Material Sourcing

We take pride in our 100% domestically sourced material supply chain. We use a creative and local method of material sourcing from multiple high-quality vendors to reduce lead times on materials, enabling us to start the manufacturing process quickly. In addition, we use this domestic material sourcing network to ensure a higher quality of raw materials for the forges and our in-house tool and die shop, which leads to higher quality production parts and higher customer satisfaction.

Anchor Harvey’s most commonly sourced materials are 2000 Series Aluminum, 6000 Series Aluminum, and 7000 Series Aluminum.

2000 Series Aluminum

Anchor Harvey sources 2000 series aluminum alloys for the production of the high-strength and high-performance parts in aerospace and other high-stress applications. 2000 series aluminum is primarily alloyed with copper and a series of other minerals and metals such as zirconium, bismuth, manganese, silicon, magnesium, lithium, zinc, iron, titanium, and vanadium.

2000 series aluminum, historically referred to as duralumin, is valued for its incredibly high strength and rigidity. The properties of copper provide the aluminum stock with the following properties:

• Strength: Copper provides a higher general tensile strength. This means that the stock is more resistant to tearing or other stress forces and can undergo higher loads in various directions without failing. This is absolutely critical in generally stress-laden applications such as vehicle and airframe structures. 2000 series aluminum can actually be made to approach the strengths of some steels at a fraction of the weight.

• Rigidity: 2000 series aluminum has a more rigid structure. This means that the final part will not flex as much as a less rigid material. This is a very important factor when considering usage in certain rigid structures such as frame supports. Flexing is unwanted in certain situations where that flexing could lead to part failure, especially if the stress forces expected on the part are relatively stable.

• Wear Resistance: 2000 series aluminum has a greater capacity for absorbing intense heat without wear. This leads to the longevity of the parts and good resistance to adverse conditions.

• Heat Treatability: 2000 series, because of its good heat absorption, can be heat treated easily and quickly to create good precipitation of alloy particulates.

6000 Series Aluminum

Anchor Harvey also sources 6000 series aluminum alloys for general purpose applications, such as in various non-structural aerospace, automotive, maritime, and other myriad applications. 6000 series aluminum is primarily alloyed with silicon and with smaller amounts of magnesium, manganese, copper, bismuth, iron, zirconium, and zinc.

6000 Series aluminum is made of more pure aluminum with less overall alloying elements included, and it has more of the properties of natural aluminum in addition to some of the following strengths:

• Versatility: Due to the high concentration of natural aluminum, 6000 series aluminum has good tensile strength, ductility, and resistance to wear. This means that a wide variety of usage cases and applications can be satisfied with a 6000 series aluminum part. In addition, the part can undergo a variety of situations and can easily stand up in each circumstance.

• Weldability: 6000 series is good for any application that requires welding. Its alloyed silicon and generally high amount of aluminum mean that it will flow and move under heat easily but cool and set quickly.

7000 Series Aluminum

Anchor Harvey sources its 7000 series aluminum alloys for high-strength applications similar to the 2000 series aluminum, but with a little more versatility for structural applications such as airframe plating and wing structures. 7000 series aluminum is primarily alloyed with zinc and small amounts of magnesium, copper, zirconium, manganese, chromium, and tin.

7000 series aluminum is a high strength material and is used in many of the applications that 2000 series aluminum were historically used in, such as airframes, wing structures, and fuselage plates. Though there are many similarities between 2000 and 7000 series, 7000 series aluminum is generally close in strength but has greater ductility and wear resistance when compared to 2000 series aluminum.

The Anchor Harvey Way

Anchor Harvey uses its diverse material sourcing to achieve a near-zero lead time on critical components and can assure all customers that everything produced is a 100% domestic American-made product. It’s all part of Anchor Harvey’s commitment to producing the highest quality forged aluminum products. Contact us today.