Due to the versatility that the metal offers and its relatively abundant sources, many industries have adopted it as a primary raw material for their goods. From smartphones to saucepans, almost everything today includes aluminum. However, the metal is rarely used in its natural state. Instead, extrusions are the most popular form of aluminum in use today.

Aluminum extrusions are solid, hollow or semi-hollow shapes that are used to construct a number of goods and products. To create aluminum extrusions, a solid block of the metal is heated until it softens. At this stage, the block of metal is passed through die-shaped steel to give the extrusions its shape.
Extrusions can be of two types, namely, direct and indirect. In the direct form, the billet remains stationary. A hydraulic ram pushes the aluminum through the die opening, as the metal moves in the same direction as the ram. On the other hand, indirect extrusions refer to a system where both the billet and the ram moves. The aluminum in this process moves in the opposite direction to the billet