From aluminium sheets and plates, big things grow

When it comes to creating a range of everyday products, the sky’s the limit with what you can do with aluminium sheets and plates.

Share with us your idea and our experienced design engineers will find a solution. One way that Ullrich Aluminium turns ideas into shapes is by using aluminium sheets and plates.

Both are rectangular and made from a continuously rolled coil of aluminium, with standard length dimensions ranging from 2400mm to 9000mm and widths from 900mm to 2200mm, with custom sizes available on request.

The difference between a sheet and a plate is the gauge, or thickness.

An aluminium sheet has a rolled rectangular section of thickness over 0.15mm and up to 6.0mm with sheared, slit or sawn edges. An aluminium plate is thicker, having a rolled rectangular section greater than 6.0mm thick with sheared or sawn edges.

Aluminium sheets and plates are used in a vast range of applications in all industries. Look around a building site and you’ll see them used everywhere – as roofing, architectural paneling, cladding, corrugated sheets, curved pipes, and tubes. Even as furniture once the building has been completed.

Aluminium sheets and plates are also used to make signage, packaging and containers and can also be recycled into all shapes and sizes. From your favourite beer can body, to gigantic bodies like: tip trucks, rail cars, desalination units, ships, pressure vessels, cages, mini skips and so much more…

Not limited by land and sea projects, aluminium sheets and plates are also used in aviation and aerospace applications – so technically the limit is space, not the sky!

Check out these exciting recent projects from our talented Townsville team below.

First up is a snippet (we don’t want to spoil the unveiling!) of a stunning four-metre tall art sculpture created from 10mm and 6mm Ullrich Aluminium plates. It will be completed at the end of June for the Strand Ephemera Art Show in July. The fabricator, Combined Metal Fabrication is based in Townsville.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Boatbuilding specialists NQ Mono Hulls built these stunning boats below with hand-cut Ullrich Aluminium 5083 marine-grade aluminium sheets and plates.

 

 

 

 

 

 

NQ Mono Hulls also built this commercial vessel, which is 10 meters long! They use Ullrich Aluminium extrusions and treadplates in their trailer builds too.

Aluminium sheet and plate features

Alloying is aluminium’s superpower. Superman is known as the man of steel because of steel’s strength, but what do you get when you alloy aluminium with a small amount of magnesium?

A lightweight metal that is just as strong as steel in the exact size and shape but is a third of the weight! This is why steel components in vehicles are substituted with aluminium components – to manufacture a more fuel-efficient vehicle.

Just as Superman is bulletproof, aluminium is corrosion resistant.

When exposed to oxygen, aluminium forms a natural film on its surface called aluminium oxide, which protects the surface of the aluminium. If this film is scratched or damaged, it will instantly reform.

Aluminium alloy 5052 in H32 temper has very good corrosion resistance to seawater and marine and industrial atmosphere. Aluminium 5083 is known for exceptional performance in extreme environments being highly resistant to attack by both seawater and industrial chemical environments. Alloy 5083 also retains exceptional strength after welding.

The unique strength of aluminium makes it a particularly durable material, meaning less maintenance is required which leads to fewer associated costs and more bang for your buck.

The story doesn't finish here!

Aluminium sheets and plates can also be finished in a variety of textures. You can choose from a mill finish which has no surface treatment and in this natural state will have a few lines or marks on it or if you require an unblemished look, we can make that happen too with a bright polished finish. Anti-slip patterns can also be added to products like scaffolding and toolboxes.

Why use Ullrich Aluminium?

Established in 1961, Ullrich Aluminium is a trusted Australian owned family business, celebrating sixty successful years in 2021. All Ullrich Aluminium products are built to rigorous Australian Standards and made here in Australia.

Ullrich Aluminium employs over 700 staff across New Zealand and Australia some of whom have been working with us for over twenty years. So when it comes to a trusted face in the aluminium industry you can rely on Ullrich Aluminium.

 

Posted at 29 May 21