Buying a standard profile is easy. Getting one that matches your drawing, alloy, and finish is not. We source the profile, machine the features, anodize the surface, and inspect every lot before it ships.
Most delays come from a handful of preventable issues. Here is what we see.
Extruders work to their own die tolerances, not your drawing. If the die was cut loose, wall thickness varies enough that downstream drilling and tapping miss the datum. You end up reworking the lot or scrapping it. We check wall thickness and straightness against your print before any machining starts.
Long profiles cool unevenly and can twist a few millimeters over 3 m. If nobody checks straightness before cutting, the finished bracket rocks on the assembly fixture. We measure straightness per length and flag any profile that will not sit flat after machining.
Anodizing adds 10–25 μm per surface. A bore that passes incoming inspection can be undersized once it is coated, and a mating pin no longer slides in. We mask critical bores or machine them after coating so the final fit stays inside tolerance.
The extruder blames the machine shop, the machine shop blames the coater, and your schedule slips a week. When sourcing, machining, and finishing sit with one supplier, there is one inspection report and one person answering for the result.
We handle die selection, extrusion sourcing, machining, and surface finishing under one roof.
Most custom extrusion projects start with a section drawing and a question: does this need a new die, or can an existing profile be modified? We review wall thickness, corner radii, and tongue ratios against what the press can actually hold. Thin walls below roughly 1 mm on a 6xxx alloy tend to sag or tear, and we will tell you that before you pay for tooling.
Alloy choice drives most of the downstream cost. 6061-T6 gives good strength and machines cleanly. 6063 is easier to extrude with a better surface, but it is softer. 6082 sits between the two and holds up well under anodizing. For marine or salt spray exposure, 5052 and 5083 resist corrosion better than 6061. We match the alloy to the load case and the environment, not to what is cheapest that week.
An extruded profile is a starting shape. The value comes from what you machine into it. We cut, drill, tap, mill pockets, and face ends on the same 127-machine floor that runs our other work, including 16 simultaneous 5-axis centers and 16 mill-turn centers. Machined features hold ±0.005 mm when the setup and datum allow it. Profile-to-profile variation is handled by fixturing off the extruded face, not off a nominal centerline.
Finishing is where a lot of extrusion parts lose tolerance. Anodizing, hardcoat, electroless nickel, and powder coating all add thickness. We plan the mask lines and the machining sequence so bores, threads, and mating surfaces stay where your drawing says. Laser marking is available down to 1.5 mm character height, which fits most part numbers and traceability codes.
Use this to decide between a standard profile, a modified die, and a new die.
| Situation | Recommended route | Typical lead-time driver |
|---|---|---|
| Prototype, one or two parts | Standard profile, machined to print | Machining and setup |
| Existing profile close to your section | Modified die, then machine | Die modification |
| Section is new or load-critical | New die, then machine and finish | Die manufacture |
| Long parts up to 4,000 mm | Extrude, straighten, then machine | Straightness control |
| Tight bore after anodizing | Machine after coating or mask bore | Coating sequence |
| Cosmetic visible surface | 6063 or 6082 with anodize or powder | Surface prep |
Each service below can run on its own or as part of a full extrusion-to-part build.
We match your section to an existing die or commission a new one, then control cut length, straightness, and alloy certification on the incoming lot.
Drilling, tapping, pocketing, and facing on 3-axis, 4-axis, and 5-axis centers, plus mill-turn for parts that need both ends worked in one setup.
Anodizing, hardcoat, plating, powder coating, bead blasting, tumbling, brushing, polishing, and laser marking, sequenced so fits survive the coating.
When the section is not final yet, we machine or print a short run so you can test fit and function before committing to a die.
For assemblies that mix extrusions with brackets, panels, and covers, we fabricate the flat parts and join them to the extruded members.
Raw material check, in-process monitoring, and final inspection on 100% of parts. Dimensional reports and material certs on request.
| Item | Range or limit | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Maximum processing size | 4,000 mm | Long extruded members |
| Large travel | 4,000 × 400 × 150 mm | Long parts, limited cross section |
| Medium travel | 750 × 1,150 × 550 mm | General machined profiles |
| Compact travel | 500 × 500 × 450 mm | Small brackets and housings |
| Rotary table | Ø400 mm | Radial features and angled faces |
| Machined tolerance | ±0.005 mm | Setup and datum dependent |
| Fine finish | Ra 0.2–0.8 μm | Functional sealing faces |
| As-machined finish | Ra 1.6–3.2 μm | Non-critical surfaces |
Sourcing, machining, and finishing sit inside the same company. When a dimension drifts, there is no handoff argument about who owns it.
Down to ±0.005 mm (±0.0002 in) on features where the setup supports it. We will say when a feature cannot hold that, instead of quoting it anyway.
Incoming material check, in-process monitoring, and final inspection. Reports on request. The qualification rate on shipped lots is 99.99%.
Run one prototype or a 10,000+ part production lot on the same process. The inspection standard does not change with the quantity.
Send a section drawing and tolerances. You get pricing and a manufacturability review within 12 hours, and production can start within 24 hours of approval.
Uploads are secure and confidential. We sign an NDA on request before drawings change hands, which matters for tooling and unreleased products.
Extruded rails, brackets, and housings where dimensional repeatability across a production lot matters more than a single good sample.
Long frame members and guide rails up to 4,000 mm, straightened and machined so mounting faces sit flat on the assembly line.
Extruded enclosures and heat-sink profiles with cosmetic anodized faces and masked bores that still accept a connector after coating.
Busbar supports and structural profiles that need corrosion resistance and a coating that does not flake at the cut edge.
It depends on how far your section is from a catalog profile. If the walls, radii, and overall envelope are close to something already in a die library, modifying an existing die is usually faster and cheaper than cutting a new one.
If the section is load-critical, has thin walls, or needs a tongue ratio the press cannot hold, a new die is the honest answer. We review the section first and tell you which route applies before any tooling cost is committed.
6061-T6 is the default for machined extrusion parts that carry load; it is strong, welds acceptably, and machines cleanly. 6063 extrudes with a better surface finish but is softer, so it suits cosmetic and light-duty sections. 6082 is a middle ground with good anodizing response.
For salt spray or marine exposure, 5052 and 5083 resist corrosion better. For high-strength aerospace-type sections, 2024 and 7075 are options, though they machine and anodize differently and cost more.
A typical anodic layer adds roughly 10–25 μm per surface. That is enough to turn a slip fit into an interference fit on a small bore or pin.
We handle it two ways: mask the bore so no coating forms, or machine the bore after coating. Either way, the final fit is what gets inspected, not the pre-coat dimension.
Yes on machined features, when the datum and setup support it. Extruded stock itself has its own tolerance band, so we fixture off a machined reference rather than a nominal centerline.
If a feature cannot realistically hold that tolerance, we say so at quote stage. Quoting a number we cannot inspect is a waste of your time.
Quotation and DFM analysis come back within 12 hours. Production can start within 24 hours of approval, and parts typically ship in 3–5 days.
That window assumes the drawing is released and the material is available. New die manufacture for a custom section adds time that we will spell out in the quote.
No. We run from a single prototype to 10,000+ part production lots on the same equipment and the same inspection standard.
Small runs are usually cut from standard stock and machined to print. Larger runs move to a dedicated die so the per-part cost drops.
A section drawing or a 2D profile with tolerances, the alloy, the cut length, and any finish callout. A 3D model helps but is not required for a first pass.
If the part is machined after extrusion, send the machined drawing too. We quote the profile and the CNC operations together so you see the real cost.
Uploads are secure and confidential, and we sign an NDA on request before files are exchanged. This is standard for tooling and pre-release programs.
Internally, drawings are held to the access controls covered by our ISO 27001:2022 information security system.
We will tell you whether an existing die works, what alloy fits, and what the machined features will cost. No minimum order quantity.
12-hour quote100% inspectionNDA on request
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Upload your 3D model or 2D drawing and get a quotation with a free DFM analysis. Maximum processing size 4,000 mm.
CNC Metals 13 grades
CNC Plastics 10 grades
Machines & processes 12 options
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