For over 80 years the aluminum industry has produced, and their customers have used cold drawn 6061 tube and pipe that was drawn after extrusion press heat treat and quench. Until recently there was not a recognized temper or specifications for this product. It was called many names, 6061-T8 being the most common, but with no recognized material specification or temper, design engineers were reluctant to specify it in applications. While the -T6 temper was registered and included in specifications for drawn tube, the requirement to heat treat after drawing negated the cost advantages of press quenching the alloy, reduced tensile and fatigue properties, and restricted the manufacture to those few extruders with large expensive, aerospace drop furnaces able to heat treat after drawing.
Alfiniti is proud to announce that over the last three years it has provided the data and registered the 6061-T8 temper with the Aluminum Association and has had the 6061-T8 temper incorporated into the latest revisions of ASTM B210 (seamless drawn tube) and ASTM B483 (porthole drawn tube). With a product size range of 0.375″ to 4″ OD, seamless and porthole availability, and wall thicknesses up to .400″ this product is a great choice for hydraulic and pneumatic cylinders, shock absorbers, trench-shoring, and numerous other industrial and defense applications. Alfiniti can also add value added services to this product including machining and anodizing. For more information contact Alfiniti at info@alfiniti.com
