I was extremely excited when I got a project in my new company. This project required me to design and help manufacture the body of a small airplane owned by a private individual. After a lot of thought given to the raw material I should be using, I froze on Aluminum Tubing. I was impressed with the positive points of the Aluminum Tubing.
Specifications designing
Initially, I had to design the technical specifications of the tubing. Instantly, I knew that the tubing used must be custom made to manufacture airplanes. It must have the ability to withstand extreme changes in temperature. It should also resist strong gales of wind. Quickly, I identified that I should use Aluminum Tubing 7075 for this design.
Why Aluminum Tubing 7075?
1) Cobalt and Nickel based alloys are used in the manufacture of the Aluminum Tubing 7075. On request, I could also add Magnalium and Duralumin to the alloy mixture. The four elements are the most appropriate for Aircraft bodies.
2) Titanium and Stainless Steel are also supposed to be used in this tubing. I found that these were indeed used in this tubing.
Acquire the Tubing – A challenge
After choosing Aluminum Tubing 7075, I had to source for vendors who could give me a sample of this tube. I wished to test this tubing to see if it was the best fit for the airplane body. I subjected the sample tubing to extreme temperatures and strong automated winds. I must say that I was impressed with the performance of the sample tubing. I paid for the tube as I wanted to do few more experiments.
Maintenance – A much bigger challenge
I knew that maintaining an aircraft body would be a huge challenge for the buyer. I painted the sample and observed it for 1 month. There were no special changes in the tubing's characteristics. Though, the tubing deteriorated in its performance after 1 month when the paint coat came off it. By now, I had lost more than a month. Immediately, I asked the supplier to add a galvanized coat of nickel to the sample tubing.
The final tubing product
I have tested this product for all the features. I must say that it is working like an absolute dream. I do not foresee any maintenance issues for the next 6 months with this Aluminum Tubing 7075.
One lesson for all the readers – Before buying an Aluminum Tubing product, be sure to do a check for all the features in the product. Remember, anyone using a finished product can be used well only if the aluminum used in the manufacture of the product is error free. There are some issues that can hamper the smooth working of the Aluminum Tubing. Trust you could iron them out if you focus on these small details.
Based on my experience with Aluminum tubing, I would recommend all of you to use this product for any project that requires versatility, corrosion resistance and thermal conductivity. If these properties were not good enough for you to choose aluminum tubing, what else would!
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