Summary:

Industry Metals, types and Application
What Is Industry Metal?
Types of Industry Metals
Application of Industry Metal

What Is Industry Metal?

Industry metals are metals that are used by industries. Some industrial metals include copper, bronze, nickel, iron, steel, aluminum, and zinc. They are applied in the automotive industry, steel industry, machine construction, electronic industry, building industry, jewelry-making industry, and almost all areas of the metal processing industry. Different industries need different types of metals to make their products, hence the high variety of them for industrial use. The industrial metal scene is dominated by the world’s top economies, including the United States, China, and the European Union. (DBS bank, 2022). They offer a steady and long-term demand base for this sub-asset class. Moreover, the sector exposure for industrial metals is very favorable. Emerging industries, especially renewables and electric vehicles, contribute highly to the rising demand.

Rising demand and limited supply could summarize the worldwide outlook for industrial metals. Policy-led decisions such as emission control and energy rationing in China will further impair the low supply. This will have a great impact as China is the biggest producer of industrial metals such as steel, copper, nickel, and aluminum. This will highly impact nickel and aluminum since they have an energy-intensive production process. Mixing two or more metals creates metal alloys. These are durable, strong, and resistant to corrosion. Examples of industrial metal alloys are iron, bronze, zinc, steel, and copper.

Types of Industry Metals

There are 5 types of industry metals:

Steel Alloys

Steel is an alloy of carbon and iron. The two most common steel alloys are carbon steel and stainless steel. Steel alloys are known for their resistance to corrosion, vast strength, and durability. Carbon steel tends to be useful as its strength can be adjusted according to the amount of carbon added to the alloy mixture. However, plain carbon steel tends to have poor corrosion resistance. The environmental effect could be reduced by galvanizing the metal surface or painting. On the other hand, stainless steel is an alloy comprising carbon and iron. This steel comprises at least 10.5 percent chromium, less than 1.2 percent carbon, and other alloying components (Habashi, 2008). Adding elements such as copper, nickel, and manganese can differentiate the different steel alloys.

Iron Alloys

These are the most popular alloys for industrial purposes. Stainless steel and steel are some two alloys of iron. Stainless steel comprises nickel, iron, and chromium, while steel comprises iron with 0.1 to 1.5 percent carbon. Steel is admired for its high resistance to rust, welding ability, and tensile strength, while stainless steel is the famous type of steel. Another iron alloy type is silicon iron bronze, which is frequently used for welding. Iron has a high melting point and is heavy hence is able to tolerate lots of heat. In addition, metal alloys comprising iron are rigid and minimize vibrations. They are often found in machinery and other manufacturing tools.

Zinc Alloys

This alloy metal comprises two or more metals with zinc as the main component. Some of the components found in zinc alloys are aluminum, copper, magnesium, and manganese. Every component contributes various properties to the final product depending on the percentage composition. The metal is also strong and has low electrochemical capability; hence, electricity cannot create a chemical change. Zinc alloys also provide the highest tensile strength amid the most extensively used non-ferrous alloys and surpass or match most cast irons. The alloy has become highly popular in recent years due to its hypoallergenic traits and durability compared with traditional metals such as gold and silver (Habashi, 2008). Furthermore, they have low melting points, need low heat input and do not need protective or fluxing atmospheres, and could be cast in thinner walls than other die-casting alloys due to their high fluidity.

Copper Alloys

These are alloys that are copper based and whose main alloying components are aluminum, nickel, zinc, tin, and silicone. It is an easy-to-identify metal, and it is known for its malleability, corrosion resistance, and capacity to conduct electricity. Copper-based alloys comprise main substitution solid solutions where impurity and solute atoms substitute or replace host atoms. Various features of the solvent and solute atoms define the extent to which the former dissolves in the latter. Several copper and copper alloy compositions are grouped into high copper alloy, copper, bronzes, leaded copper, copper-nickel, brasses, copper nickel zinc, and special alloys.

Bronze

This is a combination of copper and tin. Bronze is known for its resistance to tear, wear, and corrosion. It comprises 5-20 percent tin and 80-90 percent copper. The extra elements could be aluminum, phosphorous, silicon, and manganese. The strength and hardness increase with the increase of tin content. Also, the metal could be rolled or shaped into wires, tubes, and rods. Bronzes tend to be stronger than brasses, but they have a high degree of resistance to corrosion.

Application of Industry Metal

Steel Alloy

Carbon and stainless steel are mainly used to construct bridges, buildings, and tools. Also, stainless steel is known for its use in cookware, kitchen appliances, and cutlery. Its spectacular finishes range from shiny to matte and are easy to clean and durable (Habashi, 2008). In addition, its anti-corrosive traits make it suitable for machinery applications.

Bronze

Bronze is used in sculptures, medals, and musical instruments. Its resistance to corrosion and hardness makes it useful in ships and other nautical uses.

Copper Alloys

They are mainly used for radiators, wires, and hydraulic equipment. Some of the major uses of brass, a copper alloy, are making bearings, costume jewelry, gears, hinges, coins, electronic packaging, automotive radiators, musical instruments, and ammunition casings.

Zinc Alloys

Alloys of zinc comprising small amounts of aluminum, copper and magnesium are used in spin-casting and die-casting, particularly in the electrical, automotive, and hardware industries.

Iron Alloys

Useful in the construction of roads, railways, skyscrapers, and bridges. They are also used in cooking accessories such as pans, machine tools, and gears crankshafts (Habashi, 2008). Stainless steel, an iron alloy, is also used in making industrial equipment, aircraft, bridges, and automotive body parts.