Building products, what specification do you use?6063, 6060,T5, T6?

"Building products" is the largest application of extruded aluminum in the World, more than 50% share. What specification do you use, 6060, 6063, T5,T6, others?  Here you can get some general information

6063 alloy developed in the 30s ..
Half a century later, in the 80 Alcan developed alloy 6060, copied by everyone from the 90s.

Also remember the difference between the alloys: Mg> 0.45% in 6063 and Mg > 0,35% in 6060.. So, if you specify 6063, generally can not use 6060, but if you specify 6060, 6063 ALWAYS BE ABLE TO USE.
However, if you specify 6063, if the Customer finds <0.45% Mg, can claim a nonconformity.

It will be very difficult to explain to a layman that the two alloys may have the same mechanical properties, and the same surface finish. The market will always think that the 6063 is more hard , and having less silicon is best for anodizing, which is not true. So for example, the composition 6060=0.50% Si and 0.40% Mg have the same mechanical properties to the composition 6063= 0.40% Si and 0,48% Mg, but with 15-20 % more extrusion speed, or more than 7 % more productivity, or providing at least 1% more EBITDA in the balance sheet.

If the Customer knows, then, that 6060 has a lower cost, at least will want a discount price ... But if you can do it, that will make it more competitive with competing materials. This is the first point: Specify 6060, 6063 NO MORE!

However, the brand 6063 was very strong into the consumer's head until now. Many of us are extruding building materials in 6060, and not count it to our customers! Until when?

More serious than it is to specify T5 temper for building Products!

The minimum UTS 150MPa or 9 Webster hardness, is very little! May hinder the machining and hooking "twist" in the anodizing handling.

Does this market need really T6?

ABSOLUTELY NOT , minimum UTS 180 MPa, or 11 Webster, is sufficient for most profiles in this market.

In Brazil we call these temper as "T6C", this was my vote, ALLOY 6060 T6C.

Some companies already use 6360 or similar specifications, high excess silicon and Mg> 0.25%, no problems in this market , where the relative gain in EBITDA on 6063 alloy can exceed 2%,.

If 6060 is the alloy 6063 diluted, 6360 is the alloy 6060 diluted ...
We developed this composition in AlcanBrazil (6060Q), in the early start 90 ', and today, more than 20 years later, it is still patented? I don't know.
In the composition 0,56 wt% Si, 0.08% Mn and 0.30% Mg, has the same mechanical properties of the composition 6063 and 6060 mentioned above..
But the extrusion speed is so superior, that other bottlenecks appear in the handling of the press.

Now, at the other side, with all respect for those who are the vast majority of us, that still may not have the best raw material, or best practices in their extrusion process, you must continue to use the alloy6063, with compositions as more loaded in Si and Mg, according the shortcomings of your process.

Then I can not help remembering that the dilute alloys need to be produced, from the billet to the extrusion process, according the best process practices, which I will always have great pleasure in sharing.

6060T6: shows a great market strength, because only those with the best raw materials and the best practices of the extrusion process can guarantee that.

6063T6: shows a great exaggeration and waste money, because even with 6063 , for T6 we need to have best practices, but if you don't have, will have to compensate with compositions more loaded, low performance and high manufacturing costs.

6063T5: shows the needed prudence for those who still do not have the best raw materials and the best practices, but need to ensure your presence in the market.

6060T5: shows some neglect, because it has good practices, could ensure a better product and does not it, but this can be explained by the lack of knowledge of the specification tempering T6C.

6060 or 6360T6C (only my vote): shows that the "good" can be better than the "excellent".

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