Lateral Extrusion of A6063 Pipes with a Lost Core of Alumina Powder Bonded with Wax
The authors have developed a lateral extrusion process with a lost core. The outline of the process is as follows. First, the cavity of a pipe, or a channel material, is filled up with liquid of a low-temperature melting material. The low-temperature melting material is then solidified to become a soluble core of the pipe. The authors call this soluble core the lost core. Next, the material is compressed longitudinally as a composite billet and extruded in the lateral direction. After deformation, the low-temperature melting material is melted and removed. The process can performed in a compression state to control the precise appearance of the product. This study examines a new core material, alumina powder (alumina ball) bonded with wax, as a core material. A mixing methodology for wax and alumina powder is discussed along with the effect of their mixing ratio on the deformation of the pipe.