Steel Extrusion

One of the most important subsets of the steel fabrication process is steel extrusion. This involves pushing a flow of molten metal through a die and into a cross-section via a cylindrical billet. Once the parts are cast and extruded, they are then pushed out by means of a hydraulic or mechanical press.


This pressure-centric production method can be most effective when working with materials such as steel, aluminum, copper, lead, magnesium, and carbon as well as stainless steel.

Any time you are working with molten metal, it is of the utmost importance to do everything in your power to make sure that temperature levels are kept under control. Steel extrusion machinery, thus, makes use of lubrication methods to make sure that the billets and other parts are kept as cool as possible during the extrusion process. As with many other metalworking processes, steel extrusions can make use of hot or cold production methods, with the former making use of a furnace or similar heating element within the chamber while the latter depends on external heating.

Some of the biggest advantages of making use of steel extrusions include:

  • Being able to quickly and efficiently manufacture a wide range of different metals
  • Cutting down on the amount of raw material wasted
  • Increasing your rate of production
  • Being able to reduce your production costs
  • Making use of the high pressure involved in extrusions to produce excellent smooth finishing
  • The extrusion process can also help produce metals with high corrosion resistance
There are a few things you’ll want to keep in mind when extruding steel, not the least of which is the type of metal you use. Metals that are too brittle typically cannot survive the extrusion process. In addition, you will want to pay close attention to wall thickness. If your walls are too thin, they will break under the great amount of pressure exerted on them as part of the extrusion process. Ideally, for aluminum extrusion purposes, for example, you need to make sure your wall is at least 1 mm thick. For steel extrusion, the minimum wall thickness should be 3 mm.

Manufacturing Steel Extrusion Shapes

With older metal forging methods, you can run into unexpected slowdowns and project delays when there is a need to cast new shapes mid-project. One of the best things about steel extrusion is that it allows you to manufacture and create a wide range of different shapes with a relative amount of ease. Once the walls, extrusion machinery, and everything else is set into motion, the whole process proceeds incredibly quickly.