Balford deep draws and stamps aluminum housings, tubes and sensor components — lightweight, corrosion-resistant parts for automotive and HVAC use.
Deep-drawn aluminium housings for pressure sensors.
Deep-drawn thin-walled aluminium tubes for lightweight assemblies.
Duralumin washers for valve spring retainers.
Aluminum is processed at Balford for lightweight housings, thin-walled deep-drawn tubes and sensor components — typically 3000/5000-series alloys with controlled forming parameters.
Real projects from Balford's production history:
We commonly work with 3000 and 5000-series alloys for formed and deep-drawn parts. Alloy and temper are confirmed against your application.
Aluminum needs careful tooling and lubrication to avoid cracking and galling. Balford's deep drawing experience covers thin-walled aluminum tubes and housings.
Yes — anodizing and other surface treatments can be coordinated after forming and machining.
Send us your 2D drawing or STEP/IGES model. We will review material, tolerances, forming requirements and production volume before quoting.
Aluminium draws well, but it behaves differently from steel in three ways that decide whether a part is straightforward or difficult:
The drawable families are the 1xxx (pure aluminium), 3xxx (manganese) and 5xxx (magnesium) series; the 6xxx and 7xxx families are stronger but much harder to form and usually belong to machining rather than deep drawing. Within a family, the specific grade and temper decide the draw ratio you can hold.
| Family | Formability | Typical reason it is chosen |
|---|---|---|
| 1xxx — pure aluminium | Best formability | Maximum ductility, good thermal and electrical conductivity |
| 3xxx — manganese | Very good | Better strength than 1xxx with little loss of formability |
| 5xxx — magnesium | Good to moderate | Higher strength, good corrosion resistance, used for structural housings |
| 6xxx / 7xxx | Limited to poor | High strength; normally machined or bent rather than deep drawn |
Grade, temper and thickness are confirmed against your drawing before tooling: the same geometry in a soft temper and a hard temper is a different draw sequence.
Usually not in a single stage. Aluminium's formability depends heavily on the grade and temper, so the same depth may need more draw stages, larger radii, or an intermediate anneal. The review tells you which before the die is designed.
Decide the requirement first — strength, corrosion resistance, weight, conductivity, later anodising — and the grade follows. If your drawing already names a grade, send it and the review confirms whether it draws well at that depth and thickness.
It is the usual choice for those parts: light, non-magnetic, and available in grades that draw cleanly into thin-walled cylindrical forms. See the sensor housing and deep drawing pages for the part families.