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The manufacturing process and procedures for 7075 climbing carabiners

ByShichuang

In climbing, every carabiner is a critical link in the lifeline. As a professional carabiner manufacturer, our climbing carabiners are made from high-strength 7075 aluminum alloy. 

This material is renowned for its exceptional strength-to-weight ratio. Today, we will take you inside our factory for an in-depth look at a 7075 aluminum alloy carabiner with a tensile strength function.

Phase One: Blank Forming and Precision Forging

1. Raw Material Procurement: Strictly select 7075 aluminum rods to ensure that the chemical composition and mechanical properties of the material meet international safety standards.

2. Bending and Forming: Use a high-precision bending machine to pre-bend the aluminum rod into the approximate shape of the carabiner.

3. Preheating Treatment: Before forging, the product is heated to approximately 550°C using an industrial drying and heating table.

4. Forging is divided into rough forging and precision forging, completed in two steps in different processes (rough forging + precision forging):

  • Rough Forging: Initial shaping, strengthening the metal fiber flow direction.
  • Precision Forging: Secondary pressing using precision molds to ensure dimensional accuracy and the tightness of the mechanical structure.

Phase Two: Fine Machining and Surface Treatment

After forging, the carabiner undergoes multiple material removal processes to remove excess material and improve the feel.

5. Punching and Trimming: Cut off the excess material (scrap) generated during the forging process to outline a clear shape.

6. Primary Grinding: Place in a grinding machine and use special plastic stones for 15-16 hours of long-term vibration grinding to completely eliminate burrs.

7. Heat Treatment: Solution treatment → quenching → artificial aging

8. Precision Drilling: Use a small drilling machine to drill holes in the specified locations. The process continuously applies water cooling to prevent local overheating and material annealing.

9. Fine Grinding and Drying

This is the “alchemy moment” where the 7075 aluminum alloy obtains its amazing strength.

Phase Three: Surface Aesthetics and Assembly

Carabiners must not only be strong but also corrosion-resistant and easy to operate.

10. Sandblasting and Anodizing: Physical sandblasting gives the surface a high-quality matte texture, followed by anodizing treatment, which forms a hard oxide film on the surface, enhancing oxidation resistance and providing various bright colors.

11. Precision Assembly:

  • Spring Rod: 7075 aluminum alloy CNC precision machining.
  • Nut: 6061/6063 aluminum alloy.
  • Spring, Spring Plate, and Rivets: Made of 304 stainless steel, ensuring tens of thousands of opening and closing cycles without fatigue.

12. Riveting and Fastening: Automated riveting ensures smooth opening and closing of the spring rod and even force distribution.

Phase Four: Rigorous Quality Testing

At our factory, we require tensile testing on every carabiner rated above 20 kN before shipment.

13. Full Inspection and Calibration: Each assembled carabiner undergoes a full manual inspection and calibration of the opening and closing feel.

14. 20KN Tensile Testing: For every carabiner rated at 20KN or higher, we conduct rigorous tensile strength and stress tests. This ensures that it can still bear the load in extreme environments, meeting professional climbing safety standards.

From aluminum alloy to a guardian in the hands of climbers, these 14 processes represent our reverence for manufacturing and our responsibility for life. As a source manufacturer, we not only provide products, but also safety and trust.