Aluminium extruded profiles are widely used across construction, automotive, machinery, and renewable energy industries. Their popularity comes from aluminium’s lightweight nature, strength-to-weight ratio, corrosion resistance, and—most importantly—its ability to be extruded into highly customized shapes.

For engineers and buyers who work with aluminium extrusion for the first time, many technical terms and design concepts may seem confusing. This guide explains the essential knowledge you need: profile shapes, tolerances, material behavior, and commonly used terminology.

1. What Is an Aluminium Extruded Profile?

An aluminium extruded profile is a continuous cross-section shape produced by pushing heated aluminium billets through a steel die.
The final shape is determined by the die design and can be simple (angles, channels, tubes) or highly customized based on a CAD drawing.

Typical advantages include:

1. Consistent shapes along the entire length

2. Excellent precision

3. High design flexibility

4. Cost-effective mass production

5. Wide choice of surface finishing options

2. Common Types of Extruded Profile Shapes

Aluminium profiles can be categorized into several general shapes:

a. Solid Profiles

No internal voids.
Used for frames, mechanical parts, brackets, etc.

b. Semi-Hollow Profiles

Partially enclosed shapes with narrow openings.
Used for lighter structural applications.

c. Hollow Profiles

Fully enclosed voids; round tubes, square tubes, multi-chamber shapes.
Used for lightweight structures, heat transfer applications, and modular systems.

To better understand the overall usage distribution of profile shapes in typical industries, the following bar chart provides a clear comparison:

Distribution of Aluminium Extruded Profile Types

From the data above, solid profiles remain the most widely used due to their strength and simplicity, while hollow and semi-hollow profiles follow closely because of their strength-to-weight advantages.

3. Understanding Wall Thickness and Structural Design

Wall thickness directly influences:

1. Structural strength

2. Weight

3. Extrusion stability

4. Production cost

Uniform thickness and smooth transitions are recommended to improve manufacturability and control tolerance.

4. What Are Extrusion Tolerances?

Tolerances define acceptable deviations in:

1. Dimensions

2. Wall thickness

3. Straightness

4. Twist

5. Flatness

6. Surface quality

Tolerances depend on shape complexity, alloy choice (6061/6063), and temper (T5/T6).

5. Important Terminology in Aluminium Extrusion

Extrusion Die — Steel tool that shapes aluminium.
Billet — Heated cylindrical aluminium block.
Alloy 6063 / 6061 — Determine hardness, corrosion resistance, machinability.
Temper T5 / T6 — Indicates mechanical strength after heat treatment.
Profile Length — Typically 3–6 meters.
Surface Finishing — Anodizing, powder coating, sandblasting, etc.

To illustrate how different aluminium alloys are selected in real projects, here is a data visualization:

Common Aluminium Extrusion Alloy Usage

The chart demonstrates that 6063 alloy is the most commonly used due to its excellent extrudability and finishing properties, while 6061 is preferred for higher-strength applications.

6. From CAD Drawing to Extruded Product

The typical process:

1. Submit CAD drawing

2. Engineers evaluate the design

3. Die design and manufacturing

4. Billet heating and extrusion

5. Cooling and stretching

6. Cutting to length

7. Optional heat treatment and surface finishing

This workflow ensures high accuracy and stable quality.

7. Common Applications of Custom Aluminium Extruded Profiles

1. Solar panel frames

2. LED light housings

3. Heat sinks

4. Automotive structures

5. Machine parts

6. Building façades

7. Modular rooms and charging stations

8. Industrial enclosures

Conclusion

Understanding aluminium extruded profile shapes, tolerances, material terminology, and typical alloy usage helps buyers and engineers make accurate decisions when designing custom components. With a proper CAD drawing, nearly any profile can be manufactured to meet structural, aesthetic, or functional requirements.