<< Back to Publications Index

AL2000 PLUS

High Strength Aluminium Alloy for Press Tools

Financial benefits

Preparatory machining

In most cases, steel will have to be pre-machined to remove the black rolled surface together with any defects and decarburisation. AL2000 PLUS requires no such pre-machining and can go straight into production. Pre-machining may also give rise to costly yield losses.

Weight and handling

The press tool shown in the illustration on the cover weighs 13.5 Tonnes compared with the 27 tonnes that it would have weighed if produced in steel. Ease of handling and the avoidance of investment in heavy duty mechanical handling systems is an important advantage.

Production Machining time

On detailed trials, machining time was typically reduced by 40%.

Comparative material costs

Although AL2000 PLUS is typically four times the cost per Kg when compared with steel, its low density (only around 36% of steel) reduces the comparative overall cost to near that of steel. The small remaining differential is more than covered by the financial advantages arising from the elimination of pre-machining and the dramatic reduction in machining time.

High speed operation, less damage

The light weight of Aluminium in comparison to steel reduces inertia and allows presses to be operated much faster. Emergency stops are also accomplished in less time thus reducing tool breakage.

Key design considerations

Differential thermal expansion

The difference between the operating temperature of a punching tool and ambient temperature is typically about 15^oC. On a tool 800mm long, this will produce a differential thermal expansion of around 0.2 mm compared to steel. While this difference is small it is nevertheless too large to ignore.

To overcome this problem, it is usual to break up the punch and die sets into modular units which will provide the following benefits:

Spaces between the modules act as thermal expansion joints ensuring that alignment remains accurate.

Each module is easier to machine.

Maintenance of modules is easier than with one-piece construction.

The shear stresses imposed on fastenings are decreased considerably.

Resistance to compression

While the yield stress of AL2000 PLUS exceeds that of some standard steel grades, it is necessary to limit compressive stresses to 100MPa by the introduction of an intermediate shock plate where necessary.