Everything You Need To Know Aluminium's Manufacturing And Processing


Aluminum is used in vehicle manufacturing, structural and mechanical engineering, electronics, air conditioning and solar technology, and packaging.

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We come across aluminum almost everywhere. Few people realize that. It is the most widely used metal after steel. Aluminum is used in vehicle manufacturing, structural and mechanical engineering, electronics, air conditioning and solar technology, and packaging. Almost no field of technology and daily life does not use aluminum products, as well as the use of aluminum in automobiles is also increasing. But what is aluminum? Where does it come from - how is it made? Here's the article that explained everything.

Aluminum in the earth's crust

Aluminum is the third most common element in the earth's crust after oxygen and silicon, accounting for 8%. In contrast, the iron content is 6%. Aluminum is common in the earth's crust, but never in pure form. Therefore, this material can not be simply decomposed in nature, but produced in a complex process.

From bauxite to metal

In nature, aluminum exists only in aluminum compounds. The highest concentrations of aluminum have been found in the so-called bauxite - weathering products made from limestone and silicate rocks. The proportion of alumina in bauxite is usually more than 50%. This is the raw material for producing aluminum. The largest mines are in Australia, China, Guinea, Brazil and India. Bauxite is mainly extracted in open pit mining.

Aumina

Aluminum has a natural property: it reacts very quickly with oxygen, so it is coated with a very thin layer of alumina in the air. This layer is very dense and protects the metal from oxygen. As a result, aluminum objects are well protected against external influences such as weather and the resulting corrosion.

In the so-called Bayer process, pure alumina is extracted from bauxite, also known as alumina. Alumina is very fine, almost like a liquid, and can be transported by pipeline. Alumina is tasteless and nontoxic. What is the basis of aluminum? At this step, it looks like high quality white sand. It was taken to a special hut for further processing. Here, the melt of alumina and cryolite reagent is decomposed into liquid aluminum and oxygen (melt flow electrolysis) with the help of electric current.

In the world, more than 58 million tons of primary aluminum are produced by this process every year. In addition, there are more than 16 million tons of molten aluminum recovered from scrap metal. Aluminum is an ideal material for all kinds of products. It can be re integrated into the material cycle, that is, recycled. The energy demand is only 5% of the raw material extraction, without any quality loss. Low melting point, 660 ° C, saving energy when melting.

Further processing methods and processing options

In order to further process raw aluminum or recover aluminum, a variety of processes have been established

In the so-called extrusion process, the die cast extrusion bolt is pressed into the cavity of the steel mold under high pressure. Create the extrusion profile.

In the rolling process, aluminum ingot is pre rolled into plate or strip in several passes on the hot rolling mill. In foil mills, the strip is rolled to less than 0.2 mm in several rolling steps. The result is aluminum foil.

Aluminum die casting products are manufactured by different processes according to the requirements. They are characterized by significant weight reduction and clean, smooth surfaces.

Aluminum is prone to plastic deformation when it is cold. Basically, aluminum can be processed in all processes. To connect aluminum parts, they can be riveted, welded or glued.

Aluminum can be designed in an infinite number of ways. Light metals are ground, drawn or polished to achieve a smooth surface roughness. Uniform and dull surface structure was formed by acid pickling. Anodic oxidation can compact the naturally formed oxide layer. This creates an artificial decorative oxide layer that can be colored.

Aluminum as a metal and joint

Basically, it is necessary to distinguish between aluminum as a metal and aluminum compounds. As mentioned above, aluminum is mined on the earth's surface as bauxite and processed into metal. In addition, there are aluminum compounds produced in chemical processes or laboratories, which are essential in the fields of pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. As long as the prescribed limits are met, this form of aluminum is fundamentally harmless to health.

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