HIGH-STRENGTH
ALLOY
APPLICATIONS
Aluminum alloys
Aluminum is one of the most important representatives for metallic lightweight materials. It is extremely easy to process, can be recycled almost indefinitely, and is available in almost unlimited quantities.
The differences in aluminum alloys mainly arise from their formability, strength, weather resistance and weldability.
Aluminum alloys contain numerous alloying elements that influence the material’s properties.
The main alloying elements used include silicon, magnesium, manganese, copper and zinc, among others. E.g. They increase strength or improve corrosion resistance using a process known as solid solution strengthening. Furthermore, special alloying elements such as bismuth or lead are used to improve chip breaking during milling, drilling and turning, or silver to prevent sparking.
Most importantly, our customers expect the following from our aluminum alloys:
Primary aluminum is only used at LEICHTMETALL very selectively and in small quantities. We mainly use secondary aluminum and alloy it with various elements such as zinc, magnesium, copper, manganese or tin. Elements such as beryllium or vanadium are also used for special applications.
LEICHTMETALL currently produces more than 125 different aluminum alloys
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For many of our customers, simply complying with the chemical composition in accordance with the standards is not enough. Therefore, we offer to design or further restrict the analysis specifications specifically based on their processing requirements and quality demands for the end product. Here you will find a selection of alloys conforming to standards and the restrictions we can implement with regard to the alloying elements. The product data sheets also contain the possible dimensions that can be supplied as well as empirical values for physical and technological properties.
Maximum precision and quality
Larger diameters up to 1,100 mm, more sophisticated alloys, new compositions: LEICHTMETALL is continuously pushing the limits of technical possibilities.
Aluminum Alloys Melting and Processing
At LEICHTMETALL, we work with up to 90% secondary aluminum, depending on the alloy. Secondary aluminum is aluminum scrap which is intensively tested and prepared at LEICHTMETALL before processing. We subject all incoming goods to a detailed chemical analysis. This gives us 100% control over the raw materials we use at all times.
We melt secondary aluminum and additional metals such as copper, magnesium, silicon or zinc in two tiltable 50-ton channel induction furnaces, which are 100% powered by green electricity.
Continuous casting: After various cleaning steps, we cast all alloys into billets using the level vertical continuous casting process under constant quality control.
Result: Round billets with alloy-specific cold dimensions of 158 mm up to 685 mm (from 2023 up to 1,100 mm) in diameter and a length of up to 7,000 mm. Hard alloys from LEICHTMETALL. More than just high-strength aluminum.
Our wrought alloys are mainly processed using forming methods – such as extrusion, forging or rolling. Many different products are made from them, such as structural components for aircraft, profiles or hydraulic tubes.
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Our quality controls
- Raw materials analysis
- Chemical analysis before casting
- 9-fold sampling of each batch to determine its chemical composition
- Hydrogen measurement
- Metallographic analysis
Wrought aluminum alloys at LEICHTMETALL
Not all aluminum is created equal. Wrought aluminum alloys are usually designated by a four-digit number system established by the Aluminum Association instead of their material number. Here, the first digit indicates the main alloying element and consequently, the alloy group. The remaining digits are more or less counting numbers, assigned chronologically or following existing alloys.
Aluminum is extremely easy to process and is available in almost unlimited quantities due to the recyclability of the end-of-life material. With optimal properties for technical requirements, aluminum is very easy to form and is particularly resistant to corrosion, has high strength, a large load capacity while offering extreme flexibility and a low weight.
At LEICHTMETALL, we currently manufacture more than 125 different alloys to standard – and above all – to your specific customer requirements.
Aluminum alloys and their properties
Different alloying elements are used to achieve the desired material properties, depending on the intended application.
Group: 2XXX
Application:
- Aircraft manufacturing
- Defense technology
- Rail cars
Group: 4XXX
Application:
- Automotive industry
- Heat sinks
- Mechanical engineering
Group: 5XXX
Application:
- Shipbuilding
- Chemical industry
Group: 6XXX
Application:
- Automotive industry
- Construction
- Mechanical engineering
Group: 7XXX
Application:
- Defense technology
- Structural components in aerospace engineering
High-strength aluminum alloy applications
High-strength aluminum alloys distinguish themselves thanks to their high strength, excellent load-bearing capacity, extreme flexibility and low weight. In automotive production, the share of aluminum components has increased by around 300% in the last 20 years. For example, two-thirds of a Formula 1 racing car is made of aluminum – despite fierce competition from carbon or titanium. Here, above all, 7000-series alloys are breaking into classic steel domains and replacing lightweight B-pillars in cars, for example.
Typical applications for components made of high-strength aluminum:
- Orthopedics
- Seamless tubes and pipes
- Wire rod rings
- Rolled circular blanks
- Floor crossbeams
- Pistons and piston rods
- Control arms and tie rods
- Wheels for tracked vehicles
- Longitudinal stiffening of aircraft wings
- Turned parts, precision engineering
- Body and fuselage structures
- Gas cylinders and pressurized cylinders
- Cable housing
- Door closing systems
- Pipes for cooling systems and drills for oil and gas extraction
- ABS housing
- Aircraft seats
All top alloys can be found here
Overview of our main alloys
Our certifications
