High Purity Metals
Aluminium is the most widely used non ferrous metal (approx 26 million tonnes consumed annually) and comes in a variety of forms and specifications for industries as diverse as aerospace, construction, packaging, electronics, engineering, power transmission, etc.
The main use for antimony in the form of antimony trioxide is making flame-proof compounds. The fireproofing industry consumes 50% of the annual production of antimony and is commonly used in children's clothing and toys, as well as aircraft and automobile seat covers. It is sometimes used in the fiberglass composites industry as an additive to polyester resin, so that the resins will extinguish themselves as soon as the flame is removed.
The toxicity of arsenic to insects, bacteria and fungi when used in an agricultuaral setting led to the discovery of its use as a wood preservative. Particularly in the U.S, arsenic can also be added to animal food as a method of disease prevention and growth stimulation.
Lead components in automotive batteries are strengthened by a small amount of arsenic, therefore metallic arsenic is often used for alloying with copper and lead.
The main use of bismuth is in the Health and Cosmetics markets where it is an ingredient in some pharmaceuticals.
Bismuth alloys have low melting points making that suitable for use in the alloy industry, and are often found in specialty applications such as solders.
Cadmium has various uses and is key in the industrial industry.
Eventhough the main use for cadmium is for battery production, it is also used in electroplating and for laboratory uses. Helium-cadmium lasers are a common source of blue-ultraviolet laser light.
Calcium has many usages, and in the alloy industry it can be used as a cleanser for non ferrous alloys as it bares a strong resembelence to oxygen and sulpher. It can also be used as an alloying agent for aluminium, beryllium, copper, lead and magnesium alloys. Another use is to harden lead.
Unalloyed chromium is the most "popular" metal surface coating with unbeatable combined durability. This is due to it's relative hardness and corrosion resistance. Through using electroplating techniques a thin layer of chromium is deposited on pretreated metallic surfaces.
The main consumption of cobalt is in the alloy's industry in the production of cobalt-based superalloy's. The temperature stability of cobalt allows the product to be used when making gas turbines and jet aircraft engines.
The main use of copper is in electrical wires, however it is also used heavily in roofing, plumbing and industrial machinery. It is mostly used in it's metal form, but when a higher hardness is required it can be combined with other elements to make an alloy, such as bronze and brass.
Iron is the most commonly used of all the metals worldwide.
It's used in various industries, one of the main one's being engineering, when constructing machinery, machine tools, components for buildings and automobiles. Its low cost and high strength make it ideal for these types of applications. As pure iron is quite soft, it is most commonly used in the form of steel.
Half of lead produced worldwide is used in the automobile industry within car batteries. However lead has characteristics such as high density and resistance from corrosion, so it can be used for the ballast keel of sailboats. It can counterbalance the heeling effect of wind on the sails offering the least underwater resistance. It is also used in scuba diving weight belts for the same reason, to counteract the diver's natural buoyancy and that of his equipment.
After iron and aluminium, magnesium is the third most commonly used structural metal worldwide.
The main applications of magnesium are being used as a component of aluminium alloys, in die-casting to remove sulphur in the making of steel and iron, and finally the production of titanium in the Kroll-process.
Molybednum is often used in applications such as armour manufacturing, production of aircraft components and industrial motors. It is molybednum's ability to withstand extreme tempratures that make it ideal for anything that involves intense heat.
Nickel is used in various industrial and consumer products, some of which include stainless steel, magnets, coins, rechargeable batteries, electric guitar strings, and special alloys. Nickel is an alloy metal and its primary use is in nickel steels and nickel cast irons. It is also widely used in many other alloys, such as nickel brasses and bronzes, and alloys with copper, chromium, aluminum, lead, cobalt, silver, and gold.
Niobium's main use is in the production of high-grade structural steel, followed by its use in superalloys. It is an important alloy addition to high strength low alloy steels which are commonly used as structural components in modern automobiles.
Silicon is very important to the construction industry as a principal constituent of natural stone, glass, concrete and cement. Silicon wafers are used as substrates in the manufacturing of discrete electronic devices such as transistors and in the development of integrated circuits such as computer chips.
Silver is useful in a great variety of industries. Many common uses of silver include currency, decorative items and mirrors. The contrast between the appearance of its bright white colour to other media means it can be very useful to the visual arts industry.
Sodium in its metallic form is useful in refining certain reactive metals, such as zirconium and potassium from their compounds. It also proves useful in improving the structure of certain alloys.
Sodium can also make the surface of some metals smooth metal, as well as act as a strong reducing agent.
Around half of tin produced worldwide is used in solder in the form of an alloy with lead. The rest is divided between tin plating, tin chemicals, brass and bronze, and niche uses. Tin in combination with other elements also forms a wide variety of useful alloys.
Approximately half of the tungsten produced globally is consumed for the making of hard materials with the remaining major useage being in alloys and steels. The jewellery industry makes rings of sintered tungsten carbide, tungsten carbide/metal composites, and also simply metallic tungsten.
The main uses of zinc include galvanizing, alloys, brass and bronze. The metal is most commonly used as an anti-corrosion agent. Galvanization, is the most familiar form of using zinc in this way.
