Aluminum 6063-T6 Guide

Aluminum 6063 – T6：

Alumínio 6063-T6 means that the main component in the aluminum alloy is 6063, and it has been heat-treated to reach the T6 hardening state. Aluminum 6063 alloy is a medium strength alloy commonly known as a construction alloy. For complex extrusions, it has a good surface finish, high corrosion resistance, is easy to weld and is easy to anodize, most commonly in the T6 temper.

Aluminium 6063-T6 Alloy Specification:

Composição química:

Elemento	Content(%)
Al	97.5
Si	0.2-0.6
Cu	0.1
Mn	0.1
Mg	0.45-0.9
Zn	0.1
Cr	0.1
Ti	0.1
Outros	0.15

Mechanical Properties:

Liga metálica	Resistência à tração	Resistência ao escoamento	Alongamento
6063-T6	310Mpa	276Mpa	12%

Physical Properties:

Propriedade física	Densidade	Ponto de fusão	Expansão térmica	Condutividade eléctrica	Módulo de elasticidade	Capacidade térmica específica	Condutividade térmica
Valor	2.7 g/cm³	606-655°C	23.2 x 10^-6 /°C	40-55% IACS	68.3 GPa	0,896 J/g°C	201-218 W/mK

Annealing Process of Aluminum 6063-T6 Alloy:

Aluminum 6063-alloy usually needs to be annealed during the processing and forming process to eliminate residual stress, improve mechanical properties and increase the ductility of aluminum alloy. The following are the general 6063 aluminum alloy annealing process steps:

1. Material selection: Select high-quality aluminum 6063-T6 alloy materials and ensure that they are free from oil, oxidation, and chemical substances.

2. Prepare the material: cut the material to a suitable size, and clean it with acid or alkali (remove surface dirt and oxide layer, etc.).

3. Heating: Put the aluminum alloy material into the annealing furnace, raise the temperature to 400°C-500°C (depending on the thickness of the material), and keep it for a certain period of time (usually 1-2 hours).

4. Heat preservation: keep the aluminum alloy material in the annealing furnace for heat preservation, the time depends on the thickness of the material (generally 1 hour/mm).

5. Cooling: Turn off the power of the annealing furnace, and let the aluminum alloy material cool down to room temperature naturally.

6. Cutting: Use mechanical processing methods such as radial drills to cut, and make the processed 6063 aluminum alloy into the desired shape. The above annealing process steps can restore the 6063 aluminum alloy to a soft state, which has high plasticity and machinability, and is suitable for subsequent machining and forming operations.

Features of Aluminum 6063-T6:

1. After heat treatment, it has medium strength, high impact toughness and is not sensitive to notch.

2. It has excellent thermoplasticity, and can be extruded into various profiles with complex structures and thin-walled hollows at high speed or forged into forgings with complex structures. The quenching temperature range is wide and the quenching sensitivity is low. Thin-walled profiles can be processed on the extrusion machine. Directly air-cooled and quenched.

3. Good welding performance, can be used for gas welding, arc welding, resistance welding and brazing, and has excellent corrosion resistance. It is the only alloy that has no stress corrosion cracking phenomenon.

4. After processing, the surface is very smooth and easy to anodize and color. The disadvantage is that if it is parked at room temperature for a period of time after quenching, it will have an adverse effect on the strength.

What Is Alumínio 6063-T6 Used For?

• Building and construction engineering: Aluminum 6063-T6 is commonly used in building and construction engineering, including door and window frames, curtain walls, balcony railings, stair handrails, roof structures, etc.

• Vehicle Manufacturing: This aluminum sheet is widely used in the manufacture of automobiles and vehicles such as automotive body panels, roofs, doors, window frames, chassis components, etc.

• Electronic equipment: Since aluminum 6063 T6 has good electrical conductivity and heat dissipation performance, it is also used in electronic equipment, such as computer casings, mobile phone casings, radiators, etc.

• Furniture and home decoration: This aluminum sheet is often used in furniture manufacturing and home decoration, such as cabinets, tables, chairs, lamps, curtain tracks, etc. It’s aesthetically pleasing, durable, and easy to work and maintain for modern home design.

• Industrial equipment and machinery: Due to its high strength and corrosion resistance, 6063 T6 aluminum sheet is widely used in the field of industrial equipment and machinery, such as conveyor belts, lockers, machine casings, etc.

Other Comparison:

Aluminum 6061 vs Aluminum 6063

Different Element Densities:

The main alloying elements of 6063 are magnesium and silicon, the density is 2.69g/cm³, it contains 0.4% Si and 0.7% Mg, the strength of hard material is 295Mpa, and the strength of soft material is 111Mpa. The melting temperature is 615-655 degrees.

The main alloying elements of 6061 are magnesium and silicon, and form Mg2Si phase. The composition contains 0.6%Mg, 0.25%Cu, 1.0%Mg, 0.09%Cr, the hard strength is 316Mpa, and the soft strength is 127Mpa. In Mg2Si, the Mg/Si ratio is 1.73. In the state of heat treatment, Mg2Si is solid-fused in aluminum , so that the alloy has the function of artificial age hardening.

Respective Advantages:

Liga de alumínio 6061: Força, soldabilidade, elevada resistência à corrosão.

Liga de alumínio 6063: Excelente soldabilidade, extrudabilidade e galvanoplastia, boa resistência à corrosão, tenacidade.

Gama de aplicações：

O alumínio 6063 é utilizado principalmente em: grades tubulares, mobiliário, caixilhos, perfis extrudidos para a construção.

O alumínio 6061 é utilizado principalmente no fabrico de tubos, barras, formas e chapas para camiões, torres de construção, navios, eléctricos, mobiliário, peças mecânicas, maquinagem de precisão, etc.