Due to the unique characteristics of aluminum, extrusion profiles find uses in thousands of applications, such as in architectural components, framing applications, food processing and packaging, pharmaceuticals, building construction, robotics, transportation (autos, railways and marine), and more.

Hydro's facilities in Connersville, Elkhart and North Liberty, Indiana, are well-equipped with a variety of presses, including 1,675 ton (7"), 2,000 ton (9"), 3,600 ton (10"), 3,600 ton (12") and 6,000 ton (14", 16”). We have the capacity to supply all shapes, alloys and tempers, ranging in size from one millimeter to several feet long.

Aluminum is very adaptable to fabrication and machining processes, and Hydro provides the flexibility and convenience you need for shaping your innovative custom designs. We can reduce your costs and cycle times with value-added fabrication services that give you a ready to ship solution or a product you can easily insert into your production line. These include "just-in-time" production, machining of linear or non-linear components, and:

Precision and Miter Cutting

Precision and miter cutting are essential for creating extrusion profiles in the specified length required by your product design. Precision saws differ based on the level of accuracy they provide and the compound angles they can create. Miter cutting is not as accurate but is particularly useful in corner connector cutting, and in door, window, and picture frame products.

Punching

A punch press forces a hardened steel punch into an extrusion to create repetitive hole patterns. The holes are equal to the diameter of the punch. Punching is commonly used for cladding, cable trays, rolling gate profiles, consumer goods, heat sinks, fixtures, and more. We offer most standard hole sizes without additional lead times and use an assortment of punch presses in various tonnages to reduce cycle time and cost.

Drilling and Tapping

Drilling makes or enlarges holes in extrusions using a drill bit with a lubricant applied for better accuracy. Tapping creates internal and external threads using a tap and a die to allow the components to be used with nuts and bolts. Heat treatable alloys give especially high quality results. While this can be done manually, machines are faster and more accurate.

Bending

Bending should be taken into consideration at the design stage. It is used primarily for shapes like boxes or enclosures, such as rectangular ductwork. It can be done with hardened metal for larger radii extrusions but smaller ones usually require soft annealed or T4 (half-hardened) metal. And it should be done before anodizing.

Press (or point) bending can be used for simple large bends, draw bending works well for tight radii, roller bending will form large radii in the piece, and stretch bending provides very high three-dimensional shape accuracy. Rotary draw bending is beneficial if you have bends in close proximity to each other or multiple bends per part.

At Hydro, we have the capability of bending extrusions to closer tolerances than you will probably ever need, and shaping and forming parts to the highest possible standards. We can engineer the right solution to meet your needs in a cost effective and timely manner.

Get in touch with us for custom aluminum extrusions in Indiana and throughout the Midwest to see how our cutting-edge solutions can solve your design problems.