At Profall, we go beyond extrusion: every aluminum profile can leave our plant already milled, drilled, and ready to install. In this article, you’ll learn how aluminum milling works, when to choose 3, 4, or 5 axes, and how to request it for your profiles.
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Aluminum milling is a subtractive machining process that works by chip removal. A rotating cutting tool, the end mill, moves across the workpiece and removes material layer by layer until it reaches the geometry specified in the drawing.
In CNC aluminum milling, the movement of the tool and the workpiece is driven by computer numerical control. The machine runs a program generated from the CAD model, so every part in the batch receives the same operations, with the same precision and no manual adjustments from one component to the next.
On an extruded profile, milling delivers what the extrusion die alone can’t:
The machining process consists of two primary stages:
Aluminum is extremely well suited to this process. The 6000 series alloys we use for our extrusions, especially 6060, 6063, and 6005, offer good machinability: chips break away easily, cutting speeds can be high, and the surface finish stays consistent even after material removal.
The number of axes tells you how many directions the machine can move the tool and the workpiece. More axes mean more faces can be machined in a single setup, without unclamping and re-fixturing the profile.
The tool moves along the three linear axes: X, Y, and Z. It machines one face at a time, so the profile has to be repositioned to work on another side. It’s the simplest and fastest option to program, ideal for drilling holes, slots, and pockets on the top face of medium-length profiles.
A rotary axis is added to the three linear ones, usually around the long axis of the profile. The part can be rotated and machined on multiple side faces in a single clamping. This cuts down on repositioning and improves accuracy between features on different sides.
Two rotary axes allow the tool to tilt relative to the part. The end mill can reach the top face, every side face, and angled surfaces, even at non-orthogonal angles. It’s the go-to choice for complex geometries, undercuts, and features that must stay precisely aligned with one another.
Milling a special profile with a complex cross-section takes specific expertise: thin walls, internal cavities, fins, and undercuts all change the way the part responds to the cutting tool.
There are three main technical challenges:
This is where our specialization comes in. 90% of our production is dedicated to special profiles: every day, we design and extrude cross-sections that others simply can’t make. We know the profile’s geometry before it ever reaches the machine, because we designed it together with the customer.
For milling, we work with RC Ramera, our partner specializing in high-precision aluminum machining, with more than 40 years of experience in the industry. This partnership lets us handle extrusion and machining in a single workflow, with three tangible benefits:
RC Ramera’s 5-axis machining centers can work on every side face of the profile, even on very long bars. The result is a component ready for assembly, with tolerances defined case by case by our engineering department.
Have a special profile that needs milling? With the Profall configurator, you can start defining your project step by step: shape, dimensions, quantity, and required machining. Our engineering team will assess its feasibility and guide you to the best solution.
CNC milling turns an extruded profile into a component ready for the assembly line. Here’s where we see it at work most often.
In the automotive industry, we produce custom special profiles for heat exchangers, HVAC systems, radiators, and fluid distribution tubes and fittings. For commercial vehicles, profiles become body parts, steps, seat tracks, and overhead luggage racks. Milling adds mounting seats, slots, and interlocks with the precision that high-volume assembly demands, while preserving the light weight that makes aluminum a better choice than steel.
One of the main applications is the production of heat sinks. Our extrusions are specifically engineered for solar panel heat sinks, but they’re also a good fit for inverters and thermal management devices. Milling creates seats for electronic components, mounting holes, and flattened contact surfaces that improve heat transfer. The same goes for supports and mounting brackets.
In the marine industry, aluminum is valued for its light weight and corrosion resistance. Milled profiles become components for outfitting, superstructures, and interiors on boats and cruise ships, where every part needs to come on board already machined and ready to install.
In the electromechanical sector, we use high-purity alloys such as 1050 and 1070 for profiles used in power transformers, where aluminum replaces copper. CNC milling makes it possible to create seats and holes for terminal hardware and connections, taking advantage of the material’s high electrical conductivity.
Requesting milling for your profiles is simple. The more complete your request, the faster and more accurate our response will be.
Lead times for machining are defined in the quote, based on complexity and quantity.
Need a reliable partner for your aluminum milling projects? Bring your vision to life: request a custom quote today.
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