An Overview of 6061 Aluminum Sheet Manufacture

Previous Next

6061 aluminum sheet manufacture is a typical 6xxx alloy. It is a high-quality aluminum alloy product that has been heat-treated and pre-stretched. 6061 aluminum sheet has excellent processing performance, good corrosion resistance, high toughness and no deformation after processing.

The main alloying elements of 6061 aluminum plate are magnesium and silicon, and form Mg2Si phase. If it contains a certain amount of manganese and chromium, it can neutralize the bad effect of iron; sometimes a small amount of copper or zinc is added to improve the strength of the alloy without significantly reducing its corrosion resistance.

6061 aluminum sheet manufacture.jpg

Generally, the 6061 aluminum plate has three annealing processing:

1. Rapid annealing: the heating temperature is 350-410°C; the holding time is between 30-120min depending on the effective thickness of the material; air or water cooling.

2. High temperature annealing: The heating temperature is 350-500°C. When the thickness of the finished product is ≥6mm, the holding time is 10-30min; when its thickness is <6mm, heat until it penetrates; air cooling.

3. Low-temperature annealing: the heating temperature is 150-250 ° C; the holding time is 2-3 hours; air or water cooling.

Bending performance

6061 aluminum is not a good choice for bending, but it can be bent in the annealed condition. But bending ability tends to decrease when moving up to T4 and T6, which is easily to crack. At the same time, it is not impossible to bend 6061 T4 or T6 aluminum, yet just needs more caution.

Typical applications

1. Bicycle frames and components

2. Aluminum docks and gangways

3. Wings and fuselages of homebuilt aircraft

4. Yachts and boats construction

5. Automotive parts like the chassis and wheel.