Learning About Products Made In Industrial and Manufacturing Plants
Reasons For The Widespread Use Of Aluminum In Metal Fabrication
Ryan Baker
Have you ever wondered why aluminum products are ubiquitous in today's world? Aluminum is widely used in the fabrication of metal products because of its unique set of properties. If you are interested in using aluminum parts or products, you should know these properties.
Knowing the general properties of aluminum can help you make an informed decision on whether it is the best choice for your specific application. Check out these unique qualities that aluminum offers.
Aluminum Is A Non-Corrosive Metal
One of the most important benefits of aluminum is its impressive ability to resist corrosion. While many metals and alloy metals (like pure iron and plain carbon steel) rust away quickly when exposed to corrosive environments, aluminum offers high resistance to corrosion.
Aluminum corrodes quickly, but corrosion (the thin oxide layer that forms on the surface of the metal) acts as a type of protective coating that prevents the underlying material from rusting away.
Aluminum Is A Lightweight Metal
Aluminum weighs just about one-third the weight of steel, making it an ideal choice of metal material for fabrication projects that require keeping the weight of the final products or structures to a minimum. This explains the widespread use of aluminum for parts manufacturing in the automotive and aerospace industries.
Aluminum Is A Strong Metal
Although it is one of the lightest metals available, aluminum is strong. Due to its higher strength-to-weight ratio, it can match the strength of steel without as much weight. Plus, aluminum gets stronger in cold environments.
Aluminum Has High Ductility
Pure aluminum is highly ductile, meaning it can be formed into almost any desired shape and size without difficulty. Whether you need to make sheets, tubes, wires, or rods, aluminum is easy to work with.
Aluminum Is Fully Recyclable
End-of-life aluminum products are 100 percent recyclable, meaning that all the inherent qualities of aluminum are retained after the recycling process. Aluminum recycling helps reduce the need for primary aluminum production, minimizing the overall ecological footprint associated with the production and use of aluminum products.
Although aluminum offers many good qualities, it has its drawbacks. For example, uncoated aluminum can leach harmful substances into food during meal preparation. For this reason, aluminum cookware will require protective coatings to ensure food safety. This can cause fabrication costs to add up quickly.
For more information about aluminum types and their specific properties, contact an aluminum fabrication company near you.
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Hi, my name is Bruce Fuller and do you often wonder how various products are made? So do I and that's why I've written this blog about industrial and manufacturing plants. I've contacted the owners of numerous manufacturing plants and requested a tour of their facilities. Many business owners graciously obliged and I was able to see how their specific products were made. At some of the plants, I wasn't allowed to tour the facility, but a representative of each company described the process to me in great detail. I wanted to share this information that I learned in a blog and I hope that you'll also find it very interesting.