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Not sure what metals may be useful 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. If you want to run a construction business, a manufacturing business, or anything else, it would be wise to know what materials are 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 list of the five most common metals that you can use in the production of products for businesses:
Iron
Everyone knows about the many uses that iron has in order to make things that are strong and durable. It’s well known as a robust and durable metal that people can use, so why isn’t it used more commonly? Well, just like most metals, there are limitations that keep it only being used in certain applications. Due to its high melting point, you’ll often see it used for furnaces, cooking instruments, machinery, and more. Because iron is extremely hard, it won’t bend if it heats up terribly – unless it gets amazingly hot. It’s very heavy and rough, so it’s not ideal for fine metalwork.
Steel
Steel, which is also very common in the world, is used in a lot of construction projects. Steel can be much finer and lighter, unlike iron, and makes for the perfect material for everyday household items. Scissors, eating utensils, and more. Even though steel is very strong, it still plays a very important role 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. It’s not strong like steel, but it’s lighter and more reliable. 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
Copper isn’t typically used for making utensils or heavy-gauge structures, but it has more unique properties than most other common metals. First of all, the excellent electrical conductivity makes it great for making things like cables and electrical components. Like aluminum, it’s very machinable which makes it easy to create intricate products. 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 is often found in metal stores and is great for many things. The most common use of zinc is to galvanize (strengthen) other metals like iron and steel – helping to further protect against corrosion 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!