Stamping and Blanking
- No major modifications in tool design are necessary.
- Reduce male-female die clearance to 2%-8%
- Keep dies sharp
- A looping pit ahead of the press allows for smooth coil
feeding
- Synthetic grippers on feed work best.
- Lubricants may be eliminated, depending on the process.
- Use lintless gloves when handling pre-anodized stock.
- Anodized blanks are protected and stackable.
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Rollforming
- Often, no change in tooling is necessary when converting
from another metal.
- Pre-anodized aluminum will take all minimum bend radii as
specified by the Aluminum Association.
- Just as with stainless steel, keep tooling polished
- Chrome-plated rolls often perform best.
- Using polyfilm will sometimes eliminate the need for
lubricants.
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Laminating
- Polyfilm protection is helpful. Leave it on through the
process.
- Clean the substrate with a clean brush.
- Cut the sheet to size with shears or saw. Be sure they are
sharp.
- Experiment with saw and feed speed on scrap.
- Cut into the sheet so that rough edges are on the back of
the sheet.
- Spray-grade contact adhesives work best. Apply them on the
aluminum first, then on the substrate.
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Bending (Break Press)
- Handle pre-anodized stock similar to other metals
- Various dies can be used.
- Half hard tempers are most often used because of their
formability and structural integrity
- Where possible, use a scrap of anodized sheet to adjust
the depth of stroke required to accomplish the desired bend.
- Gradual bending will help to minimize crazing.
- Strippable polyvinyl films will help protect the surface
during the bending process.
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Other forming operations that are
successful with pre-anodized aluminum are perforating, shallow
drawing, seam welding, and roller leveling. It can also be
easily slit and sheared.
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