In our modern society, aluminum is one of those things we tend to take for granted. Aluminum is everywhere. It’s in our vehicles, our appliances and even our soda cans. This is not by accident—aluminum has many beneficial properties that make it a versatile, inexpensive and environmentally-friendly metal. There are many different alloys of aluminum plate for sale, each with its own specific advantages and disadvantages. These different types of aluminum plate are employed across several different industries in a number of different applications.
The Beneficial Features of Aluminum
Aluminum has a number of characteristics that make it a popular metal. First of, it has a combination of strength and light weight that make it an excellent substitute for steel in many alloys. It is malleable and easy to cut and form. This makes aluminum able to be used in a variety of shapes, from simple plates and bars to complicated extrusions and moldings.
Aluminum is able to conduct heat and electricity. It has a shiny, reflective surface and it is corrosion resistant. It can be used in “Alclad” form, with pure aluminum sandwiched between plates of alloyed aluminum, making it stronger and more corrosion resistant. Aluminum is fairly inexpensive, and part of the reason is that it is almost 100 percent recyclable in most forms. This makes it an environmentally preferable choice to most other materials.
Types of Aluminum Plate for Sale
Some types of aluminum are really well-suited to be made into aluminum plate. Some alloys that are popular as wrought aluminum plate include 2024, 6061 and 7075 aluminum. Popular cast plate aluminum would include Mic 6 and Alca 5. For mold plate, M1, M5 and Max 6 are all popular types of aluminum you might find for sale at a distributor.
Uses for Aluminum Plate
Aluminum plate is especially popular in the aircraft industry, which makes good use of its light weight and exceptional strength. Aluminum plate might be used to make an aircraft’s skin, fuselage, walls, floors and other structural elements within the plane. Aluminum plate is often machined into smaller parts, such as molds, CNC tables, jigs and other small tools and equipment. Aluminum plate is frequently machined to make larger engine parts, as well, such as manifolds.
Howard Precision Metals has a great selection of aluminum plate to choose from and can cut it to the precise size you need. Visit Howardprecision.com.
