Extrusion die design and research

Dies are made of tool steels that are super-hard and abrasion-resistant. This makes them suitable for shaping other materials, like aluminium.

At Hydro, we make our own dies. We also buy dies from independent toolmakers. We develop design aids for effective extrusion die design, we correct dies to optimize productivity and we research die performance. We keep improving the production process to reduce costs for you, using:

• Material flow simulation in the dies
• Integration with computer-aided design systems to calculate flow resistance in ports, mandrel deflection and stresses in webs
• Heat treatment of tool steels
• Surface treatment of dies with methods such as nitriding, nitrocarburization, chemical vapor deposition and plasma vapor deposition

Extrusions and dies

Medium and large-sized extrusions are pressed through a die with only one opening. Smaller extrusions can be pressed through multi-aperture dies – with as many as 16 apertures.