But many customers want to know the best way to cut the aluminum profile by themselves.

We show you the recommended tools and tips to cut aluminum like a professional.

How to cut aluminum extrusion: recommended methods

These are the tools that we do recommend to cut the aluminum profile (later we indicate the tools that are not so convenient, safe or that do not leave the best finish).

Miter saw

The miter saw is the most recommended tool for cutting the aluminum profile in your workshop or at home, without having to buy a professional aluminum saw.

With a miter saw, the same quality and precision results can be obtained as with a professional aluminum cutting machine if used correctly, and it is a much more affordable tool that is already available in many workshops.

Tips for cutting aluminum with a miter saw

• Be very careful with safety, the aluminum bar can jump if it is not cut correctly, if it is not clamped properly or if the blade gets caught during the cut. It is best to start the cut slowly to avoid blade seizing and to find the correct cutting speed.
• The ends of the aluminum bar must be securely fastened, with clamps, with the miter saw clamping system…. Loose ends can jump or snag the blade, especially when the cut is very small. In addition, clamped ends leave a better finish on the cut because the blade does not scratch the freshly cut surface.
• Some of the wood saw blades included with the saw can be used, with care. Ideally, you should buy a special blade for aluminum cutting, which is sold for different miter and circular saw diameters.
• No cutting lubrication required
• You can build a stop on the miter saw to cut bars of different lengths.

Other alternatives to the miter saw

If you don’t have a miter saw, you can use a circular saw or a table saw (with a sliding cross cutting attachment) to cut the aluminum, which are less safe and accurate, but will also cut the profile.

Both tools can use the same type of circular saw blades as the miter saw, but differ in how the workpiece is cut. The finish is the same as with a miter saw, as long as you get a clean cut and the workpiece is securely clamped.

Be very careful when holding the part and the tool itself, be sure to do so securely.

Hacksaw

The hacksaw is the most useful hand tool for cutting aluminum.

As you can see in the photo the finish of the cut has nothing to do with that of a miter saw, but it is the cheapest, safest and most effective way to cut aluminum with tools that we all have at home.

Tips for cutting aluminum with a hacksaw

• A metal saw blade must be used.
• Hold the aluminum workpiece securely in place with a vise, clamps… to make the cut more comfortable, safe and straight.
• You can sand the cut if you want a smoother finish. With patience the finish improves (as in the photo), although it cannot match a professional miter saw cut.
• You can use a miter box to improve the finish of the cut, to make straighter cuts or even to make 45-degree cuts.

Tools we do not recommend

The angle grinder

The angle grinder is the star tool in many workshops because of its versatility, but it is not the one we recommend for cutting aluminum.

Can it be used? Yes, it is possible to cut the aluminum profile with a grinder, but the finish and safety are not the best.

The grinding of the grinder makes the aluminum very hot, which makes it more rubbery: it can snag, dull the disc and cause burrs in the cut. The cut is also not as clean as using a circular saw, although the face is quite flat and smooth.

For cutting metal there are special discs for radial cutters, thin discs for example of 1mm that make cutting easier. There are also specific discs for aluminum.

Abrasive chop saw

As you know, the abrasive chop saw is a radial saw with support, because it cuts by the same principle: by abrasion.

Like the angle grinder, the abrasive chop saw saw is more effective for cutting steel or other materials better than aluminum.

Use it if you don’t have access to a miter saw, but remember to hold the workpiece securely and that the finish will have some burrs.

The band saw

If you are lucky enough to have a band saw in your shop, you can use it to cut the aluminum profile, although as you know these saws are best used on steel.

The cut can be square, or even miter and is straight, although the cut with a band saw does not have the same finish as with a circular saw or with a real aluminum miter saw like the one we show you below.

The aluminum saw, the professional tool for cutting aluminum profiles

The aluminum cross-cut saw is the tool used to cut aluminum profiles in workshops and specialized companies.

As you can see in the picture, it is a circular saw, generally moving from bottom to top, on a solid bench with other elements (clamps, controls, guards, etc).

This is the saw that allows to cut with precision and perfect finish any type of aluminum profile, although due to its price it is used in specialized companies.

The elements that an aluminum cutting saw can have are

• The blade is a circular saw with teeth for cutting aluminum, and can be of different diameters (e.g. from 250 to 600mm).
• The saw can be raised manually, operated directly by the operator using a lever, or it can be automatic, with pneumatic or electric systems.
• The orientation of the saw is sometimes fixed (for cutting at 90 degrees) or adjustable to make miter cuts, in one or several axes.
• The clamps are the pneumatic cylinders that hold the workpiece from above or from the sides during cutting.
• The compressed air system is used to drive some of the saw’s systems (clamps, upfeed…) and there is usually a gun to clean the shavings from the cut.
• The guards such as the hood, double switches for two-handed operation, hood position detection… improve the safety of the saw.
• Stops, rails, accessories… that serve to automate the saw and cut aluminum with precision.

Conclusion

We have shown you the different options with which you can cut the aluminum profile yourself.

It is best to use a miter saw, or if you want to use hand tools you can use a hacksaw.

If you have to use other tools (angle grinder, band saw, chop saw…) remember that the finish will be worse and use common sense when assessing safety.

If you prefer that we cut the aluminum profile ourselves, cut to length and with a perfect finish, visit our online store.

And of course if you have any questions, advice or suggestions you can use our contact form or the comments section of this article.

Thank you so much for making it this far!

The post How to cut aluminum extrusion appeared first on Bitfab Parts.

Sometimes it is difficult to understand the different sizes of aluminum extrusion we can work with, especially when it is your first project.

What sizes and lengths are available?

In this guide you can find the different types, sizes and dimensions of the profiles explained in the simplest and most visual way possible.

All dimensions of aluminum extrusions

There are different profile sizes depending on what you need for your project.

We have profiles of 20, 30, 40mm and even other sizes. Depending on what size of profile you choose, the cost, size, stiffness and weight will also depend, so choosing the right profile for your project is important.

Profile series

The main measurement of the profile is called series, the size to which it belongs.

The most common profile series are 20, 30 and 40mm:

Series 20mm

Series 30mm

Series 40mm

There are also other types of profiles such as 45mm profiles (for industrial use), half profiles, etc.

External dimensions of the profile

Within the same series, we find different profile sizes, which are multiples of the series.

For example, in the 40mm series, we could have the single profile (40x40mm), double (40x80mm) or even triple or quadruple profiles like the ones we show you:

Profile 40x40mm

Profile 40x80mm

Profile 40x120mm

Profile 40x160mm

Other profile dimensions

Each type of aluminum extrusion, regardless of the size, external, also has other measurements such as that of the groove or that of the threaded hole of its core:

• Slot size: The width of the slots is key to choosing compatible accessories. Common slot sizes include 6 mm, 8 mm and 10 mm.
• Threaded hole size: Some profiles include ready tapped holes to facilitate the connection of parts or the assembly of structures. The size of the tapped hole varies according to the type of profile.

Profile types according to the manufacturer

Depending on the manufacturer, there are different types of profiles (with different standard sizes, different groove sizes, different threaded holes…).

Each manufacturer chooses a standard for its profiles, the most common are:

• V-Slot type: The advantage of this profile is that in addition to being a structural profile, it has a V-slot that can be used with nylon wheels to create a linear axis without the need for more components (linear guides, shafts, etc). Available on our website.
• Type B, the most popular type and the one we use at Bitfab Parts
• Type I, another popular type of profile.

The brand of each of the manufacturers cannot be mentioned because each one has trademarks to protect their products, hence generic terms such as type-B or type-I are used in the industry.

The dimensions of each type are as follows:

What are the lenghts of aluminum extrusion

The standard length of aluminum profiles varies by manufacturer and application. Generally, available lengths can be up to 6 meters, although it is common to find profiles of more manageable lengths.

In the Bitfab Parts store, we offer profiles with lengths up to 1.5 meters, to be shipped smoothly and in the shortest time to Spain and Europe.

The weight of the profiles

Depending on the size and length of the profiles, you may also need to know their weight to see how much the structure will weigh.

We have an article dedicated exclusively to that that can help you:

How much does aluminum profile weigh?

Extruded aluminum profile is one of the lightest and most versatile systems available for building structures and machinery.

Here is a technical article in which we give you:

• All the data on how much our profile weighs
• How you can calculate the mass of different cross-sections, materials and lengths yourself

Go to article How much does the aluminum profile weigh?

Need more information?

If you have any questions about the profile measurements you can leave them in the comments and we will help you with them.

For your projects, we are an online aluminum profile store and you can consult the profiles and accessories we have, or ask us for help in our contact form.

We are at your disposal for any questions you may have!

The post What are the sizes of aluminum extrusion profiles? appeared first on Bitfab Parts.

Extruded aluminum profile is one of the lightest and most versatile systems available for building structures and machinery.

Here is a technical article in which we give you:

• All the data on how much our profile weighs
• How you can calculate the mass of different cross-sections, materials and lengths yourself

How much does our aluminum profile weigh?

If you need the data immediately for a project, here you have the data table of all the profiles we have in Bitfab Parts.

The “weight” of the profiles, or more correctly, their mass, is expressed in units of mass per unit length, e.g. in kilograms per meter. Thus, the mass of a profile bar of any length can be calculated.

The weight ranges from 0.44 kg/m of the 20×20 V-Slot type profiles to 3.11kg/m of the 40x80mm type B profile.

The table with all the mass per unit length data of our profiles is as follows:

Automatic profile weight calculator

We have made a web calculator so that you can quickly find out the weight of any type and length of profile:

How to calculate the weight of my profile? The formula

With the data in the table above, the mass of any length and type of profile can be calculated easily.

If, for example, I have a meter and a half (1.5m) of 20x20mm V-Slot profile, its mass is:

\[ m = 1.5 \text{m} \text 0.44 \text{kg/m} = 0.66 \text{kg} \]

A second example, if I have 80cm of 40x80mm profile type B, changing the units to meters and with the table above, I will have:

\[ m = 0.8 \text{m} \cdot 3.11 \text{kg/m} = 2.49 \text{kg} \]

How to calculate the mass of any profile section?

We have given you the data to quickly calculate the mass of the most common aluminum profiles, from the selection we have in our store.

In order to calculate the weight of any aluminum section (different types of profiles, customized sections, unique sections…), we show you here the method we use to calculate the weight of any type of profile using CAD software.

How much does aluminum weigh? The density of aluminum

The first thing we need to know is the density of the material from which the profiles are made, aluminum:

The density of aluminum is 2700 ^kg/m3, or 2.7 ^g/cm3 (also 2.7 times the density of distilled water).

This density refers to pure aluminum and is the one we will take into account in our calculations, although you should know that there are different alloys used to manufacture aluminum profiles (e.g. aluminum 6060-T5 or 6060-T5) that may have a slightly different density.

Just for comparison, keep in mind that the density of steel is 7850 kg/m³, which is why aluminum is such a popular material for creating lightweight structures.

Calculating the area of an aluminum profile section

The second piece of information we need to calculate the weight of a profile is its cross-sectional area.

It is a very complicated data to calculate by hand for most of the sections using slotted profiles, so we have to resort to CAD design programs, which give us this type of data:

Calculation of mass per unit length

To calculate the mass of one meter of profile, we need to operate:

\[m = \rho \cdot A \cdot L \]

where:

• \(m\) is the mass of the profile
• \(\rho\) is the density of the material
• \(A\) is the area of the section
• \(L\) is the length of the profile (we will choose one meter to obtain the mass per meter of profile).

So, with the data we have:

• The density of aluminum, \(\rho\), is 2700 ^kg/m3.
• The area, \(A\), of our section, 171.^40mm2, which we can convert to square meters A = 171.^40mm2 = 1.7140 – ^10-4m2

And the result is:

\[m = \rho \cdot A \cdot L = 2700 \text{kg} /\text{m}^3 \cdot 1.7140 \times 10^{-4} \text{m}^2 \cdot 1 \text{m}= 0.46 \text{kg} \]

Which as you can see is very similar to the empirical result of our profile (0.44kg). There may be small differences depending on the type of profile, sections, alloys, how the calculations have been made, etc.

The mass or weight debate: which term is correct?

If you have noticed, throughout the article we have used the terms mass and weight more or less interchangeably.

Which is the correct one?

Weight actually refers to a type of force (the force exerted by the Earth on an object) and would be measured in units of force (e.g. in newtons or kiloponds). For this reason, it is not most correct to refer to the mass of objects, or profiles, as their weight.

We prefer to say mass, for example, expressed in kilograms, which is the more specific term. It could also be tons, or any other unit of mass.

Colloquially, the normal thing to say is “weight”, so we can’t say it’s an incorrect term, the priority here is to understand each other.

And if you are surprised by this point I understand, the goal is not to be pedantic. The mission of this kind of articles is to divulge about technical aspects in a way that we all can learn, we wanted to clarify this issue as well.

Did you like this article?

As you have seen, we have a passion for technical topics and so we like to explain and tell about them.

I hope you found the content useful, if after making your calculations about the weight of your profiles you need components you can go through our online store aluminum profile, or if you have a project you can ask for help on our contact page.

And if you have any questions or suggestions about the content, you always have the comments of the article to raise them.

The post How much does aluminum extrusion weigh? appeared first on Bitfab Parts.