What are Aluminium Extrusions?

Extrusion is a process used to create objects of a fixed cross-sectional profile, of solid round, square or rectangular shapes, to L shapes and T shapes, tubes and many other different types. Metal is pushed through a die of the desired shape using either a mechanical or hydraulic press, resulting in the finished product. The cavity in which the raw material is pressed is lined with a wear resistant material which can withstand the pressure that is created when the material is pushed through, making extrusion possible without deforming or tearing the metal.

Aluminium extrusion is generally used in the manufacture of windows, doors and balustrades, but is also found in thousands of other items like vehicle parts, truck trays, boats and other marine products and refrigeration, etc to name a few.

Two advantages of this technique over other manufacturing processes are its ability to create very complex cross-sections, plus being able to work materials that are brittle, because the material only encounters compressive and shear stresses. It also forms finished parts with an excellent surface finish. Extrusions often minimise the need for secondary machining. They are not of the same dimensional accuracy or surface finish as machined parts, however, the process produces a wide variety of cross-sections that are hard to produce cost-effectively using other methods.

Extrusion may be continuous (producing indefinitely long material), or semi-continuous (producing many pieces). The minimum thickness of steel is about 3mm, whereas aluminum and magnesium is about 1mm. The extrusion process can be done with the material hot or cold.

Metals that are commonly extruded:

* Aluminium is the most commonly extruded material and can be hot or cold extruded
* Brass is used to extrude corrosion free rods, automobile parts, pipe fittings, engineering parts
* Copper pipe, wire, rods, bars, tubes, and welding electrodes
* Lead and tin pipes, wire, tubes, and cable sheathing
* Magnesium is used in aircraft parts and nuclear industry parts, and is about as extrudable as aluminum
* Zinc rods, bars, tubes, hardware components, fittings and handrails
* Steel rods and tracks -Usually plain carbon steel is extruded, but alloy steel and stainless steel can also be extruded
* Titanium is often used in aircraft components including seat tracks, engine rings, and other structural parts.

Clean Metals for Recycling

The cleaner that a metal is when it’s taken into a scrap metal yard to sell, the better price it will fetch per kilo, as foreign matter is costly to clean off, so this product will always be penalised accordingly in terms of the price. By this we mean no concrete, screws, glass, paper or any other foreign material attached.

All the metal we buy is processed by cleaning any non-metallic off it as required, cutting it into smaller pieces, and then it is put through a baling press to maximise the weights for export to South East Asia, where it will be melted down and manufactured into new products.

The Extrusion Process

The process begins by heating the material (for hot or warm extrusion). It is then loaded into the container for pressing. A dummy block is placed behind it where the ram then presses the material to push it out of the die. Afterward, the extrusion is stretched in order to straighten it. If higher quality properties are required then it may be heat treated or cold worked.

Cold extrusion is done at or near room temperature. Advantages of this over hot extrusion are the lack of oxidation, higher strength due to cold working, closer tolerances, good surface finish, and fast extrusion speeds if the material is subject to heat for a short period.

If you are looking for aluminium extrustion recyclers in Brisbane, make sure you visit Frog Metals.

How to stop the flood of election junk mail?

Wherever you live in the world, whether it is a Presidential, Local Council, State or Federal election, your mailbox will groan under the weight of materials aimed at getting your vote. It might be the electronic era, but it seems that a letter in your letterbox is still considered the most efficient way of getting a message across.

While an informed electorate is crucial to the democratic process, there appears to be a glut of over-sending of junk mail for political purposes – and no clear way on how to stop this. What’s worse, the content of most of the political flyers is simply mudslinging about their opponents with no intellectual substance. Is anyone else reminded of children in the playground?

How can you help stop this frivolous waste of resources? Imagine the strain on our environment and the large volume of greenhouse gases generated from all the trees cut down, printing and transport of the materials. Grab a cup of tea or your water bottle and let’s get down to it.

We know in Australia that material that is deemed to be political, educational, religious and charitable is exempt from “No Junk Mail” signed letterboxes according to standards developed by the Australian Catalogue Association. So there is no way to stop it being posted in your postbox along with the other junk mail catalogues enticing you to buy all sorts of things you don’t really need. It is likely the same in other countries.

Step 1. Incorrectly addressed political mail
A lot of of your mail may be addressed to past occupants of the house. You need to “return this to sender” with the note “no longer at this address”.

Step 2. Contact each political party or politician that is mailing you
There is no central database so you will need to call the office of each individual sender and ask to be removed from their mailing list. Remember to be nice! You catch more bees with honey than vinegar.

Step 3. National Standard to stop political junk mail
Write a letter to the Electoral Commission asking them to implement a National Standard to limit the number of pieces each political party is allowed to put in each household’s letterbox.

Step 4. Polling day
Don’t forget to recycle any materials you are given on the day – often the Greens Party has a box at the booths for such materials on polling day!

Written by Tracey Bailey, Director of Biome Eco Stores in Brisbane, specialists in water bottles and eco friendly, reusable choices for your home, body and lifestyle.

Tips for Kids Parties

Children’s parties have come a long way in recent times due to more options, more expense and more expectation placed on an annual event that runs approximately 2-3 hours. Working in the children’s party industry for over 15 years, I’ve seen every type of party from the informal backyard gathering to a veritable carnival with everything imaginable hired.

However, a kid’s party doesn’t need an event planner or a big budget to be wonderful. I have some great tips to get the party started and the kids having a ball.

1. Stick with the familiar. Kids love it when predictable elements are present, and if they are overlooked, it won’t go unnoticed! Definites are: Food, birthday cake, and the all important Party Bag! If you provide at least these three things, you’ve got a party.

2. Things for the kids to do. There are innumerable options: Party games; hire an entertainer or activity or have the party somewhere that will entertain the kids for you. Rule of thumb: DON’T OVER-DO IT!

One or two entertainment events are more than enough. The fact is, the kids will be commanded to eat now, cut the cake now, watch the gifts being opened now, etc etc.. If you throw in entertainers, activities and games, the kids may quickly become overwhelmed, and the party whizzes by without the kids having time to actually play.

3. Play time: This element should be the top party essential. Allowing time for children to run around, play, talk and laugh with each other is golden. It suits children of all ages and capabilities, and what’s more , it’s free!

4. Age-appropriate entertainment. This tip may seem like a no-brainer, but many parties result in children being bored or bewildered. For example, hiring a magician-clown for two-year olds left most of the children terrified. Another example is a bowling party for four-year olds. The children had no interest in being competitive and after a few bowls, the excitement had absolutely worn off. Even Pass-the-Parcel can cause distress when played with children too young to realise they haven’t missed out, they just have to wait their turn. For a party for mixed ages and genders, there is a broad range of entertainment that appeals, such as jumping castles and balloon-twisting.

5. Relax! When planning your party, listen to your child and use your instincts – you know what they will enjoy the most. On the day have a mini run-sheet so that you don’t forget anything, like when to get the party pies in the oven or to hand out the party bags.

And lastly, enjoy YOURSELF too…after all -it’s a party!

Best of luck!

Looking for face painters Bribane for face painting Brisbane ? For the best kids parties Brisbane, contact Wowee Creations today.

Stacked Stone Sydney

If you are looking for a place to get only the highest quality Stacked Stone Sydney has available then look no further than with Craftstoneoz.com.au. Craftstoneoz.com.au is able to deliver the unique beauty that a natural looking stone cladding wall has to offer. A stone feature wall made out of pure natural stone is very rare these days. It may have been commonplace eons ago but in this day and age the supply of very fine and beautifully crafted natural stone has dwindled to the point where it can be extremely expensive. Craftstoneoz.com.au gives the best solution if you truly want to have the best Stacked Stone Sydney can ever have.

The solution is in the material. Instead of scouring the world for very rare and pure natural stone, Craftstoneoz.com.au molds replicas from a mix of cement, pumice and other materials. Even if you were to take a magnifying glass and inspect the stone pieces very closely you will not find any difference between these products and real, natural stones. The color blends all the way through the product so even if you were to break a piece and shatter it on the ground, the color would be the same all throughout the broken shards, making them appear even more authentic.

You do not need to worry about any event of repetition either. When molding, over a few thousand molding models are used that will essentially remove any possibility of repetition. Another thing to note is that all of the stones are colored one by one, therefore there will never be any two stones that are exactly the same. You could inspect every stone installed onto your wall and you will never find any two identical stones.

No matter how you look at the replicas they will look and feel like the real thing. All of the molds are designed to be almost identical to natural stones and the process in making them ensures that each one is applicable to the construct. Craftstoneoz.com.au stone feature structures are best suited for walls. Since they are lightweight and can be cut by construction equipment they are not suited for walkways, fountains or patios and others. They are best when designed for a wall, post, or other side structure that will not be walked upon. They can be placed outside or inside, making them the best pieces for building stone fences around your house, the BBQ area or if you want to create a unique, natural looking façade of your home or establishment.

The best thing is that all of these stones are lightweight and make for a very beautiful Stacked Stone Sydney has ever seen. They are compatible to be installed onto any kind of material, making any kind of wall or post suitable to have stones installed over them. This will give your home or establishment a fresh and yet comforting new look that brings the natural beauty of the world and nature right into your doorstep. Craftstoneoz.com.au offers a total of nineteen different textures and over eighty colors that will guarantee you get the best designed Stacked Stone Sydney has to offer.

Brisbane Home and Land Packages

OJ Pippin Homes builds affordable quality homes throughout Brisbane and South East Queensland. Our company strives to give our clients a stress free building experience, whether it is to live in or to invest.

With over 100 superb design and floor plan options to choose from we can help you find a house to suit a specific block, location or site and most importantly to suit your budget and requirements.

If you also require land, our Sales consultants are ex-land sales and real estate agents so they know the whole building and land acquisitions process back to front, so they can act as a buyer’s agent to help you source land if you don’t have your own.

OJ Pippin Homes have currently sourced great value land for House & Land Packages throughout Brisbane, Gold coast and the Sunshine coast.

All packages are complete ‘FULL TURN KEY’ packages which means we take care of everything for you from full landscaping and paths to window furnishings and floor coverings. Simply move in and enjoy your new home.

Our aim is to have you enjoy success whether it is for investment purposes or your own home at the lowest possible cost while maximising your future financial position. Any investment, whether rental property or owner-occupier, requires careful consideration as it is one of the major decisions an individual will make. OJ Pippin is committed to providing you with your property within 12 weeks of council approval and a continued relationship to ensure that everything remains to your satisfaction.

For investment packages, we have expanded our operations to include our own ‘in-house’ marketing division – not only do we build it, but we can rent it for you and arrange the property management post completion. In addition we can point you in the right direction to maximise your returns such as steering you via a qualified quantity surveyor to provide you with a depreciation schedule to take advantage of the taxation benefits that are available through the ATO.

From our strong customer focus and through direct honest contact OJ Pippin Homes is often involved in a number of repeat projects with our owner-occupiers and investment clients.

If you’re looking for a Brisbane Home Builder, House & Land package or more information on this Brisbane builder call 1800 OJ HOME (1800 654 663) If you’re Building today, Go the OJ Way!