The types of alloy that aluminum offers allow it to be present in a large number of industries. In addition, it is considered one of the most versatile materials to work with, and its multiple possibilities of use or application allow it to have a broad spectrum of potential customers.
It can be used to manufacture aluminum foil or in more demanding jobs within the engineering industry. For this reason, in this article we will learn about the most used aluminum alloys on the market.
Uses and importance of aluminum alloys in industries
The aluminum and its different alloys are the second most requested materials for carrying out work or structural designs in industries. Its main characteristics have allowed it to be part of various projects and applications in structures within constructions. Some notable characteristics are the following:
- Due to its light weight, it is one of the materials that allow greater control and ease to give it different shapes.
- It has outstanding resistance, so you can trust that it is an excellent material to include in the structural design of buildings and other applications within construction.
- It allows for the creation of lightweight products or constructions with outstanding resistance to any type of weather conditions.
- It tends to be a fairly economical material and the results when working with this metal are quite attractive. This allows for extraordinary results at a notable price.
- The use of aluminum and its alloys is present in the manufacture of land, sea, space, and aircraft vehicles. This speaks to its importance in the structural design of a large number of industries.
Metals used to make the main aluminum alloys
When we talk about alloys, we refer to the combination of certain elements to achieve an improvement in a certain characteristic. However, there are metals that provide outstanding performance of aluminum in various applications or jobs.
The main metals used for the creation of the various aluminum alloys are: copper, silicon, zinc, magnesium, manganese, nickel, titanium, iron, chromium, and cobalt. Just to mention the most required for this purpose.
However, there are some special cases where elements such as lead, antimony, bismuth, and cadmium can be added for the manufacture of alloys that have exclusive or singular use. Although there are a large number of alloys of aluminum, there is a categorization widely used in the metal market.
The most used alloys in different industries
- Alloys made of pure aluminum: These have outstanding resistance to different environmental agents that could affect the useful life of other metals. In addition, their properties allow them to offer excellent thermal conductivity, along with extraordinary malleability for the manufacture of various tools or to give it a specific shape. This alloy is used in the chemical industry, as well as in power plants, within petrochemicals, for buildings, decoration, among others.
- Alloys made of aluminum and copper: Copper gives aluminum greater hardness. This allows it to have extraordinary mechanical properties, without losing the lightness and malleability that characterize this metal. In addition, this alloy has quite good heat resistance.
- Alloys made up of aluminum and zinc: As such, alloys of aluminum combined with zinc yield characteristics very similar to those obtained when using copper. However, it acquires certain disadvantages, such as being less resistant to corrosion and having a much greater weight, which makes handling this material a bit difficult.
- Alloys that are the result of the combination of aluminum with manganese: Combining these elements gives aluminum greater hardness, extraordinary mechanical resistance, and support to corrosion, making it an excellent option for various industries.
The aluminum alloys with other elements present materials that are increasingly used in various fields of application and industries. Being one of the preferred materials for the creation of parts or work tools in aeronautical constructions, even in the assembly of train and railway wagons, in the bodies of some cars and much more.
At Ulbrinox we know the importance of the different aluminum alloys in the different industries. For this reason, we are one of the main distributors of this metal in Mexico and Latin America. Discover our products or request a quote on this website! We are the national supplier with global solutions.
