A Closer Look at the Aluminum Manufacturing Process

A Closer Look at the Aluminum Manufacturing Process

Aluminum is an extremely versatile metal.aluminum manufacturing Its low cost and high strength to weight ratio make it a popular choice for products that require a light but strong material. It also has excellent corrosion resistance and is able to retain heat very well. For these reasons, you’ll find this silvery metallic substance in everything from soda cans to airplane wings and car bumpers. But how does it get from its natural mineral form to the finished product we all use? In this article, we will take a closer look at the manufacturing process of this popular metal.

The first step in aluminum production is extraction.aluminum manufacturing This happens through a process called bauxite mining. Bauxite is a type of earthy rock that contains around 30 to 54% aluminum oxide. Because the aluminium in bauxite tends to bind with oxygen, there is very little pure aluminum naturally found in nature. This means that creating the metal from its raw mineral form is not an easy task.

It wasn’t until 1886 that an economical method of producing aluminum was invented.aluminum manufacturing This was the result of work done by two independent scientists, Jewett Hall and Paul Heroult. Their discovery that electrolytic reduction could be used to create the metal from bauxite was revolutionary. The process combines the use of an electric current with the reaction of water with a caustic soda solution to produce alumina.

Once the alumina is formed, it can be refined to create the molten metal that we know as aluminum.aluminum manufacturing To do this, the alumina is pumped into large pressure tanks where it is mixed with sodium hydroxide and heated with steam. The ground bauxite is added to the solution, and a slurry is created. This is then filtered to remove the unwanted solids, which are referred to as red mud. The remaining solution is transferred to lower pressure tanks where it becomes sodium aluminate. This alumina is then ground and washed into huge kilns that are heated to a temperature of about 1,100 degrees Fahrenheit. This high temperature causes the water molecules to be chemically separated from the alumina. The alumina is then reduced to molten metal using the Hall-Heroult process.

While progress has been made over the years to improve the energy efficiency of this process, the aluminum industry still relies on vast amounts of electricity.aluminum manufacturing On a national average, this accounts for about five percent of the energy consumed in the United States.

Once the molten metal has been forged into the final shape it will be, it is ready to be distributed to manufacturers to turn into consumer products. During this process, the aluminum is often alloyed with other materials to give it more strength or other properties that it might not have on its own. The finished product can then be molded, cast or rolled to achieve the desired shape. It’s this finishing process that gives the aluminum its distinct properties and makes it so appealing to a variety of industries.

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