The lightweight Aluminum

Aluminum is the perfect material for many different applications. Aluminum has amazing properties: it’s light, strong, and sustainable! After oxygen and silicon, aluminum is the third most common element in the earth’s crust. So, there is more aluminum than iron in this world. This means that the deposit, based on today’s requirements, will be sufficient for generations. The People’s Republic of China is by far the world’s largest aluminum producer.

Aluminum is lightweight. At around 2.7 g/cm3, aluminum weighs two-thirds less than steel. This makes further processing and application easier and reduces energy consumption during transport. Because of its low weight, aluminum is often the most economically sensible choice of material.

Aluminum foil in every household

Aluminum foil reflects both heat and light and is impermeable. This means that no taste, aroma, or light penetrates inwards or outwards. This property makes aluminum foil perfect for food preservation. It is therefore often integrated as a barrier layer in plastic packaging films.

Formability and Alloys

The easily deformable aluminum is used in various everyday products: in beverage cans, housings, bicycle frames or kitchen utensils. Aluminum can be easily deformed and processed (e.g., by extrusion or die-casting) both when it is cold and when it is warm.

Various alloys are produced to further improve the properties of aluminum. The most used elements in aluminum alloys are magnesium, silicon, manganese, zinc, and copper. For example, they improve heat treatment, solderability and weldability, tensile strength, and corrosion resistance.

Corrosion resistance

Aluminum reacts with oxygen in the air to form a protective oxide layer that resists corrosion. For this reason, aluminum is often used bare and generally does not require any surface treatment. If you want to change or improve the corrosion resistance and the mechanical properties, the material can be anodized. In the anodizing process, the oxidation layer is deliberately brought about by anodic oxidation. In addition, a specific coloring is possible with this process. Other processes, such as hard anodizing, can be used to make the material more wear resistant.

Infinitely recyclable

Few materials are as easy to recycle as aluminum. Just 5 percent of the energy used to produce the aluminum is enough to recycle it. In fact, 75 percent of all aluminum ever produced is still in use.