Aluminium is one of the most impressive materials. It provides a really fantastic range of characteristics, including low density, malleability, excellent conductivity (thermal and electrical), and high corrosion resistance. It is also a green material, infinitely recyclable without a deterioration of the properties. If you plan on using it though, you need to think carefully about the type and condition; annealed aluminium tubing is best for a number of applications. Let’s have a closer look, then you can speak to us if you need to arrange services like tube drilling and bending for different projects.

Malleability

As we said, aluminium is excellent because it is highly malleable. This means it is easy to work with. You can adapt it to create all kinds of complex, precision parts for different applications. Critically, you can achieve very tight tolerances.

The problem is the malleability of aluminium changes depending on what you do to it. It suffers from work hardening (strain hardening) when you bend, roll, draw, or hammer it. Unfortunately, this can make it brittle and increases the risk of cracking, especially if there is a build-up of stress inside the material.

Luckily, annealing can reverse the hardening. Effective heat treatment can make the aluminium softer, alleviate the internal stress, and ensure it is flexible. Speak to us if you need help with tube drilling, bending, and other processes.

Benefits

Annealed aluminium tubing can provide a number of notable benefits. This includes superior formability and machinability, stability, and accuracy. Most importantly for manufacturers, the annealing means aluminium will have very consistent behaviour when you process it. Therefore it is easier to ensure accuracy and repeatability.

Another great thing about annealing is it doesn’t close the door on strengthening the aluminium. You can anneal and then do further treatments to enhance the strength if necessary.

These benefits mean you can use annealed aluminium for various applications. This includes precision parts for automotive, aerospace, medical, electronic, and refrigeration. It’s great for architectural use too.

A drawback

There is one very important factor to consider if you do choose annealed aluminium; it is tricky to drill. You need to be careful with things like tube drilling if you want to avoid issues.

The thing to remember is the softness of aluminium, especially after annealing. This causes challenges when you drill into it. Significantly, it will heat up quickly and can get very gummy. Therefore, it can stick to the drill bit and cause issues.

You need to do the right things if you want to be successful here. Crucially, reduce heat by working carefully, applying gentle pressure, and using coolant. The latter is useful to help wash out chips too; you want to stay on top of this because they will be hot and can easily gum up the bit and hole.

Rely on us for tube drilling and much more

Multiform Tubes Ltd has experience working with different materials, including aluminium, steel, and more. We appreciate the benefits and drawbacks of each. More importantly, we know what it takes to work successfully with them. We adapt to the specifics of each job, choosing the right techniques, tooling, and processing parameters.

So, if you want to avoid issues with tube drilling or anything else, you can rely on us. Get in touch today and we’ll be happy to discuss your needs.