Many of today’s business owners are searching for new ways to provide eco-friendly solutions for manufacturing and construction. There are many advantages of using aluminum to help achieve these goals. The benefits of the raw aluminum alloy, sustainable aluminum extrusions, and the aluminum surface treatments used to protect them can provide even more. Silver City Aluminum is a one stop shop fabrication and extrusion facility located in Southeastern Massachusetts. We work with many different types of businesses across multiple industries to help our clients achieve their goals. While we do offer standard extrusion profiles, we specialize in custom work, providing our customers with new ways to reduce costs, save time, and create higher quality results. There are many reasons to choose standard and custom aluminum extrusion for your next manufacturing or construction project, but today we are going to focus on the top seven reasons why so many industries are turning to aluminum for advanced production solutions.
Reason #1 – Sustainability
Aluminum is 100 percent recyclable, and the aluminum that we use at Silver City Aluminum is made up of 99.9 percent recycled aluminum. This not only saves our clients money compared to other types of products that may require raw materials to be used, but it also helps to reduce our carbon footprint and impact on local industrial waste. We pre-cut our billets according to each project to further reduce waste. This process is designed to help control costs for our clients and provide responsible manufacturing. Sustainable aluminum extrusions that are made from recycled materials have all of the same inherent qualities as raw aluminum. Aluminum is the most recycled metal on the planet, is extremely plentiful, and can be recycled again and again without ever losing its beneficial attributes.
Reason #2 – Strength-to-Weight Ratio
One of the more remarkable qualities of aluminum is that it offers all the strength of steel at one-third of the weight. This can be used to maximize fuel economy in many different types of vehicles while providing the same level of strength, durability, and safety as steel. Transportation vehicles can increase load capacity safely while improving energy consumption. Modification of the alloys used can further enhance the strength of this versatile metal, depending on the demands and requirements of the project.
Reason #3 – Resistance to Corrosion
Depending on the industry that you serve, there may be more concerns about the corrosion in the environment where the finished product will be used. Aluminum surface treatments can be applied that will boost the natural corrosion resistance to ensure a longer-lasting, more durable part, product, or component. Saltwater and salty air in a marine environment, chemical exposure in manufacturing or construction, and abrasive contact in other types of environments can cause the metal to wear down at a fast rate. One of the advantages of using aluminum is its natural anti-corrosive oxide layer and the ability to add treatments during one stop shop fabrication at our facility.
Reason #4 – Excellent Conductivity
Some industries choose to use sustainable aluminum extrusions because they are an excellent conductor of both heat and electricity. In fact, in relation to its weight, aluminum is almost twice as good of a conductor as copper. Aluminum has become a primary choice in the design and production of power transmission lines, LED light construction, and heat sinks for computers and servers. Conductivity is definitely at the top of the list for the advantages of using aluminum in manufacturing.
Reason #5 – Reflectivity
There are many applications where reflectivity is essential, including reflection of both light and heat. Aluminum is being used to create reflectors for light fittings in LED lighting production and cool roofing in LEED Construction to reduce energy consumption for heating and cooling. Studies show that aluminum can reflect up to 95 percent of sunlight, making it especially useful for reducing the carbon footprint of a structure.
Reason #6 – Low Temperature Strength
Another way that aluminum beats steel is in low temperature environments. Extreme cooling for indoor facilities where temperature must be controlled, and outdoor settings like the Arctic or Antarctic regions can benefit from the advantages of using aluminum. Sustainable aluminum extrusions show increased tensile strength in low temperatures, unlike steel, which quickly becomes brittle in frigid environments.
Reason #7 – Non-Sparking
When aluminum comes in contact with other aluminum parts or parts made from other metals, it does not spark. This can be extremely valuable in volatile, dry, or flammable situations where a spark could result in a severe fire. Many different industries choose aluminum based on this attribute alone and enjoy all of the other advantages of using aluminum.
Standard and Custom Aluminum Extrusion Design
If you are interested in learning more about the advantages of using aluminum or want to discuss options for aluminum surface treatments and secondary operations at our one stop shop fabrication and extrusion facility, contact our team directly. Silver City Aluminum offers a wide range of services designed to help businesses and industries capitalize on the benefits of using custom aluminum extrusion in production and manufacturing. Give us a call at 508-824-8631 to speak with one of our engineering team members about your needs or place your first order.