What are the Different Kinds of Aluminium Extrusions and Profiles?

Aluminium is a very popular material for producing profiles due to its versatility. It is malleable, light weight, cost effective and at the same time adds durability to structures where they are used. Aluminium extrusion is a process by which an aluminium alloy billet is passed with force through a tooling die which has a specific profile as cross section. The extruded aluminium profile comes out of the die opening in the desired shape on being pushed inside the die. They can be small pieces or longer versions according to the need.
Aluminium profiles are distinguished according to their use which can be architectural, construction or industrial. They can be very different depending on the need or application of the profile. The thickness, shape and volume of the profiles vary too greatly.
Some of the commonly used profiles segregated according to shape, form or utility are:

Solid profiles: These are extruded profiles that are sold and filled fully. They do not incorporate enclosed or partially enclosed voids or openings. Solid profiles are usually found as rods, beams or angle extrusions.  

Hollow beam profiles: They are profiles with one or more voids and can come in various shapes like rectangular or square. These are used for architectural purposes as part of support framework for various structures and even for industrial purposes. When used horizontally it has high load bearing capacity.

Semi hollow profiles: Here we find two or less partially enclosed voids in which the area of the void(s) and the area of the surrounding wall thickness are symmetrical to the centerline of the gap feature of the profile. Semi hollow ones have the most variability but can still be considered as having good dimensional stability.

Sliding door (SD) profile: This is one of the traditional profile series being in use since early days. It is simple, affordable and widely used in homes and offices particularly for window frames. The lightness, flexibility, resistance to vagaries of weather and corrosion resistance makes these aluminium profiles suitable in SD and window frames.

Regular curtain walling (RCW) profiles: They are commonly applied to curtain walls in multi storey buildings. RCW profiles do not have so much structural role but used  to mainly prevent polluting substances entering inside buildings as well as preventing leakages.

ED or Door section profiles: These are used in heavy duty glass doors of buildings. They have a significant role in the mechanism of push doors used in buildings and offices. Form as well as function is key for this profile. The role of this profile is to support the glass and secure it safely without letting it slip or fall.

Louvre profile: Aluminium Louvre profiles are mainly used for decorative purposes and architectural elegance. The slats are attached at horizontal intervals at an angle. Louvre is available as window blinds or shutters of doors. The purpose of the louvre is to allow the ambient lighting inside and the aluminium profile helps in keeping the pollution, moisture and unwanted particles in.  The angled stats also help in maintaining privacy of space covered with louvre.

T-Section Profiles: These are popular choices for structural and architectural applications and give support in different directions. T-sections contain components like vertical webs, span and horizontal flanges. These profiles are mainly used in corners and as part of truss network. It works well when fitted with hollow beam or square profiles too. T-section brings in durability by increasing the support offered.
KMC aluminium is among the leading aluminium extrusion manufacturers in india. They would feature as a company with the widest range of products in the list of aluminium profile manufacturers of the country.