Bolsters; the hidden heroes of extrusion

“Oh, I completely forgot to order a matching bolster to for the die. Well, that doesn’t matter I’ll take one that I have. It might be a little bigger, but how much of a difference will it make?”

This is a common reaction when ordering a die. The bolster; a piece of steel that is needed to fill up the package to the maximum dimension. It will cost extra money to get a dedicated one so an approximate bolster will do the same job.

However, the bolster can make the difference between a good or a bad result of the die and could preserve the die.

Maximum support brings better results and longer lifetime
A tight bolster will ensure maximum support for the die during the extrusion run. The difference between a tight bolster and a larger one can be seen in things like wall thickness and the shape of the profile.

Only a couple of millimeters can make a huge difference. In the case above the customer used a standard bolster that was big enough to give room to the profile. After the first trail the customer mentioned that the wall thickness of the profile was below tolerance. Especially in the middle the wall thickness was 0,2 mm out of tolerance. Also the edges of the profile were pointed downwards.

By using a tight and dedicated bolster the profile came out according tolerance without even correcting the die. Also the edges came up to their original position. So investing in a dedicated bolster could save a lot of corrections and trails.

Also when using a tight bolster the die is protected against bending which could cause the die to crack in the corners shortening the lifetime of the die dramatically.

 

Preserving the die during shearing
Another very good reason to use a tight and dedicated bolster is to preserve the die during the final steps of the extrusion process. When the die is taken out of the press the material is sheared off.

When using a tight bolster the material has nowhere to go. The profile will hit the wall of the bolster quickly and all of the forces that are occurring in the shearing operation are send in to the side of the bolster opening.

When using a bolster with more space between the profile and the bolster the forces during shearing are transferred into profile. Because the profile has room to move within the bolster opening these forces are given to the die. Especially with delicate tongues or cores (heatsinks, etc.) the can be damaged when shearing with a large bolster opening.

So for the next time when asking yourself the question “should I order a dedicated bolster?” always remember that the bolster can make or break you die! It might be a simple piece of steel but this could  save a lot of money in the long term.

Do you want to know more about bolsters?

Contact
adex-dies.com/en/contact

44 years ago Mr. Jan Aalberts founded Adex. His goal was to be the leading manufacturer of extrusion dies for the aluminium industry.
During the years that followed this goal has never changed and was the driving force behind the success that has brought Adex to where is it right now in 2021.

Our drive to come up with cutting edge technology has brought many novelties in the market.
Novelties that have given Adex the name and status everybody is aware of; a supplier of high-end die technology.

Our logo has changed during the years. The last change was done several years ago. Now in 2021 we have decided to change the logo once more.
However we look back at the logos of the past and combine the best of all the logos to come to the new logo.

 

 

DIE SIMULATIONSTECHNOLOGIE BESTÄTIGT DIE KONSTRUKTION

Die Simulationstechnologie gibt Adex die Möglichkeit um ein Werkzeug zu simulieren. Diese digitale Probepressing ist einen Prüfung vom Design ohne das man das Werkzeug zur Presse bringt. Deshalb wird das Werkzeug keine grosse Korrekturen mehr benötigen um Fertigungsreif zu warden.

Vorteilen von der Simulationstechnologie:

  • Eine Digitale Probepressung statt eine wirkliche Probepressung
  • Eine Simulation der Querschweissnat
  • Eine Indikation der Wärmeentwicklung im Profil

"Digitale Probepressung"

Schermafbeelding 2019 12 11 om 10.34.13

Würden Sie gerne mehr über die Adex Simulations-Technologie erfahren oder unseren Entwicklern einen Entwurf vorlegen? Das ist möglich. Schicken Sie Ihre Frage oder Entwurf an  This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. und wir geben Ihnen innerhalb von 24 Stunden Antwort und Rat.

SIMULATION TECHNOLOGY CONFIRMS THE DESIGN

Simulation technology enables Adex to do a simulation run on the tool. This digital trailpressing is a check for the correctness of the design. Potentially saving a trailpressing as the design is checked digitally. No big corrections are needed to get the tool ready for production.

Advantages of simulation technology:

  • Digital trailpressing instead of a real one
  • Simulation of transversal seam
  • Indication of heatdevelopment in the profile.

"Digital trailpressing"

Schermafbeelding 2019 12 11 om 10.34.13

 

Would you like to know more about simulation technology or do you want to submit a profile design to our engineers? Send your question or design to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. and we will give you feedback and advice within 24 hours.

SIMULATIETECHNOLOGIE BEVESTIGT HET DESIGN

Met simulatietechnologie is het mogelijk om een matrijs te simuleren. In deze digitale proefpersing wordt de matrijs getest op de correctheid van het design. Hiermee zal de matrijs in principe geen grove wijzigingen meer nodig hebben en daardoor sneller productierijp zijn.

Voordelen van de simulatietechnologie:

  • Digitale proefpersing in plaats van een echte.
  • Simulatie van blok-op-blok (transversal seam)
  • Indicatie van warmtehuishouding in het profiel

"Digitale proefpersing"

extrusie matrijs simulatie

Wilt u meer weten over de Adex simulatietechnologie of wilt u een profielontwerp voorleggen aan ons team van engineers? Dat kan. Stuur uw vraag of ontwerp naar This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. en we geven u binnen 24 uur feedback en advies.

In this policy ADEX describe how and for what purposes ADEX collects and uses personal data. ADEX respects the privacy of data subjects and will treat personal data in compliance with the applicable laws, in particular data protection laws, including the General Data Protection Regulation (“GDPR”).

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With respect to its business partners, ADEX will collect and handle the name and contact details of its contact persons and any other information that may be specifically asked for by us or made available by our business partners to us. With respect to our website visitors we collect and handle the personal data that they input on our website. Besides, Company’s servers automatically record certain data, such as URL, IP address, browser type and language, and the date and time of the visit to the website.

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