CNC Machining with Aluminum Extrusions

In the competitive landscape of custom part manufacturing, combining CNC machining with aluminum extrusions offers a powerful solution for creating highperformance, complex components efficiently and costeffectively. For businesses seeking a reliable partner for onestopshop precision parts, this synergy is a gamechanger.


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Aluminum extrusions begin as a cylindrical billet of aluminum alloy, which is heated and forced through a die to create a specific crosssectional profile. This process is exceptionally efficient for producing long parts with a consistent shape, such as rails, frames, and enclosures. The primary advantage is material and cost savings, as extrusion minimizes raw material waste compared to starting with a solid block. Popular alloys for extrusion, like 6061 and 6063, offer an excellent balance of strength, corrosion resistance, and machinability.

However, an extruded profile is often a semifinished product. This is where CNC machining enters the stage, adding critical value and functionality. While the extrusion process defines the part's basic shape, CNC machining provides the precision and versatility to create final, readytoassemble components. Key operations include:

Precision Drilling and Tapping: Adding accurate bolt holes and threaded inserts for assembly.
Milling Pockets and Slots: Creating recesses for other components like sensors, circuit boards, or seals.
Facing and Skimming: Achieving tight tolerances and perfect flatness on mounting surfaces.

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Complex Contouring: Shaping the ends or specific areas of the extrusion beyond its original profile.

The combination is supremely logical. You leverage the extrusion process for its cost efficiency in creating the primary structure and then employ CNC machining to add highprecision, complex features that extrusions alone cannot achieve. This hybrid approach significantly reduces both material costs and machine time compared to machining a part entirely from a solid block of aluminum, leading to faster production cycles and lower perpart prices.



For industries such as aerospace, automotive, robotics, and consumer electronics, this method is ideal for producing lightweight yet strong structural frames, heat sinks with intricate fin designs, and modular system components that require precise interfaces.

As your onestopshop manufacturing partner, we specialize in seamlessly integrating these processes. From advising on the optimal extruded profile design for manufacturability to executing highprecision, secondary CNC operations, we ensure your parts are delivered with exceptional quality, consistency, and value. By harnessing the strengths of both aluminum extrusions and CNC machining, we help you accelerate innovation, optimize your supply chain, and bring superior products to market faster.