When Minalex opened in 1965, one of the first products we extruded was an aluminum bar for the brazing process. The client was Hughes-Treitler. More than 50 years later, Hughes-Treitler is still a Minalex customer, and we are still extruding aluminum bars for a wide-range of applications, mainly for the aerospace industry. From commercial aircraft to military vehicles, these aluminum bars continue to meet strict durability and performance requirements for some of the most respected brands in the world.
Aluminum is still the ideal material for the brazing process because of its strength and light weight. When the braze melts, heat exchanger fins are securely affixed to the heat bar to create a strong joint, and all voids are sealed to prevent leakage.
Aluminum maintains its integrity through the manufacturing process inside the brazing oven and performs well in the field in large oil and liquid coolers. For smaller applications, the bars can be torch welded.
Minalex can extrude aluminum bars in a variety of sizes and shapes. In fact, one of our clients uses about 30 different styles of bars for different applications. Minalex has designed and produced hundreds of large aluminum bar extrusions up to 3.500 inches (8.89 cm). Because aluminum bars are a necessity, clients typically maintain a backup inventory for repairs. Even with all the advances in technology since the 1960s, aluminum bars are still the gold standard for the brazing process of oil and liquid coolers in the aerospace industry, and Minalex continues to be the go-to source for these precisely extruded products.
