Meta Description:
Not certain which metals you need for your business? Here’s a list of the most common metals you’re going to need for your business – and which ones you should use for custom metal fabrications.
It helps a lot to understand the things that are useful to you and your business, and that includes understanding the types of materials that are useful for your business. Whether you’re planning to run a construction business, a manufacturing business, or otherwise – it would be wise to know what’s best for what occasion. You never know, it might help you when making a big investment in some new equipment or looking to switch out the materials you’re currently using.
You just can’t open a machine shop without knowing what’s what. It is wasteful and inefficient to use what you’re buying if you are not knowledgeable about the product. Here is a look at the five most common metals you can use in manufacturing products:
Iron
Everyone’s heard of the many uses that iron brings to the table. It’s known for its sturdiness and easy availability, but it’s not applied everywhere – why is that? There are limitations that keep iron from being used in all kinds of different applications. Since iron has a very high melting point, you’re able to use it for things like furnaces, cooking instruments, and more. Because iron is extremely hard, it won’t bend if it heats up terribly – unless it gets amazingly hot. However, it’s a very heavy and rough material, so it’s not great for finer metalworks products.
Steel
Steel is yet another incredibly common metal that you’d see on a daily basis. Steel can be much finer and lighter, unlike iron, and makes for the perfect material for everyday household items. Scissors, eating utensils, and more. With that said, it’s still a very tough material and is used in a lot of construction projects. It’s very durable and corrosion resistant, which is why steel is such a useful and reliable material to use in construction projects.
Aluminum
Aluminum is a great metal with countless applications. It can be seen in many lightweight metal constructions. Aluminum is weaker than steel, but it’s lighter and more resistant to corrosion. Aluminum is great for making custom metal parts and it can also be easily machined into intricate shapes and designs. It’s great for custom metal fabrication and perfect for machining. More complicated designs and shapes can be made from aluminum, from signs, to car parts, to computer components, and even cans. It’s fairly simple to work with, and it’s easily recyclable. Creating aluminum products is fairly easy and cheap. Just as easily rusty as steel, aluminum is very resistant to corrosion.
Copper alloys
While not typically used for utensils and heavy-duty constructions, copper has more unique properties than other everyday metals. It has excellent conductivity, which makes it great for making cables and other important items. It can also be machined easily, which makes it ideal for making intricate products. It’s also very easy to turn into intricate products from it, as aluminum is very machine-friendly. Except for electrical cables and wires, you’ll find copper in your plumbing because of its excellent corrosion resistance. There’s no rust or wear from water compared to other metals.
Zinc
Zinc can be picked up from your local metal distributor and is great for multiple reasons. Due to its low melting point, it’s very easily recycled and reused whenever necessary. It is used to galvanize iron and steel, which will allow them to resist rust. On top of that, you’ll often find it in medicines and such.
Want to learn more about what types of metals can benefit your business? Visit us at Metals4U.com today!