How is an aluminum profile for ladders made?

Aluminum stairs are made from a profile obtained by extrusion.

What is extrusion?

Extrusion is the process of extruding an aluminum billet through a matrix of a certain shape. Due to the high ductility characteristics and low melting point of aluminum, this process of mechanical deformation is carried out quite easily.

Extrusion requires less investment in equipment compared to pipe rolling.

The manufacturing process of aluminum profiles for stairs begins with a blank. After the workpiece is cast, it is heat treated before being sent to an aluminum profile production plant.

At the factory, the aluminum billet is cut into working lengths. The length depends on the profile length ordered by the customer.

To produce an extruded profile, an aluminum billet is passed through a shaped die hole, from where it emerges as a long piece exactly the same shape as the die hole.

To extrude standard aluminum, the billet is preheated to 500 degrees Celsius, after which it is forced through the die hole under high pressure.

Finished profiles are hardened. To do this, the heated workpieces are quickly cooled. It is enough to cool thin-walled profiles with fan air for several hours. But this hardening method is not suitable for thick-walled profiles. They need to be heated to a temperature where the reinforcing particles dissolve.

After hardening, aluminum profiles undergo aging. The essence of aging is to give the metal optimal mechanical characteristics. Aging is carried out by heating to 160-170 degrees Celsius and holding at 10-12 hours.

Since long workpieces inevitably have a leash and twist, the profile is straightened using stretching machines. After the editing operation, the profiles must go to the control area, where they are checked.

Aluminum profiles arrive at the factory for the production of aluminum stairs. The profiles are cut to the required length to obtain stairs of different heights. For staircase rungs, a square profile is used, and for sidewalls, a rectangular profile is used.

The VIRASTAR plant uses an automatic line for the production of stairs. We produce one-section, two-section, three-section and hinged ladders. All our stairs comply with quality standards: EN 131 and DSTU.

If you have questions about Virastar aluminum stairs, call us or request a call back!

Also read the blog “What are the advantages of aluminum ladder for professional workers?”