PG40 40 x 40 mm Two Slot Type A Aluminium Strut Profile Guide Rail

OEM / ODM Available Free Sample Available ISO 9001:2015, EN 755-9, RoHS and REACH declarations

40 x 40 mm Type A two slot asymmetric PG40 aluminium strut profile in 6063-T5 with 10.2 mm grooves on adjacent faces. For cantilever arms, single sided panels, guide rails and sealing faces.

Wholesale Price Quoted per metre against section, finish and quantity per per metre

Material	Aluminium
Alloy Grade	6063-T5
Temper	T5
Section Size	40 x 40 mm
Slot	2 x 10.2 mm groove, 8 mm mouth, adjacent faces, 30 mm pitch, M8
Length	6 m stock, cut to drawing to +/-0.5 mm
Tolerance	EN 755-9 / GB/T 6892, wall +/-0.15 mm
Surface	Mill finish / clear anodised / black anodised
MOQ	500 m
Lead Time	Typically 15 to 25 days after deposit for mill finish
Loading Port	Shanghai, Ningbo, Qingdao
Supply Ability	Extrusion, cutting, machining and anodising in house
Payment Terms	T/T 30 per cent deposit, balance against copy of bill of lading; L/C at sight for larger orders
Trade Terms	FOB, CIF, CFR, EXW
Certifications	ISO 9001:2015, EN 755-9, RoHS and REACH declarations

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The Type A layout. Two grooves sit on adjacent faces and the two closed faces meet at one corner, giving a continuous flat surface across the corner for a carriage, a seal or a machined datum.

01What is the 40 x 40 mm two slot Type A profile?

How is Type A different from a normal four slot 40 x 40?

The two grooves are on adjacent faces rather than on all four. That leaves two closed faces, and because the grooves are adjacent those two closed faces meet at a single corner. You end up with an L shaped run of solid, unbroken surface wrapping one corner of the section.

Why would you want fewer slots?

Because a slot is a hole in your datum. Every groove interrupts the surface, and a groove cannot be machined, sealed or run against. When the section has to act as a guide rail, a sealing face or a machined reference, the faces without grooves are the ones doing the work, and you want as many of them as possible in one piece.

Is the section weaker for having two slots?

In bending, marginally stiffer if anything, because there is slightly more material left in the walls. At about 1.95 kg/m it is in the same weight class as a four slot 40 x 40. The trade is not strength, it is where you are allowed to fix things.

02Section data

Item	Value	Note
Envelope	40 x 40 mm	square, sharp corners
Slots	2	10.2 mm groove, 8 mm mouth
Slot layout	adjacent faces	not opposite, not all four
Closed faces	2	meeting at one corner, continuous
Slot pitch	30 mm	between centres
Fastener	M8	standard 40 series slot nut
Centre bore	12 mm, tapped M14	for end connections
Wall	2.2 mm nominal	varies by face
Weight	approx. 1.95 kg/m	a 6 m bar is about 11.7 kg
Alloy	6063-T5	EN AW-6063
Standard	EN 755-9 / GB/T 6892	wall tolerance +/-0.15 mm
Length	6 m stock	cut to drawing to +/-0.5 mm

The centre bore is 12 mm tapped M14, which is the detail most buyers miss on this section. It lets you pull a heavy end connection straight through the middle of the member instead of hanging it off the slot lips. If your end load is significant, that is the fixing to specify.

03The closed corner is the point of the section

Think about what a groove does to a surface. It removes material, it creates two lips that flex, and it leaves a step that a sliding carriage will catch on. A sliding shoe, a linear rail, a brush seal or a magnetic strip all need a continuous flat face, and none of them can be fitted across a groove.

On a four slot section, every face has a groove down the middle, so there is no continuous flat face wider than the gap between the groove and the corner. On the Type A section, two faces are clean and they meet at a corner, so the usable flat runs around the corner. That is what makes it a guide rail section rather than a general framing section.

The same logic applies to machining. If you need to mill a slot, drill a pattern of holes on a precise pitch, or bond a scale or a sensor strip to the face, you want the face to be solid under the cutter. Machining across a groove breaks the cutter and leaves a burr that is almost impossible to remove from inside the groove.

And it applies to sealing. A gasket, a brush strip or a panel seal needs a flat land to compress against. A groove underneath it is a leak path.

Job the face has to do	Four slot 40 x 40	Two slot Type A
Carry a sliding carriage	no, the groove interrupts it	yes, continuous
Take a linear rail	needs an adapter plate	mounts directly
Carry a brush or gasket seal	leak path under the seal	yes, flat land
Be milled or drilled on a pitch	breaks out into the groove	yes, solid
Bond a scale or sensor strip	no continuous land	yes, full length
Bolt an accessory anywhere	yes, on all four faces	only on two faces
Carry panels on all sides	yes	no

The last two rows are the honest cost. You give up the ability to fix to all four faces. If the finished assembly genuinely needs something bolted to every face, this is the wrong section and the four slot one is right. The Type A is for the case where two faces fix and two faces work.

04Deciding between Type A, Type B and the four slot section

Type A, two slots on adjacent faces

Two faces must be continuous: a carriage, a rail, a seal or a scale
You need a machined datum on the section itself
The member is a guide rail, a cantilever arm or a fence rail
Panels go on one side only, or on two adjacent sides
The end connection is heavy and uses the M14 centre bore

Four slot, all faces open

Accessories bolt on every face
The member is a general frame member with no special faces
The frame is built from corner brackets throughout
Nothing slides against the section and nothing is machined
You want one section reference for the whole frame

Type B, the other two slot variant, puts the two grooves on opposite faces. That gives you two closed faces that do not meet, which is right when you need two separate sealed lands facing in different directions rather than one continuous run around a corner.

A way to settle it quickly: sketch the finished member and shade the faces that something has to slide on, seal against or be machined into. If those shaded faces are adjacent, Type A. If they are opposite, Type B. If there are none, four slot.

05Failure modes to design out

What goes wrong	Why it happens	Design it out by
Carriage catches on a groove	the wrong section was used, or the rail was mounted over a groove	confirm the closed faces are the ones the carriage runs on before ordering
Cantilever arm creeps downwards	an arm loaded at the end works the slot lips, not the section	support the arm, or use the M14 centre bore for a through connection
Machined hole breaks into a groove	the hole pattern was laid out without accounting for the groove positions	dimension the hole pattern from the closed corner, not from the section edge
Seal leaks along the groove	a gasket was laid across the open side of the section	fit the seal on a closed face, or fill the groove with a cover strip first
M14 centre bore thread strips	the tapped depth is shallow and the bolt was tightened to the steel figure	state the engagement length required and torque to the aluminium figure

06What to check before you order

Procurement checklist for the 40 x 40 mm two slot Type A section

Confirm Type A against Type B. A has the two grooves on adjacent faces, B on opposite faces. They are not interchangeable.
Confirm which faces the grooves are on in the finished assembly, and that the closed corner is where the carriage, rail or seal goes.
Confirm the centre bore requirement: whether the 12 mm bore needs tapping M14 and to what depth.
Confirm the end machining: square cut, tapped end, or drilled for a bracket.
Confirm the accessory list in the 40 series: M8 slot nuts, cover strips for the two grooves, and end caps.
Confirm the finish: mill for a member that will be clad, anodised where the closed faces are visible.
Confirm the quantity in metres and the offcut allowance.

07Terms used on this page

Type A and Type B: The two two-slot variants of the 40 x 40 section. A puts the grooves on adjacent faces, B on opposite faces.
Closed face: A face with no groove, left as solid wall. It is the face you machine, seal against or run a carriage on.
Datum: A surface used as the reference for measuring or machining. Grooves destroy datums, which is why closed faces are specified.
Centre bore: The round hole running down the middle of the section, here 12 mm and tapped M14 for end connections.
Carriage: A sliding shoe or plate that runs along the outside of a section and needs a continuous flat face.
Cover strip: A snap-in profile that fills an unused groove, giving a smooth face and keeping debris out.

08Questions buyers ask

What is the difference between Type A and Type B?

Type A has the two grooves on adjacent faces, so the two closed faces meet at one corner and form a continuous flat run. Type B has them on opposite faces, giving two separate closed faces.

Can a linear rail be mounted directly to it?

Yes, that is what the closed faces are for. Mount the rail on a closed face and use the two grooves on the adjacent faces for the brackets that hold the assembly.

Is it as strong as the four slot section?

In bending it is in the same class and marginally stiffer because there is more wall left. The difference is in where you can fix, not in how much it carries.

What is the centre bore for?

It is 12 mm and tapped M14, which takes a heavy end connection straight through the middle of the member instead of loading the slot lips.

What is the weight per metre?

Approximately 1.95 kg/m, so a 6 m stock length is about 11.7 kg.

Can the unused grooves be covered?

Yes, 40 series cover strips snap into the groove and give a smooth face as well as keeping swarf and dust out.

What we need to quote this section

The variant: Type A or Type B, stated explicitly.
The cut list with lengths and which end is machined.
The centre bore requirement: plain, or tapped M14 and to what depth.
Any milling or hole pattern on the closed faces, dimensioned from the closed corner.
The accessory list: M8 slot nuts, cover strips, end caps.
The finish and the quantity in metres.

Quotations are broken out into extrusion, cutting, end machining, finish and hardware, so you can see which step is driving the cost. Browse the full aluminium profile catalogue and the 40 series aluminium profiles range for related sections.

Using a 40 x 40 section as a guide rail or sealing face?

Send the variant, the cut list and the machining requirement. We quote extrusion, machining, finish and the 40 series hardware as separate lines.

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