36" Diameter x 18" Long Aluminum?

athack · Jun 8, 2018

Hello,

I need a source for big aluminum. Any ideas? Something that is cast that big? Wheel manufacturer?

I can get a piece cut from large plate but it cost a lot. There has to be a common product made that has a casting or something that big.

Thanks for any input.

DMF_TomB · Jun 8, 2018

athack said:
Hello,

I need a source for big aluminum. Any ideas? Something that is cast that big? Wheel manufacturer?

I can get a piece cut from large plate but it cost a lot. There has to be a common product made that has a casting or something that big.

Thanks for any input.

.
how thick??, over 2" thick it needs xray for voids or internal metal defects

triumph406 · Jun 8, 2018

DMF_TomB said:
.
how thick??,

It's in the title

athack · Jun 8, 2018

DMF_TomB said:
.
how thick??, over 2" thick it needs xray for voids or internal metal defects

Thanks for the reply. The size is 36" diameter x 18" long. Any defects can be repaired/welded.

Any ideas?

adama · Jun 8, 2018

Do you really need a solid that big? IE are you cutting away a fair bit of it? if so your probably well into forging size range - cost savings over a complete solid.

TDegenhart · Jun 8, 2018

You may have to go to a foundry and have a piece cast.

Tom

Newman109 · Jun 8, 2018

athack said:
Thanks for the reply. The size is 36" diameter x 18" long. Any defects can be repaired/welded.

Any ideas?

You mentioned a wheel manufacturer. That would be my first choice. They use wheel slugs (not billets...) that are then forged into shape. The thing is that 36" diameter is really big....perhaps a wheel for a Semi-Tractor might start out that large.

atomarc · Jun 8, 2018

I'll be the devils advocate here...without knowing what this might be used for I sure would look at some other approach. A solid slug 36" X 18" makes poor engineering and design sense to me.

When I'm brainstorming a project and can't find a suitable piece to the puzzle, it's usually because that piece doesn't exist..someone has developed a better way to solve the problem.

That's my two cents on the deal!

Stuart

Milland · Jun 8, 2018

Maybe give us an idea of what the final shape's going to be, and what alloy and properties it needs. Going from plate to casting to forging is pretty broad, is there no real strength requirement? Will it become mostly chips, or mostly solid?

adama · Jun 8, 2018

Just to be clear, im not suggesting forging for strength, just a far more common source of large near net shape blanks.

Limy Sami · Jun 8, 2018

Bugger knows what this is all about, but I know 36'' dia x 18'' L Alu weighs 1800lb

Ref Materials Weight Calculator

gwbolton · Jun 8, 2018

Laminate 18 1" plate sections. A lot of work, but do-able

alskdjfhg · Jun 8, 2018

Once I go back to work after summer school, I can ask there.

They just did a job out of a 21" dia, 20" long chuck of 6061

Limy Sami · Jun 8, 2018

alskdjfhg said:
Once I go back to work after summer school, I can ask there.

They just did a job out of a 21" dia, 20" long chuck of 6061

A mere flyweight - that's only 680lbs :eek:

alskdjfhg · Jun 8, 2018

Limy Sami said:
A mere flyweight - that's only 680lbs

And by the time it was all said and done, one guy could pick it up off the boring mill.

Newman109 · Jun 8, 2018

Limy Sami said:
Bugger knows what this is all about, but I know 36'' dia x 18'' L Alu weighs 1800lb

Ref Materials Weight Calculator

Holy cow! That would take a gigantic lathe to do the work. :crazy:

DDoug · Jun 8, 2018

Newman109 said:
Holy cow! That would take a gigantic lathe to do the work.

With the large diameter and short length, a vertical boring mill (AKA Bullard)
would be used.

Smallest one I have run was a 42" dia.

Milland · Jun 8, 2018

digger doug said:
With the large diameter and short length, a vertical boring mill (AKA Bullard)
would be used.

Smallest one I have run was a 42" dia.

Hmmff, just a toy. I ran one so large we had to use left and right hand tooling, and do half the job clockwise, and half counter-clockwise. Otherwise we got crap from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich for altering the Earth's spin rate to much...

DDoug · Jun 8, 2018

Milland said:
Hmmff, just a toy. I ran one so large we had to use left and right hand tooling, and do half the job clockwise, and half counter-clockwise. Otherwise we got crap from the Royal Observatory at Greenwich for altering the Earth's spin rate to much...

My favorite was a 54" dynatrol.
A 42" king was like driving a truck.

the 72" dynatrols required too much ladder work.

true temper · Jun 8, 2018

You might try, The Yard Store Sells Aluminum Last time I was there they had some really big pieces, just don’t know if they have any that big!

36" Diameter x 18" Long Aluminum?

Stainless

Diamond

Diamond

Stainless

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Aluminum

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Diamond

Stainless

Similar threads