The Aluminum Anodizers Council (AAC) and the Aluminum Extruders Council (AEC) are hosting the 2025 Aluminum Summit — the co-located event for the AAC 34th Annual Anodizing Conference and the AEC Management Conference. The three-day summit will be held in Atlanta, Georgia, on September 16–18.
Aluminum extrusion and anodizing companies are continuously improving their processes to offer customers the best service and products every year. In this uncertain business atmosphere, it’s more important than ever to stay abreast of the changing conditions in the aluminum market, end markets, and business environments. Through knowledge sharing, opportunities are discovered, and solutions are realized to benefit all who attend this unique event focusing solely on the aluminum anodizing and aluminum extrusion communities.
Summit Program
The Aluminum Summit melds the combined interests of the AAC and AEC throughout its program, spanning several aluminum industry topics and concerns for both groups. The three-day conference includes two general sessions that offer a high-level overview of the industry, along with focus sessions that are broken into six concurrent tracks, providing a wealth of topics and a deeper understanding of the issues that affect extrusion and anodizing businesses and operations.
The variety of topics to be covered include safety, recruiting and retaining talent, and market and trade analyses. Then, anodizers and extruders take deep dives into an array of presentations on technical and business issues. Focus session tracks explore specific topics, including anodizing fundamentals, anodizing tools, anodizing innovations, extrusion finishing, management, end use markets, and more.
The Aluminum Summit is a “get down to business” conference intended to benefit executives, technical staff, and production managers in the aluminum extrusion and anodizing industries. The program is designed to appeal to a wide variety of professionals at every level of production — from the front office to the shop floor.
In Conjunction Workshops
The Aluminum Summit will include optional educational events designed to expand the delegates’ technical knowledge. These in-conjunction workshops are delivered by leading experts in the fields of anodizing and extrusion. Separate fees and registration are required.
AAC Anodizing Essentials – Monday, September 15: This one-day class provides more than the fundamentals of anodizing. Designed to increase the knowledge and ability of anyone involved in operating an anodizing line, Anodizing Essentials details the foundation of quality anodizing guiding the learner through the entire process — beginning with the metallurgical properties of aluminum alloys commonly anodized through to the final rinse and sealing processes.
AEC Extrusion Excellence Course – Monday, September 15: The Extrusion Excellence short course is an intensive one-day educational seminar that brings together aluminum extrusion theory and practice and provides a fundamental engineering approach to the aluminum extrusion process.
AAC Quality & Troubleshooting Workshop – Tuesday, September 16: This all-day tutorial workshop focuses on all aspects that influence anodizing quality, conducted by industry experts, and featuring anodizing technical presentations and table discussions. Typical topics for this workshop include anodizing in a nutshell; aluminum metallurgy, manufacturing, and microstructure; anodizing to meet specifications; processing solutions for anodizing complex alloys; and effective troubleshooting.
Aluminum Marketplace
The Aluminum Marketplace is the gathering place for the Aluminum Summit. The exposition features booth and tabletop displays from the top aluminum extrusion and anodizing industry suppliers staffed by knowledgeable professionals who will answer questions, help solve challenges, and discover solutions.
The Marketplace will offer a variety of networking opportunities, enabling delegates to conduct in-person business and reconnect with friends, colleagues, and peers. To facilitate these opportunities, all meals and networking events are scheduled to take place among the booths and tabletop displays in the Aluminum Marketplace, giving ample time for suppliers, anodizers, and extruders to develop and strengthen relationships.