Industries · 02

Aluminum extrusions for solar and racking systems

Custom aluminum extrusions for solar mounting and racking systems, including rails, panel frames, clamps and structural components. Programs can include extrusion, finishing, machining and other fabrication based on your specifications.

Send a drawing → Mounting rails · panel frames · clamps · structural components

Profiles

What we extrude for solar

Racking is a small family of profiles made in large quantity, which is the opposite of the fenestration problem: the tooling has to be right because the volume is unforgiving.

T-slot mounting rails

The core section. Slot width and lip geometry decide which clamps and bolts fit, and the wall thickness under the slot decides whether the lip peels under load.

Module and mid clamps

Short, thick-walled sections cut from extrusion and machined, where the grip face has to hold a glass laminate without crushing it.

End clamps and rail splices

Small parts, tight tolerance, usually the ones that hold up a shipment when they are bought elsewhere.

Mounting feet and L-brackets

Structural sections carrying the load path from rail to roof.

Cable management and trim

Thin snap-on profiles that finish the array.

Specification

Typical solar racking specification

Tooling that survives the volume. Racking dies run hard. Die design accounts for the wear pattern on the slot lips, because a worn lip on run four is a clamp that no longer fits.
One landed number per rail. Freight, customs and inland trucking sit inside the quote, so the rail cost you compare is the rail cost you pay.
Clamps and rails from one program. Rails, clamps, feet and splices are quoted and shipped together rather than assembled from four suppliers on four lead times.

Alloy and temper	To your specification — structural sections and cover or trim sections are quoted separately
Finish	Mill finish or anodized — anodizing is usual where the array is coastal or a uniform appearance is wanted across the run
Fabrication	Cut-to-length, end machining, slot punching, drainage and bolt holes, bundled by run length
Packing	Bundled, shrink-wrapped or custom-boxed for site handling rather than for a warehouse rack
Inspection	Profiles are inspected and packed to your handling requirements before release

Answers

Solar & Racking Systems, answered

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What aluminum alloy is used for solar mounting rails?

6005A-T6 is the usual industry choice for structural solar mounting rails. It offers noticeably higher strength than 6063 while still extruding into the hollow T-slot sections racking needs, which lets the rail carry span loads without adding wall thickness and weight. Profiles are supplied to the alloy and temper you specify.

Do solar racking extrusions need to be anodized?

Not always. Mill finish is common and perfectly serviceable inland, because aluminum forms its own oxide layer. Clear anodizing is specified for coastal and high-humidity sites, and where the customer wants every rail in an array to weather to the same shade.

Can you extrude a rail to fit our existing clamp?

Yes — that is the normal case. Send the clamp or the clamp drawing along with the rail section, and the slot geometry is developed to suit it, with first-article samples checked against the actual hardware before production.

Other sectors

The same discipline, a different die

Have a profile in mind?

Send us your drawing, sample or specifications and tell us what the program requires.