Important Industrial Metal Alloys and Their Uses

Posted by Alphaassembly on February 23rd, 2017

Many of the materials used in industrial applications can be found in nature. There are over 90 kinds of natural metals that can be useful for industrial applications, but some of them may not be able to withstand the job in their purest form. Iron, for instance, may be strong, but it tends to be brittle and can rust easily when exposed to damp air. Aluminum is light, but it can be too weak and soft. For this reason, industrial applications typically use alloys, metals that are combined with other substances to boost their hardness and durability or to make them lighter and better in their performance.

Alloys are all around us, from the wheels on cars to space satellites. The following are some of the most commonly used industrial metal alloys:

•    Brass – Containing 65 to 90 percent of copper and 10 to 35 percent of zinc, brass is typically used for making door bolts and locks, central heating pipes, and musical instruments.

•    Solder – Solder is used to connect electrical components into their respective circuits. The composition of solder may vary from one manufacturer to another, depending on how it is going to be used. Traditional solders are a combination of 30 to 50 percent lead, antimony, copper, and other metals, and 50 to 70 percent tin. Newer solders do not have lead due to health and safety reasons. Hence, modern solders may have about 0.75 percent copper and 99.25 percent tin in them. However, some suppliers still carry lead solders for applications where lead can strengthen the build and integrity of a material.

•    Titanium - Ti6Al4V is a type of titanium alloy that is used for aerospace equipment. It may be lightweight, but it is tough and highly resistant to corrosion.

•    Amalgam – A mercury-based alloy, amalgam is composed of silver, zinc, copper, tin, and mercury, resulting in a corrosion-resistant and hard-wearing metal with high impact strength.

•    Stainless steel – This alloy is used in ribbon and wire forms for screening, belt, cables, stapling, welding, suture wires, and metalizing.

•    Nickel-chromium and its variants – Along with iron-chromium-aluminum and nickel-chromium-iron alloys, nickel-chromium is used in industrial applications where high temperature is common.

About the Author:

Alpha Assembly Solutions Inc. is a premier company engaged in the development and manufacture of high quality electronics assembly materials. Since the year of its inception, way back in 1872, the company has played its role on the frontline of innovation, bringing many first-to-market products to the fore thereby, creating a premier niche for itself in the market.