There are numerous similarities and several key differences between 6061 aluminum square tube and 6063 aluminum square tube. Alternating Current (AC) & Direct Current (DC) - Knowing which setting to use will depend on your machine cability as well as what type and thickness of material you are trying to weld.Ħ061 T6 Aluminum Square Tube vs.This is the easiest welding process for beginners to learn. MIG - MIG stands for Metal Inert Gas or Wire Welding but technically, it's called Gas Metal Arc Welding (GMAW).

TIG - TIG stands for tungsten inert gas but the welding textbooks refer to it as gas tungsten arc welding (GTAW).When welding thick aluminum, you should either MIG weld with a spool gun or DC TIG weld with a helium mix.įor those who are brand new to welding, here are some common abbreviations that are used within the welding industry and their subsequent meanings: Although this may be not as quick as MIG welding, it's the cleanest and easiest to control.Ģ. When welding thin material, it may be best to AC TIG weld using an argon or helium mix shielding gas. If you're trying to weld 6061 or 6063 for the first time, here are some tips you may want to consider:ġ. Welding 6061 or 6063 Aluminum Square Tube Like the 6061, the 6063 alloy is also heat treatable but is typically only heat treated to a 'T5' temper.Ĭontact us for more information regarding our line of 60 aluminum square tube products, or call us at 80 with any questions that you may have. However, 6063 is different to the extent that it's not as strong as the 6061 and consequently, will take a 90 deg bend without cracking. Like 6061, 6063 has good corrosion properties, is easily anodizable, and weldable. The extruded flat bar conforms to 6061-T6511 whereas the plate is a 6061-T651 product and because of the extra '1' at the end of the designation, the customer has to re-order the correct material and re-machine the part.Ħ063 is considered the 'architectural' grade within the 6000 aluminum series. More often than we would like, people will order a piece of extruded flat bar of 6061 aluminum only to have it rejected by their customer's quality control department because they were supposed to order a plate product. Although there are many possible processes that can occur, the most common are stress relieving by stretching and straightening, which is referred to as 'T6511,' whereas 'T651' means signifies that no additional straightening has been performed after the stress relieving stretching process has been completed.Īlthough this may sound like a lot of metallurgical mumbo-jumbo, we come across this question quite frequently when people are trying to find material to match what's specified on a print. Many times, you'll see additional letters following the T6 designation and those letters refer to the processes that are performed after heat treating. The “T6' designation is the hardest temper that the 6061 alloy can achieve. The higher the 'T' or temper designation, the longer the heat-treat time and usually the harder the material. 6061 Aluminum Square Tube Temper DesignationsĦ061 is a heat treatable alloy that is oven baked to increase its overall hardness.

Rec tube weight chart