Alfiniti Registers With the Aluminum Association, Secures Inclusion in ASTM Standards
According to the company, broader use of this lightweight temper will reduce costs across sectors.
Alfiniti Inc., a producer of drawn aluminum tubes and pipes, has registered the 6061-T8 temper with The Aluminum Association and secured its inclusion in the American Society for Testing Materials (ASTM) standards. This provides a standardized definition of the temper’s manufacturing methods and mechanical properties that was unavailable until now.
The lightweight and durable 6061-T8 temper has been in use for decades. However, its application was based on individual agreements between companies and suppliers. Richard James, managing director of Alfiniti, says, “This registration is about standardizing an established temper, allowing designers to use it without prior supplier agreements.”
James emphasized the broader implications of this registration: “Any industry that is looking at hydraulic cylinder tubing would be interested in this. They can now look at designs for changing materials, like converting from steel to aluminum, or optimizing current aluminum designs by taking advantage of the higher properties. This makes applications lighter and less costly.”
The 6061-T8 temper registration with the Aluminum Association and its inclusion in the ASTM provide a consistent manufacturing process with guaranteed mechanical properties for designers to reference. This makes the data more widely available, which in turn means the 6061-T8 will be more widely used. Applications for the 6061-T8 will broaden as a result of the recent inclusion, but for now use cases include: shock absorbers, hydraulic cushioning systems, trench shoring and mining.
