TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Aluminium

Aluminium is the world’s most abundant metal and is the third most common element comprising 8% of the earth’s crust. Its incredible versatility makes aluminium the most widely used metal after steel, with annual world production around 20 million tonnes.

The versatility stems from a unique combination of properties which combine lightness, strength, durability and corrosion resistance with good thermal and electrical conductivity. A wide range of alloys is available to exploit these properties to the full. Thus aluminium alloys maintain a leading position in terms of material selection by being the most cost effective solution for many industrial and consumer applications.

Aluminium can be easily formed by all the main production processes. It can be extruded into the most complex of shapes allowing screw fixings, snap fit jointing and attractive design features. It can be drawn to achieve the most exacting of tolerances and to specific levels of hardness for the most critical of applications. Then finally it can be hot or cold rolled to provide a multitude of thicknesses and widths from cooking foil to heavy plate.

Aluminium can be surface rolled to give many attractive, decorative and functional patterns. These include popular patterns such as: stucco, checkmate, treadplate and many more.

Aluminium responds well to a variety of finishing methods; painting and anodising are the two most popularly used. Each provides an attractive and highly durable finish. These processes can be applied either as a post manufactured operation or as an integrated part of the semis production process.

Aluminium is available in a range of alloys giving properties suitable for an ever increasing number of applications. All alloys are easily formed, welded and joined.

Major recycling programmes make a significant contribution to the preservation of the environment. Only 5% of the energy required to smelt primary metal is used when recycling, which also avoids the problems of waste disposal and dumping