Finished a house thermal break aluminum windows and doors in winter

Aluminium extrusions are aluminium products, including window and door components (such as frames and panels), as well as automotive parts and other products, that are manufactured by pressing aluminium into a die to form the desired shape.
Before this could happen, however, the aluminum rods had to be heated to about 900 degrees Fahrenheit (about 477 degrees Celsius) to achieve ductility. After the aluminum rods were cut into small pieces (called billets), they had to be pressed into dies using hydraulic cylinders with about 3,600 tons of pressure. The extruded aluminum rods were then cooled to room temperature on a cooling table or rack.
Keymark Corp. is a full-service aluminum extrusion company based in the United States. Its Fonda, N.Y., facility has its own homogenizing furnace, where the aluminum is homogenized to remove all impurities. This extra step is designed to provide customers with what the company calls “premium quality” aluminum extrusion.
Brent Slayton, Keymark National Sales Coordinator, said the furnace is designed to eliminate residual stresses that occur during the casting process and improve metallurgical properties. After the homogenization process, the internal features of the aluminum blank remain unchanged. The homogenization process reduces die consumption and improves the surface quality of the aluminum blank. After casting and before extrusion, aluminum blanks must be passed through a homogenizing furnace. Slayton noted that this is a key piece of equipment for improving the quality of aluminum extrusions.
“In a way, aluminum extrusions are like a Play-Doh press. You put Play-Doh in, you press the lever, and you get a star, a square, or a stripe. It’s the same thing, just on a much larger scale in aluminum,” says Scott Condrey, construction manager at Hydro Expression North America, a global company that specializes in custom aluminum extrusions.
The environmental friendliness of aluminum extrusions is a huge advantage. Unlike vinyl and steel, which can only be recycled once or twice, aluminum can be recycled an unlimited number of times. According to the Aluminum Association, nearly 75% of the aluminum produced today is still in use. Most industries, such as automotive and construction, have aluminum recycling rates exceeding 90%. Recycling aluminum saves 95% of the energy needed to produce new aluminum.
Condrey said Hydro buys scrap from consumers to make aluminum extrusions, so the company has a smaller environmental impact. Aluminum rarely ends up in landfills, and scrap can be resold indefinitely.
"Aluminum is lightweight, corrosion-resistant and strong. It has an excellent strength-to-weight ratio. Compared to other materials, it is non-flammable and non-toxic," Slayton said.
Another big advantage of aluminum profiles is their rich color range. Its unlimited color spectrum allows it to display virtually any color of the rainbow, while some competing materials are limited in their choice of pigments and colors. Aluminum can be anodized or painted (wet and powder coated) and can have both glossy and matte finishes, Slayton continued.
Aluminum has a higher yield strength and generally provides a longer product life. Slayton noted that if aluminum could be recycled without deteriorating its properties, its sustainability throughout the manufacturing process would be much more impressive.
One of the limitations of aluminum profiles is their high thermal conductivity. Using aluminum will lead to greater heat loss inside the building, since welding and welding corners is more difficult when using it, whereas it is easier to do with vinyl.
But new technologies are helping to solve the problem, says Dean Ruark, vice president of engineering at PGT Innovations. Specialized insulation materials are now making aluminum suitable for use in cold-climate construction. R