed (f )
mm i nch m/mi n f.p.m. mm/r i .p.r.
5 3/16 5070 165230 0,080,20 0,0030,008
510 3/163/8 5070 165230 0,200,30 0,0080,012
1015 3/85/8 5070 165230 0,300,35 0,0120,014
1520 5/83/4 5070 165230 0,350,40 0,0140,016
1)
Poi nt angel 118 hel i x angl e 1630.
Cut t ing dat a
recommendat ions
The cut t i ng dat a bel ow are t o be consi dered as
gui di ng val ues w hi ch must be adapt ed t o exi st i ng
l ocal condi t i ons.
TURNI NG
1)
Pol ycryst al l i n di amond.
Rough Fi ne Fi ne Mi l l i ng
mi l l i ng mi l l i ng mi l l i ng w i t h hi gh
w i t h w i t h w i t h speed
carbi de carbi de PCD
1)
st eel
Cut t i ng
speed
(v
c
)
m/mi n 6001000 10003000 8004000 250400
f.p.m. 19803300 33009900 265013200 8251320
Feed (f
z
)
mm/t oot h 0,20,6 0,10,2 0,050,2 0,4
i n/t oot h 0,0080,024 0,0040,008 0,0020,008 0,016
Dept h of
cut (a
p
)
mm 28 2 2 8
i nch 0,080,32 0,08 0,08 0,32
Carbi de
desi g-
nat i on
ISO K20 K10
M I LLI NG
Face and square shoulder f ace milling
1)
Pol ycryst al l i n di amond.
End milling
Sol i d Carbi de Hi gh
carbi de i ndexabl e i nsert speed st eel
Cut t i ng
speed (v
c
)
m/mi n 300500 300500 120250
f.p.m. 9901650 9901650 400825
Feed (f
z
)
mm/t oot h 0,030,20
1)
0,080,20
1)
0,050,35
1)
i nch/t oot h 0,0010,008
1)
0,0030,008
1)
0,0020,014
1)
Carbi de
desi gnat i on
ISO K20
1)
Dependi ng on t he radi al dept h of cut and cut t er di amet er.
Mi l l i ng ALUMEC.
ALUMEC
6
Elect rical Discharge
M achining (EDM )
Machi ne set t i ngs are si mi l ar t o t hose used f or st eel
but may need more pow er t o st abi l i ze. Met al re-
moval rat es are 3 t o 4 t i mes t hat of st eel necessi -
t at i ng good f l ushi ng t o avoi d arci ng.
Copper el ect rodes gi ve best resul t s and show l ess
w ear. Roughi ng el ect rodes are rarel y requi red.
Phot o-et ching
ALUMEC i s perf ect f or phot o-et chi ng t hanks t o i t s
homogeneous st ruct ure.
Surf ace t reat ment
HARD ANODI SI NG
ALUMEC can be hard anodi sed f or hi gher w ear
resi st ance, gi vi ng a surf ace hardness equi val ent t o
about 65 HRC i n st eel . Usual coat i ng t hi ckness i s
2050 m. Anodi si ng i s used t o a l i mi t ed degree i n
moul d cavi t i es due t o t he di f f erence i n expansi on of
t he surf ace l ayer rel at i ve t o t he underl yi ng al u-
mi ni um. Thi s can l ead t o hai rl i ne cracki ng, spoi l i ng
t he surf ace appearance of moul di ngs. Thi s surf ace i s
usual l y accept abl e on non-moul di ng t ool part s, such
as sl i des, w ear gui des, l eader pi ns and bushes,
ej ect or pi ns, et c.
Polishing guidelines
GENERAL
Mai nt ai n a cl ean w ork envi ronment and ensure
t hat t he w ork pi ece i s f l ushed w i t h an appropri at e
i ndust ri al sol vent t o prevent accumul at i on of
pol i shi ng debri s.
Use l arge t ool s w herever possi bl e t o prevent hi gh
l evel s of l ocal i zed pressure l eadi ng t o surf ace
degradat i on.
Renew gri ndi ng paper f requent l y and change di rec-
t i on of gri ndi ng bet w een grades. When w orki ng
t owards a mi rror f i ni sh use copi ous quant i t i es of
l ubri cant such as a l i ght oi l .
See separat e l eaf l et Pol i shi ng of Tool St eel f or
det ai l ed i nf ormat i on on pol i shi ng.
TECHNI QUES
Bot h mechani cal and manual t echni ques may be
used. When seeki ng a mi rror f i ni sh t he use of pow er
t ool s shoul d be avoi ded.
ALUMEC i s i deal f or hi gh-st rengt h, l i ght wei ght di e-set s.
GRI NDI NG
A general gri ndi ng w heel recommendat i on i s
gi ven bel ow. For gri ndi ng of ALUMEC use si l i con
carbi de abrasi ve. Cut t i ng oi l i s recommended as
gri ndi ng f l ui d.
Type of gri ndi ng Wheel recommendat i on
Face gri ndi ng st rai ght w heel C 46 H V
Face gri ndi ng segment s C 24 G V
Cyl i ndri cal gri ndi ng C 60 J V
Int ernal gri ndi ng C 46 H V
Prof i l e gri ndi ng C 100 L V
M EDI A
Carborundum paper shoul d be used f or gri ndi ng
st art i ng w i t h grades 300 t hrough t o 800. When
seeki ng a mi rror f i ni sh, cont i nue w i t h 1200 grade
paper and i f necessary f ol l ow ed w i t h 6 mi cron/
3 mi cron di amond past e.
ALUMEC
7
Repair welding
ALUMEC may be repai r w el ded usi ng ei t her Met al
Inert Gas (MIG) or Tungst en Inert Gas (TIG) pro-
cesses, t hough TIG i s not recommended f or l arge
scal e repai rs.
GENERAL GUI DELI NES
Equi pment : 400 Amps rat i ng, Wi re Feed Mot or
7,510 m/mi n (2533 f.p.m.)
(compared t o 3,7 m/mi n [ 12 f.p.m.]
f or st eel ).
Wel di ng w i re: AA5356 (Al 5% Mg),
AA5556A (Al 5,2% Mg) or
AA5087 (Al 4,5% MgMnZr).
MIG 1,6 mm (0,063 i n.) di amet er.
TIG 2,43,2 mm (0,0950,126 i n.).
Furt her inf ormat ion
Cont act your nearest Uddehol m represent at i ve f or
more i nf ormat i on about al umi ni um and speci al
st eel s f or t ool s.
ALUMEC t ool
The anodi si ng w i l l cause di mensi onal changes i n t he
w orkpi ece, and al l owance shoul d, t heref ore, be
made. Increase i n di mensi on i s about 50% of t he
oxi de l ayer t hi ckness. The oxi de l ayer may be
i mpregnat ed w i t h PTFE t o reduce adhesi on of t he
pl ast i c.
HARD CHROM E PLATI NG
Hardness l evel s up t o and equi val ent t o 80 HRC are
possi bl e usi ng processes w hi ch have been devel -
oped f or al umi ni um al l oys. Pl at ed l ayer t hi ckness i s
t ypi cal l y 0,10,2 mm (0,004" t o 0,008" ).
CHEM I CAL NI CKEL PLATI NG
Hardness l evel s equi val ent t o 50 HRC are possi bl e.
Pl at ed l ayer t hi ckness i s t ypi cal l y 0,030,1 mm
(0,001" 0,004" ) w hi l st adhesi on and corrosi on
resi st ance are general l y superi or t o a chrome pl at ed
f i ni sh.
Pre-w el d preparat i on: Vert i cal f aces shoul d be
machi ned t o an angl e and surf aces t o be w el ded,
degreased. Oxi de l ayer must t hen be removed
usi ng rot ary w i re brushi ng and w el di ng carri ed out
w i t hi n ei ght hours.
Pre-heat i ng: Pre-heat t o 50130C (120270F) t o
of f set t he chi l l i ng ef f ect and hi gh t hermal conduc-
t i vi t y of ALUMEC. Maxi mum met al t emperat ure
duri ng w el di ng shoul d not exceed 200C (390F) i n
order t o avoi d cracki ng af t er w el di ng.