What Is The Difference Between 6061 Aluminum And 6063 Aluminum?

Both 6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum are 6-series aluminum alloys. They both use magnesium and silicon as the main alloying elements and have excellent comprehensive properties. The following is a comparative analysis of these two aluminum materials:

Differences between 6061 aluminum and 6063 aluminum

1. Composition differences:
   6061 aluminum: mainly contains magnesium (0.8-1.2%) and silicon (0.4-0.8%). It also contains a small amount of copper (0.15-0.4%), which can improve the strength of the alloy.
   6063 aluminum: mainly contains magnesium (0.45-0.9%) and silicon (0.2-0.6%), with a low copper content. The strength and hardness are average, but it has good formability and weldability.
2. Mechanical properties
   6061 aluminum: high strength and hardness, with a tensile strength of about 310 MPa, suitable for occasions with high strength requirements.
   6063 aluminum: relatively low strength, tensile strength of about 240 MPa, but better plasticity and toughness, excellent fracture toughness performance.
3. Processing performance
   6061 aluminum: high hardness, more difficult to process, good cutting performance.
   6063 aluminum: easy to process and suitable for extrusion processing of various complex shapes.
4. Surface treatment
   6061 aluminum: can be subjected to a variety of surface treatments, but the surface finish and gloss are not as good as 6063 aluminum.
   6063 aluminum: excellent surface treatment effect, can present a variety of colors and gloss after anodizing.

Advantages and disadvantages of the two materials

1. 6061 aluminum:
Advantages: good formability, weldability, machinability, as well as medium strength and good corrosion resistance. At the same time, it also has the characteristics of high toughness, no deformation after processing, dense material without defects.
Disadvantages: relatively difficult to process, high cost, and average surface treatment effect.

2. 6063 aluminum:
Advantages: good processing performance, good surface treatment effect, good corrosion resistance, toughness and fatigue resistance, small deformation coefficient, stable mechanical properties.
Disadvantages: not as strong as 6061 aluminum, relatively low hardness, and not as good as 6061 aluminum when subjected to high stress and heavy load.

Applicable parts and industries

1. 6061 aluminum:
Aerospace: manufacturing aircraft fuselage frames, beams, landing gear struts, etc.
Automobile manufacturing: used for automobile chassis, engine parts, wheels, etc.
Shipbuilding: manufacturing ship hulls, decks, structural parts, etc.
Industrial field: can be used to manufacture structural frames, workbenches, conveying pipelines, etc. of various equipment.

2. 6063 aluminum:
Construction industry: widely used in door and window frames, curtain walls, balcony railings, decorative lines, etc.
Decoration field: used for furniture frames, decorative ornaments, display racks, etc.
Electronic equipment: The housings and brackets of some electronic equipment do not require particularly high strength, but require parts with beautiful appearance and easy processing.
Other fields: such as irrigation pipes, decorative parts of vehicles, elevator parts, etc.