The main production process of pressure vessels is as follows: production of aluminum billets (aluminum ingots) → high-speed extrusion of aluminum billets into a formed vessel → edge cutting and trimming → internal and external coating and printing → arching, necking, and edge rolling → inspection and packaging. In order to produce high-quality aluminum vessels, it is necessary to have high-quality aluminum billets.

The Challenge and Requirements of Manufacturing High-Quality Aluminum Pressure Vessels

The production of vessels on a high-speed automatic production line is a closed production process, with a fast production speed. The extruded vessel must have special deformation properties without defects such as inclusions and air holes, and the necking must not wrinkle, and the edges must not crack. The material must undergo three hardening processes without being damaged, while also being able to withstand a certain deformation pressure (≥1.2MPa) and burst pressure (≥1.4MPa) after forming. Therefore, strict requirements are placed on the quality of the material, including excellent plastic forming performance, low planar anisotropy and earing rate, suitable hardness (HB19士2), and fine grain structure (100~130 grains/mm2). It is clear that the production of aluminum pressure vessels from billets is a high-tech process with great processing and production difficulty.