Aluminum – Extruded Aluminum By Framing Technology Inc.

May 30, 2021June 5, 2021

T-slot Aluminum Inspiration: Summer Solutions

T-slot profiles at Framing Tech Factory Floor

Considering that aluminum is the most abundant metal in Earth’s crust, it should come as little surprise that its use in the industrial world is equally abundant. From transportation and packaging to computer casings and household goods, you will find aluminum everywhere, and often in plain sight.

In recent years, manufacturers have even made it possible for the average person to take aluminum into their own hands and configure it to individual needs, thanks to T-slot aluminum extrusions and related accessories.

T-slot aluminum aquarium stand — Aquarium stand

Sturdy, custom-designed aquarium stands are lately among the most popular fabrications, but those just scratch the surface of what is possible. Meet a few of the projects that caught our eye, and the people from across the country who have used extruded T-slot aluminum profiles to make their living space creatively conducive to their needs.

Continue reading “T-slot Aluminum Inspiration: Summer Solutions”

February 25, 2021

Aluminum: The Shape of Things to Come

Aluminum pyramid at apex of Washington Monument — Aluminum apex of Washington Monument showing inscriptions on its east and north faces (source)

From planes and trains to the cellphone in your hand and the versatile roll of foil in your pantry, aluminum is omnipresent in today’s fabricated world. Which should come as no surprise, considering it is the most abundant metal in Earth’s crust. Yet, it is hard to imagine that aluminum was once prized more than gold! In fact, despite its abundance, aluminum was valued so highly in the 19th century because it was so difficult to obtain. It was so special, indeed, that in 1884 this rare “metal of kings” earned a prestigious perch atop the Washington monument in the shape of a cast pyramid.

Continue reading “Aluminum: The Shape of Things to Come”

January 28, 2021January 30, 2021

Why T-slot Aluminum Is a Great Choice for Custom Aquarium Stands

Hats off to Framing Tech for taking the extra step in reassuring my peace of mind. I would definitely go out on a limb and say that any reefer that wants to stay in the hobby for a long time should consider building your stand with Framing Tech.

— J’s Reefs

Unless you intend to install in your home a gigantic floor-to-ceiling fish tank, such as you would find at a commercial aquarium, you’ll need some kind of platform to hold your fish tank. Novice hobbyists might initially overlook this little detail, until they take the tank home and realize they have no place to put it, except on the floor. That is why, no matter the size of your tank, you need an aquarium stand.

Continue reading “Why T-slot Aluminum Is a Great Choice for Custom Aquarium Stands”

December 30, 2020December 30, 2020

Framing Tech Custom 80/20 Aluminum Solutions [Infographic]

When it comes to the kinds of things you can build with extruded 80/20 aluminum profiles, sometimes basic is better. Many of our fabrications are available in standard “kit” form, with set parts, and are delivered to home or office with detailed instructions for assembly. This includes many of our most popular products, e.g.:

But sometimes you need something special and out of the ordinary for your specific needs. It could be just a matter of size, or unique functionality, or particular design features—or even something never before conceived!

Continue reading “Framing Tech Custom 80/20 Aluminum Solutions [Infographic]”

November 30, 2020November 30, 2020

80/20 Aluminum: What’s In a Name?

It goes by several different terms: T-slot structural framing, T-slotted aluminum extrusions, 80/20 T-slot aluminum building system, and 80/20 framing, among others. The various descriptors used in these terms are fairly straightforward and self-explanatory. Individually we know what aluminum is, not to mention extrusions, systems, T-slot, and framing. But what does 80/20 have to do with any of these?

Believe it or not, there is an answer to that question. And thereby hangs a tale. Continue reading “80/20 Aluminum: What’s In a Name?”

January 30, 2020January 31, 2020

Wrought Aluminum Alloys Guide [Infographic]

Aluminum is aluminum is aluminum…right?

Well, not exactly. The base properties of elemental aluminum are well documented and have been described extensively on this website. The properties of this remarkable metal include (but are not limited to):

Lightness
Reyclability
Ductility
Malleability
Reflectivity
Corrosion-resistance
Strength at low temperatures
Electrical and thermal conductivity

And thanks in part to its prevalence in Earth’s crust, hardly a day goes by when the average American does not come into contact with some form of aluminum or see it in action. Continue reading “Wrought Aluminum Alloys Guide [Infographic]”

December 30, 2019

Framing Tech Aquarium Stand Film Festival

So Santa was good to you this Christmas. And with your holiday windfall you’ve decided it may be time to take the leap into turning your lifelong dream of becoming a serious aquarist into a reality. We’re not talking about a kid’s little fish tank here with a few freshwater guppies destined in short order for the porcelain cemetery; but a full-fledged, grown-up aquarium. And if you’re really feeling it, maybe even a saltwater tank.

Hold your horses, my friend. This is a decision not to be taken lightly. Lives are at stake (fish lives matter too, you know). The complexities of the setup alone can be daunting, not to mention the time and money commitment required in maintaining what is, after all, a complex, self-contained ecosystem, populated with living creatures for which you and you alone are responsible. But that’s the whole point, isn’t? Therefore, planning is everything.

Continue reading “Framing Tech Aquarium Stand Film Festival”

November 12, 2019November 21, 2019

FramingTech’s Secret Sauce: Accessories

Details make perfection, and perfection is not a detail.

— Leonardo Da Vinci

Word to the Wise: Accessorize

Some things simply go together—they’re just right when paired. Think peanut butter and jelly. Bogey and Bacall. Bacon and eggs. Abbott and Costello. Fish and chips. Astaire and Rogers. Franks and beans.

The list goes on. Individually, each is wonderful in its own way. But when they pair up, the results are magical.

What is true of the kitchen and Hollywood is also true at FramingTech. By themselves, our Extruded Inch and Metric T-slot Aluminum Profiles provide the perfect, versatile aluminum fabrication solutions to a host of customer needs, from shelves and aquarium stands, to carts and enclosures, to tables and workbenches, and more. But when our superior fabrications are customized with the just the right accessories, they go from great to extraordinary.

In the art world they call adding those little extra details the pièce de résistance. Here at FramingTech we call it “attention to detail.” Here is just a sampling of the kinds of accessories available on our website. Continue reading “FramingTech’s Secret Sauce: Accessories”

October 31, 2019November 25, 2019

Everyday Aluminum: Europe Edition

Aluminum building in Louvain-la-Neuve, Belgium

Guest Blog by Frank Weaver

It is the most abundant metallic element in the Earth’s crust—and, as it happens, one of the most useful to humans in our industrial age. I am referring, or course, to aluminum. Most people in the United States come in contact with aluminum every day, in one form or another, most typically in the kitchen. But beyond cooking utensils and aluminum foil, this metal has been put to use in myriad applications outside the home. Indeed, it is estimated that each year every single person in the U.S. uses more than 3,600 pounds of bauxite ore (from which aluminum is extracted) in their daily lives.

Aluminum is everywhere. Of course, we at FramingTech deal with it all the time, in the form of our T-slot aluminum extrusions and related structural framing products. And yet ironically, because it has become so commonplace, many of us tend to take it for granted. Nevertheless, the more you learn about this ubiquitous and versatile metal, the more you will notice and be fascinated by it.

On a recent trip to Europe, I made a conscious effort to “notice” and document the many ways that aluminum is put to use, often in ways we are not even aware of. Continue reading “Everyday Aluminum: Europe Edition”

June 29, 2019June 29, 2019

Aquarium Stands: What Size Should I Get?

“I will go back to the great sweet mother,
Mother and lover of men, the sea.”

— Algernon Charles Swinburne (‘The Triumph of Time’)

All life on Earth ultimately rose from the sea. Is it any wonder, then, that people have always felt mysteriously drawn back to the ocean—or indeed to any fair to middling size body of water—as if a child back into the loving arms of its mother? Whether lounging beside a crystalline lake, on the banks of a flowing river, or at the wave-lapped ocean’s edge, humans always seem to feel most at peace. If we could, many of us would prefer not just to live near such soul-cleansing waters, but to live in them. As air-breathers, unfortunately, that is simply not possible. What is possible, however, is to invite a small part of that watery world into our homes—in the form of an aquarium. Continue reading “Aquarium Stands: What Size Should I Get?”