We understand some aluminum extruded hollows are not truly seamless. How can we be sure the extrusions we use for bending will not crack?
The aluminum extruded hollow can be seamless through a pierce-mandrel method or can be metallurgically welded through the bridge-porthole process. The seamless is preferred for severe bending applications, but in most of the smooth radius end-uses the non-seamless metallurgical controlled alloy temper bonded product will work. As a rule, as long as you are not seeking to utilize the tube for internal flow where burst pressure becomes a concern, the truly seamless is not required. Also as a rule of thumb, bend radius of twice the metallurgical welded hollow will work. Tooling, product price and availability are considerably less. Typical applications are furniture posts, truck mirrors — handles, greenhouses, and archways in commercial architectural buildings.
