ALUMINUM FABRICATION SERVICES
Aluminium Fabrication And Welding
Aluminum Fabrication and welding to CWB 47.2. Seaborn Manufacturing with in house laser cutting, brake press, welding, machining, powder coatings, and tube bending. We service the aluminum fabrication needs of technology firms, agricultural , health and mining because we do it right. We should be your one source for quality aluminum fabrication services.
CWB 47.2 cerified aluminum welding is available for all your aluminum fabrication because Seaborn cares. We have specialized MIG welders dedicated to aluminum welding. The difference comes from giving skilled people the best equipment made for the process. Aluminium welding requires a dedicated process and machinery for best results. Have us put our specialized aluminum MIGs and highly trained staff to work for you. We will ensure your aluminium welding is done properly.
Our precision brake press can form pieces up to 10ft in length. The quality of the parts and precision of our fabrication show all the way through manufacturing. Assembled at your facility or ours you may rest assured due to care taken in making your order right. Let us take care of your aluminum fabrication needs, because we do it all from brackets to complex assemblies.
Every week we fabricate aluminium sheet metal to meet our clients requirements. Typically our state of the art laser cuts precision aluminium parts to begin the fabrication process. We can also machine all the aluminium components for your next project on our CNC mills and turning centers. Additionally, our powder coat line is well equipped to handle the challenges of powder coating aluminium because we work with constantly.
From custom aluminum planter boxes for high rises to high tech lab equipment we have your aluminium needs covered.
Once your project has been fabricated we offer a variety of aluminum coatings to complete the work. We can handle your parts from start to finish using our partners for anodizing, chromate conversion, paint, or powder coat in house. Whatever finish you need we have it covered.
What's on this page
Aluminium Coating
Working closely with the best local vendors, Seaborn provides a complete range of alumin
um coatings for both visual appeal and added durability. Anodizing is durable coating available in variety of colors, but only commonly used as black and clear. Red, Blue, Green, Yellow and Gold are also available but gener
ally add to lead time and cost. Hard anodizing provides a very tough outer surface but also has a somewhat unpredictable effect on part size. The more commonly used black and clear generally have little effect on pa
rt size. Alodine, and Irradant, are both brand names for chromate conversion coating used to provide corrosion resistance and superior bonding for
powder coat. Chromate conversion is also used on aluminum parts that require some environmental protection but still wanting the heat transfer / heat sinking benefits and conductivity of aluminum. It is a lower cost application than anodizing but less durable as standalone finish. There
are two basic distinctions
in chromate conversion coatings. These are hexavalent chromate and hexavalent free or ROHS compliant. The coating comes with several different looks depending on type and brand but typically a silvery grey and yellowish color are most common. There is also an olive drab and goldish possibility. Chromate conversion has minimal effect on part size. Aluminum can also be brush or sanded for a bare finish and even polished to near chrome like appearance. Paint can be applied to aluminum but requires proper surface preparation. While aluminum does not rust its does oxidise and a protective coating can help with appearance and longevity of the product. Seaborn stocks over 200 powder coat colors and has access to thousands more. Powder coat offers a durable and environmentally friendly finish. Our powder coat preparation is aluminum friendly and has additives to insure a good bond. For the very best results chromate is applied but this is required in very few situations. Aluminum coatings can enhance the appearance, functionality and durability of your product.
Aluminum Enclosures
Custom Aluminum Enclosures are fabricated to your specifications. We will make from one to one thousand enclosures to perfectly fit your needs. We have fabricated hundreds of different aluminium enclosures and custom cabinets. We love to see our customers vision come to life.
If you need a welded aluminium enclosure with inserts or without, Seaborn has you covered. Silk screened enclosures or decals? Again, we can take care of your needs. How about in house powder coat? Color it done! If you need your components anodized or chromate, we will take care of it, no problem. We can make a custom aluminum enclosure that fits your needs.
We will bring your custom electronics, equipment and gear storage enclosures to life. We make aluminum enclosures in sizes ranging from smaller than your hand to larger than your car. We will fabricate the aluminum enclosure you need for what ever you need to house.
Seaborn has fabricated equipment enclosures for; agricultural, electronics industry, laboratory, marine, military and more. You can find products we have made spanning the globe from labs and orchestras to agriculture & mining.
We have all the equipment to cut the sheet metal, form the cabinet and its lid. We can insert all the requires PEM, weld nuts, threaded stand offs, dividers and shelves right down to the door hardware to keep it secure. Most importantly we have a skilled and dedicated staff ready to make your vision come true in aluminum. Our talented craftsmen have, on average, have over 15 years in the industry. They take pride in their work and it shows in the final product. We are determined to make sure all the details are right because we care.
Seaborn Manufacturing does custom precision fabrication each and every week. Let us help you with all your custom enclosure needs. We love building custom cabinets in aluminum, steel or stainless steel.
Aluminum Machining Parts
Machined aluminum parts offer a great strength to weight ratio. While aluminum itself costs more by volume than steel, the faster machining times associated with it can make machining aluminum less expensive than steel. Machined aluminum is great for prototypes and production parts alike.
Aluminum is a much softer metal than steel, and certainly softer than stainless, but aluminum machining has its own issues to address. To properly machine aluminum, you require the correct cutters, drills and inserts to insure precision results. In fact, the coolant you run with aluminum is as critical as the tooling used to cut it.
Seaborn machines aluminum parts on a daily basis. Aluminum provides good dimensional stability but can also raise issues with deep drilling small diameter holes. With correct tooling and equipment, a near mirror finish can be produced in aluminum. With a higher strength to weight ratio than steel, aluminum is often used for mobile equipment and devices. Many field deployed devices utilize aluminum machining.
At Seaborn we pride ourselves on the quality of our precision machined aluminum parts. Seaborn machines all the common aluminum alloys – 6061 T6, 6063 T5, Mic 6, 5052 H32,7005, 7075 – and others as requested and/or required. Our high speed CNC machining centers and skilled programmers will insure you get the quality parts you deserve.
Seaborn machines small components to weldments in aluminum and do a lot of prototype and short-run custom aluminum machining. We offer CMM inspection for your aluminum machining project to ensure we meet your high standards for accuracy. From simple spacers to bearing block and aluminum tooling, Seaborn has your aluminum machining covered.
Machining aluminum extrusions and castings offers a chance to reduce cost and provide complex geometry to many production parts. Aluminum extrusions and casting are not practical for many low volume and one off parts but in production they can save time and lower cost.
The diverse benefits the many different aluminum alloys offer is why machined aluminum parts can be found everywhere, in industry and the home. Aluminum machining is a practical solution to many situations that require strength and lower weight.
When every gram counts, consider aluminum as an affordable option for your project.
Aluminum Tube Bending
Seaborn annually works with thousands of feet of aluminum tube. Our work can be found in such diverse locations as concert halls, cruise ships, diamond mines, mineral exploration, oil fields, and power generators. Seaborn has the knowledge, skilled tradesmen and speciality machinery for your aluminum tube bending needs.
Seaborn can also perform all the post and pre bending operations to complete your project. We have the CNC mills, turning centres and welders to complete the job. We can take care of any plating needs and powder coat in house should your aluminum tube bending project require.
Seaborn Manufacturing provides CNC aluminum tube bending from 1/2″ to 2″diameter. At Seaborn typically we work with grade 6063 aluminum tube since grade 6061 will crack when bent.
We currently only have dies for round aluminum tubing but can roll larger radius into square and rectangular tube. Contact us today.
Aluminum Welding
Seaborn Manufacturning provides complete aluminum welding and fabrication services, this includes offering TIG welding, however Seaborn generally prefers their aluminum dedicated MIG welders.
MIG welding aluminum with the proper machines and procedures places less heat stress on the aluminum and is easier to accommodate welding dissimilar thickness of aluminum. Most common grades of aluminum can be welded by a trained professional. Some of the common grades welded are 6061, 6063, 5052, 3003. Unfortunately the 7,000 series of aluminum is not a good candidate for welding.
Seaborn’s solid state aluminum MIGs provide exceptional weld strength and appearance with minimal heat distortion. These machines have over 30 different settings to insure clients receive a quality aluminum weld. They automatically monitor and adjust themselves more than a 100 times per second.
When quality equipment is used by skilled operators the outcome is incredible quality aluminum weldments. Attention to detail is incredibly important when welding aluminum. The parts need to be carefully prepared and cleaned just prior to welding, to insure a proper bound. The finished welded aluminum part may be powder coated. It may also be anodized but the weld nugget will not match in color to the parent material. Both heat from welding and the filler wire change the alloy.
We regularly weld aluminum from 0.048″ or 1.5mm to 3/4″ or 19mm. We run more projects in gauge thickness of aluminum than plate but have plenty of experience welding aluminum plate as well.
Retrofitting a spool gun to a conventional welder or MIG does not produce a satisfactory weld in aluminum. To weld aluminum correctly the machinery has to be built with this purpose in mind. Aluminum requires a much more powerful machine than steel of the same thickness due to its excellent ability to conduct electricity. High frequency pulse welding is well suited to the needs of aluminum welding.
Aluminum welding takes dedicated equipment and processes to be successful – it is not something to be “dabbled in.” Seaborn will look after you complete aluminum welding needs.
Aluminum Weldments
One of Seaborn’s strongest areas is aluminum weldments. While many machine shops will modify their welder to “get by” with aluminum, Seaborn has equipment that is dedicated to doing nothing but aluminum welding. Seaborn produces a big variety of welded aluminum every year, producing multiple aluminum weldments each week. From thin 18ga to 1″ plate Seaborn provides the complete aluminum welding and fabrication package.
The solid state aluminum MIGs used at Seaborn provide exceptional weld strength and clean appearance. These state of the art MIGs have over 30 different setting to insure we provide you with a quality aluminum weld. They automatically monitor and adjust themselves more than 100 times per second insuring you get absolute highest quality welds, but these incredible machines can’t operate alone. They truly shine in the hands of our skilled welders with 8 plus years of aluminum welding experience.
We offer TIG welding but prefer to use our dedicated aluminum MIG welders. With the proper solid state MIGs and procedures, less heat stress is placed on the aluminum weldments. Seaborn regularly produces weldments in aluminum alloys 6061 / 6063 / 5052 and occasionally in 3003. We generally do not find the 3000 series aluminum to be as good to work with and they lose their small cost savings in the extra time they require. Though the 7000 series aluminum is excellent for machining, they are not well suited to welding.
Seaborn fabricates a broad range of aluminum weldments. We work with everything from light gauge to full plate and structural aluminum tubing. Seaborn makes aluminum weldments for robotic tooling, mobile communication systems, material handling applications and mineral / oil exploration and harvest. We are dedicated to providing the highest quality aluminum weldments, at a competitive price, and with fast turnaround. Seaborn provides all the fabricated aluminum sheet metal, and machined aluminum parts the weldment requires. We can and do machine base on final part requirements before and or after welding. Contact us to get your aluminum weldments done right the first time.
CWB 47.2 Certified!
CWB W47.2
CWB W47.2 Fusion Welding of Aluminium certification was achieved by Seaborn Mfg. In association with the Canadian Standards Association (C.S.A.) this achievement requires extremely specific certification of staff and welding procedures. Each weld joint type and aluminum grade (ie 6061, 5052, 3003 etc.) and or grade combination (6061 to 6061. 6061 to 5052 etc) need to be tested. Our equipment and procedures are maintained and regularly updated to meet and or surpass the standards set by the CWB. With this certification and our extreme attention to detail you can be sure every product you order from us is exactly what you want.
Procedures
To achieve and maintain your CWB 47.2 designation you must submit and prove your procedures through independent testing. Every weld procedure a company adds requires several tests to be performed. A very small percentage of shops try for their CWB 47.2 certification due to the cost and complications in achieving it.
Qualification of Personal
To be CWB 47.2 certfied you most employ a certified welding supervisor with proven non-ferrous welding knowledge. This individual needs to write and pass several additional tests over the more common CWB 47.1. They than must under go further in house examinations developed and performed by CWB welding representative.
Each welder working to CWB 47.2 needs be certified for the “welding procedures” they are allowed to perform. This process involves the welding of approved coupons / test plates under the supervision of a CWB representative. These weld tests are stamped with the auditor’s mark logged and sent off for testing by a certified test facility. Than multiple destructive tests are performed on each weld sample submitted for approval.
The Job
On a regular basis we weld steel ranging from light gauge metal to 1″ thick, from hand held pieces to products weighing over a tonne. For quality steel welding, you can trust Seaborn becasue we will do it right.
If you need more than welding check out our other services such as CNC machining, powder coat, brake press, and so much more.
We are proudly CWB 47.1 and CWB W47.2 certified.
Machined Aluminum Weldments
Aluminum Weldments
SEABORN produces a wide variety of aluminum weldments. From small tooling weldments to large transport frames. Aluminum weldments typically use several of our services to complete because they often will have fabricated aluminum components and machined parts. The secret to a quality weldment is planning the project from the first cut to the final milling operation, and all of the jigs and step in between. We produce aluminum weldments every week and have the skilled tradesman required to make them.
Welding Aluminum
Few companies have the equipment or knowledge to weld aluminum well. We have achieved the coveted CWB 47.2 certification by developing and proving our aluminum welding procedures to meet the C.S.A. strict requirements.
Machining Weldments
When machining an aluminum weldment care has to be taken not to force or distort the frame. Care in the set up to machine the aluminum is critical. The entire aluminum weldment needs to be properly supported during machining. The advancement in aluminum machining the last few years have been significant and continue to offer improved finishes and tighter tolerances. We can take your aluminum weldments from start to their precision machined finish. Everything down to coolant in the machine has an impact on the final product.
Powder Coat
Many of the aluminum weldments we product are powder coated to help them avoid corrosion and provide them with a stunning finish. End users care about the appearance of thier new purhase especially when it is new out of the box. We properly prepare the aluminum weldments for powder coat so difference is visible and the finish lasts.
Precision Aluminum Fabrication
Demanding Accuracy, Quality
Precision Aluminum Fabrication is more demanding than working with steel. Aluminum is a strong, lighter weight alternative but can easily be marked during fabrication.
Precision Aluminum Fabrication requires more steps and greater skill. Since the majority of the aluminum fabrication we do is high profile, technology-driven applications, the visual appearance is important. Dimensional accuracy is always paramount. Quality fabrication requires both functionality and a clean appearance.
Choosing Optimal Alloys
There are many choices to make when fabricating the various common alloys. For gauge metal aluminum, we typically use 5052 H32, chosen for its ability to be formed without cracking or checking. We do use some 6061, but in its common T6 temper, this can not be formed. Generally we do not use the 3000 series aluminum as they do not offer any advantage. There are numerous other alloys that have their place in special applications, but availability and cost jump quickly.
For aluminum tube fabrication, we use 6061 for parts that require little or no forming. A large arcs maybe rolled into 6061 tube but not any common part size radius. For aluminum tube bending, we typically recommend and use 6063 aluminum tube. Unfortunately, 6063 T5 aluminum tube is not as common as its 6061 T6 cousin.
Eliminating Cross Contamination
Precision Aluminum Fabrication frequently requires aluminum welding. The welding procedures for aluminum are more involved than steel. Aluminum welding requires dedicated equipment which should not be contaminated by use on steel. Aluminum welding requires special machines to achieve the best results. Even simple things, such as grinding wheels and wire brushes, need to be chosen specifically for aluminum and never used on other materials. Seaborn has achieved the coveted CWB 47.2 certification.
Precision Fabrication, Welding: A Seaborn Specialty
Aluminum is very versatile material and can be well suited for precision fabrication. Inserts such as PEM nuts and riv nuts are often required for aluminum electronic enclosure and can make assemblies stronger.
Brake forming aluminum requires less tonnage than steel but often requires the aluminum to be protected during forming. The use of slightly wider brake dies reduce the stress on aluminum fabricated parts and the resulting tooling marks.
Aluminum fabrication requires care and planning to produce quality parts. It is often a challenge to balance all the parts requirements for standoffs and pem nuts with the forming requirements of the part. SEABORN Manufacturing will work alongside you every step of the way.
No one solution is right all of the time... So we use them all.
Precision Aluminum Fabrication is a broad field covering a wide variety of work. It is field we shine in. We offer a broad range of aluminum fabrication services. Sheet metal components can be initially cut with a laser, punch or water jet. No one solution is right all of the time so we use them all.
Once the aluminum sheet metal is cut we can form it using a CNC brake press, & add PEM nuts and PEM studs with our PEMserter. If your aluminum fabrication requires welding, that’s not a problem – we will look after that with dedicated aluminum welders.
Should your aluminum fabrication needs require tube bending or roll forming, we will take them to completion.
Aluminum fabrication is ideal for strength at lower weight than steel. We fabricate all aspects of aluminum from sheet metal and tube to CNC machined weldments.
We regularly fabricate aluminum enclosure, frames, weldments, brackets, and all types of aluminum sheet metal and plate. We know what we can and can not do with different grades of aluminum, and more importantly, we know how to do it.
