Extrusion Dies

Choosing extrusion die manufacturers
By Patricia Flinsch-Rodriguez, Freelance writer Self-Employed Extrusion dies are used to precisely manufacture products. It is important to find extrusion die manufacturers and extrusion die suppliers that can adhere to your design specifications. Deviations in extrusion die design manufacture can result in product safety issues.

Consider how you want your extrusion die to look after it is produced. Will it be packaged directly for the consumer market? How many iterations of prototype will you get for your quoted price? Other questions to ask your potential extrusion die maker are:

1. Can you specify packaging processes or materials for your custom extrusion and will you also custom design a box?

2. What is the lead time on custom extruder dies? You'll need to know the time frame and manufacturers who have less lead time may be more attractive to you.

3. Are your extrusion dies tooled in-house? In-House tooling is important because the manufacturer is not outsourcing the work to someone else and will have control over the quality.

Educate yourself on aluminum extrusion dies and tolerances

Tolerance is deviation from design dimensions. Billet temperature, extrusion speed, die shape and type, amount of post-stretch, and air temperature are factors that can affect aluminum extrusion die tolerance. These tolerances can impact the design of the product.
Try:  Consult The Aluminum Association for industry standards. The association is also a terrific avenue for finding aluminum extrusion die manufacturers and suppliers. Southern Carbide Die, Inc. and Alexandria Extrusion Company (AEC) are two companies who specialize in aluminum extrusion dies.

Ask to see piece parts from your extrusion die maker

You will want to monitor your extrusion die manufacturers' work and the best way to do this is to ask for a piece part review. This will allow you to spot a manufacturing flaw immediately. Precision in extruder die manufacturing is imperative.
Try:  Midland Plastics and Excalibur Extrusions are great sources for plastic extrusion dies and custom fabrication services. Thrust Industries specializes in plastic extrusion dies for the telecommunications, electronics, automotive, and computer industries.

Consider extrusion die design software

A die design software package can save you money. Advanced software capabilities can reduce setup time and shorten tooling time. Most design software programs were built to integrate with Computer Automated Design (CAD) systems, which has been the industry standard for years.
Try:  Cimatron and Striker Systems offer 3-D die design software and their solutions have a feature that allows the user to switch to a 2-D interface design if that is needed.