Aluminum Industry Insights
Stay informed with the latest trends, innovations, and expert insights in aluminum manufacturing, extrusion, and forging technologies from Southwest Aluminium.
Is Forged Aluminum Just Stronger, Or Is It a Structural Guarantee?
You buy a standard aluminum block, but hidden internal flaws like porosity cause your machined part to fail under stress....
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Do You Really Understand What ‘Aerospace Grade Aluminum’ Means?
You see "aerospace grade" and assume it just means "strongest." This leads you to over-spec an expensive alloy, wasting money...
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Why is Asking ‘Aluminum vs. Alloy’ the Wrong Question?
You are choosing a material and face a confusing choice: aluminum or alloy? This leads to picking the wrong material,...
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Is T6 Heat Treatment Just a Process, or an Activation of Purpose?
You see T6 on a spec sheet and think it is just a final step. But using an under-treated alloy...
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Beyond the Billet: 5 Things to Know About Forged Aluminum
When you see a high-performance component—a supercar wheel, an aircraft's landing gear, or a professional rock-climbing carabiner—you are often looking...
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Are You Misusing 5052 Aluminum as an ‘Aircraft Grade’ Alloy?
You picked a 'high-strength' alloy for a marine part. It failed from corrosion, proving 'aircraft grade' is not always the...
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Is 6061-T6 Really ‘Aircraft Grade’ Aluminum?
You're sourcing material for an aerospace job, but the extreme cost of 7075 isn't justified for every part. You wonder...
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Is 7075 Aluminum Automatically Aircraft Grade?
You ordered 7075 aluminum1 for a critical aerospace job, assuming it was flight-ready. But the parts failed inspection for internal...
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What Truly Makes an Aluminum Alloy ‘Aircraft Grade’?
You specified an "aircraft grade" alloy for a critical job. But the material you received lacks the full certification, or...
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Decoding Aluminum Grades: It’s More Than Just the Alloy Number
You've met the alloy families and the star players like 6061 and 7075. But in an engineering drawing or a...
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Why Is 3003 Aluminum Called the ‘Formable Workhorse’?
You need to create a part with complex curves and bends, but high-strength alloys are expensive, difficult to work with,...
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Alloy 5052: The Marine-Grade Master?
You select 5052 aluminum1 for a marine component, trusting its "marine-grade" title. But when the part is put under serious...
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