In the fields of architectural decoration, transportation, aerospace, cleanroom engineering, and high-end panel manufacturing, aluminum honeycomb panels are attracting increasing attention due to their light weight, high strength, excellent flatness, sound insulation, and thermal insulation performance. As the core structure of aluminum honeycomb panels, the quality of the aluminum honeycomb core directly affects the overall performance of the finished panel.
Among aluminum honeycomb core materials, 3003-H18 aluminum foil, 3004-H18 aluminum foil, and 5052 aluminum foil are commonly used by many honeycomb core manufacturers because of their good strength, formability, corrosion resistance, and stable processing performance. Among them, 3004-H18 aluminum foil is one of the most widely used materials. It not only improves the structural strength of the honeycomb core but also effectively enhances the service life and overall quality of subsequent composite panels.
Material Analysis
3004 aluminum alloy belongs to the Al-Mn-Mg alloy series. The addition of manganese and magnesium significantly improves its strength compared with 3003 alloy. In the H18 full-hard temper, its tensile strength is much higher than that of 1100 aluminum foil and is even about 10% higher than that of common 3003 aluminum foil. This means that honeycomb cores made from 3004-H18 aluminum foil have better load-bearing capacity and stronger resistance to deformation.
Compared with pure aluminum and some other alloy series, 3004 alloy also offers better corrosion resistance, ensuring the long-term reliability of honeycomb cores in complex environments such as building exterior walls, humid vehicle compartments, and other demanding applications.
The H18 temper indicates that the aluminum foil has been fully work-hardened, giving it higher hardness and strength. For aluminum honeycomb cores, the material must go through multiple processes such as gluing, stretching, and shaping. If the aluminum foil does not have sufficient strength, problems such as deformation, collapse, or tearing may occur. Therefore, 3004-H18 aluminum foil is highly suitable for honeycomb core structural materials.
As an experienced aluminum foil manufacturer, MC Aluminum can supply aluminum foil coils, including jumbo rolls, according to different honeycomb core cell sizes such as 5mm, 6mm, 8mm, and 10mm. Available thickness ranges from 0.02mm to 0.08mm, and width ranges from 100mm to 1700mm.
Product Features of 3004-H18 Aluminum Honeycomb Foil
1. Lightweight and High Strength with Excellent Specific Strength
After forming into a honeycomb core, the density is only 50–190kg/m³, and its weight is only about 1/5 of a solid aluminum plate of the same volume. This can greatly reduce building loads and transportation energy consumption, making it an ideal material for lightweight applications.
2. Clean Surface and Strong Bonding Performance
After degreasing and passivation treatment, the surface is free from oil and dust, ensuring strong adhesion with epoxy resin adhesives. After hot pressing, the honeycomb nodes are not prone to debonding or delamination, providing excellent long-term stability.
3. Rust Resistance and Weather Resistance
The aluminum-manganese-magnesium alloy has inherent anti-rust properties. It can maintain stable performance in environments ranging from -40℃ to 180℃, as well as in humid, weak acid, and weak alkaline conditions. It is not easy to oxidize or corrode.
4. Class A Fire Resistance, Sound Insulation, and Thermal Insulation
The material can achieve Class A fire resistance and does not release toxic smoke. The closed air layer inside the honeycomb structure can effectively block heat transfer and sound waves, providing both thermal insulation and noise reduction performance.
5. Good Process Compatibility and Easy Processing
Even in the full-hard temper, 3004-H18 aluminum foil still has good cutting and stretching performance. It is suitable for high-speed automated production lines and can also be bent, milled, and shaped according to special decorative requirements.
6. Green, Eco-Friendly, and Fully Recyclable
The base material is pure metal and contains no harmful substances. After use, it can be 100% recycled by remelting, meeting the requirements of green buildings and environmental standards for export markets.
Product Specifications
| Alloy | 3004 |
| Temper | H18 |
| Thickness | 0.02mm–0.08mm |
| Width | 100mm–1700mm |
| Length | 1000mm–16000mm |
| Application | Aluminum honeycomb core, honeycomb aluminum panel core material, composite panel core material, etc. |
| MOQ | 1–3 tons |
Brief Production Process of 3004-H18 Aluminum Foil
1. Raw Material Procurement
High-purity aluminum alloy billets are purchased from leading domestic aluminum plants to ensure that the chemical composition meets ASTM B209 standards.
2. Cold Rolling
The billets are rolled through multiple passes under cold conditions. The thickness and width are precisely controlled to achieve the required thickness range, such as 0.03–0.15mm.
3. Temper Processing for H18
The rolled aluminum foil is processed under controlled conditions to achieve the required H18 full-hard temper, ensuring stable strength and hardness suitable for honeycomb core production.
4. Surface Treatment
Chemical oxidation: The foil is oxidized in an inorganic acid solution to form a dense oxide film, improving corrosion resistance.
Oil coating/paint coating: Epoxy oil coating or polyurethane coating can be applied according to customer requirements to further enhance protection performance.
5. Cutting and Packaging
According to customer requirements, the aluminum foil can be supplied in coils or cut-to-length sheets. It is then secured with anti-corrosion steel straps and packed in wooden cases or iron drums for transportation.
6. Quality Inspection
Mechanical performance testing: Tensile test, indentation test
Chemical composition analysis: Spectrometer analysis
Dimensional inspection: Laser thickness gauge, caliper
Surface quality inspection: Visual inspection, microscopic inspection
Application Fields
Aerospace:Used for lightweight structures such as cabin partitions, cargo compartment panels, wing lining panels, and other aerospace interior components.
Automotive Industry: Applied in interior sound insulation panels, body structural components, battery support panels, and other lightweight automotive parts.
Industrial Equipment: Used for equipment housings, heat dissipation panels, heat shields, and other industrial structural components.
Furniture and Decoration: Suitable for high-end office furniture panels, display cabinet partitions, artistic wall panels, and other decorative applications.
Why Choose Us?
1. Strict Flatness Control
Advanced flatness control instruments are used for real-time monitoring, combined with subsequent tension leveling for secondary correction. This ensures that the delivered aluminum foil has excellent flatness and high shape accuracy, which is essential for ensuring the final flatness of composite panels.
2. Thorough Surface Degreasing
The surface cleanliness of aluminum foil directly affects adhesive bonding strength. Professional manufacturers are equipped with dedicated degreasing equipment and use high-quality cleaning agents to ensure that the aluminum foil surface is free from oil contamination. This allows the adhesive to bond firmly with the aluminum foil, effectively preventing delamination and extending product service life.
3. Excellent Edge and End-Face Control
If the edges of aluminum foil coils have burrs or chipped edges, stress concentration may occur during slitting and stretching, resulting in tearing. We use high-precision slitting equipment to ensure that the coil end faces are neat, without layer misalignment or burrs, allowing smooth unwinding during production.
Reliable Manufacturer of Aluminum Honeycomb Foil
MC Aluminum is a manufacturer with 30 years of experience in aluminum foil production. We can accept orders ranging from 3 tons to 2000 tons for honeycomb aluminum foil raw materials, including 3003 aluminum foil, 3004 aluminum foil, and 5052 aluminum foil.
Our products feature stable quality, competitive prices, and reliable export performance. Samples are available, and customers can purchase with confidence.