Aluminum

Due to its good strength to weight ratio and wide range of alloy variants, aluminum is a very common alloy across a multitude of industries including Aerospace, Automotive, Power Generation, and many others.  Additive manufacturing has introduced both new Aluminum applications and alloys.  Many aluminum applications demand a low roughness surface finish for both performance benefits and/or aesthetic appeal.

REM has a range of developed, isotropic superfinishing/polishing processes for aluminum alloys.  These process technologies are applicable for both traditionally formed components via REM’s ISF® Process, as well as for AM components via REM’s Extreme ISF® Process. REM’s processes can be applied to exterior surfaces as well as internal channel applications (including cooling channels) and have been proven to produce low roughness surfaces and to increase component fatigue life in high cycle fatigue testing.

REM’s process technologies are available via outsourced processing or via installation at a customer’s site; these processes easily scale to high volume applications or can accommodate low volume, specialty component processing.  Aesthetic finishes that REM can produce range for high polish/high gloss to a range of matte variations.

Some of the many Aluminum Applications REM can assist with include:

Some of the Many Benefits of utilizing the ISF® Process and Extreme ISF® Process:

  • Reduced Friction/Roughness
  • Reduced Component Wear
  • Increased Resistance to Contact Fatigue
  • Increased Resistance to Dynamic/Bending Fatigue
  • Improved Laminar Flow Properties/Reduced Turbulence
  • Improved Coating Adhesion
  • Increased Component Cleanliness
    • Eliminated FOD Risk (AM powder removal)
  • Support Structure Reduction/Elimination (AM)
  • Improved Aesthetic Appearance

Some of Aluminum Alloys/Grades REM has Experience with:

  • AlSi10Mg (AS10)
  • AlSi7Mg (AS7)
  • Al 6061 / Al6061 RAM2
  • Al7075
  • A205 / A20X
  • Scalmalloy®
  • 0-T6
  • Al 2319

Have an Aluminum application that would benefit from an improved surface finish or some of the other component benefits provided by REM’s technologies?  Working with an Aluminum alloy or grade not listed here?  Contact us today for more information or to get a project started.  REM’s technology can often be modified to new alloy applications without significant difficulty and REM is always excited to support new applications.