The many applications of aluminium castings

Industries including transport, construction, electrical engineering and general engineering all frequently make use of the expertise, experience and extensive stock of K&S Metals (http://www.ksmetals.net). One of the reasons for the success of our company since its establishment in China 16 years ago is its all-encompassing metal fabrication expertise, and one metal that is impossible for many of our clients to ignore is aluminium, which is known for its low density, corrosion resistance and widespread use.

Indeed, all of the aforementioned industries use aluminium castings in some shape or form, and without them, the world in which we live would be a very different place. They are especially common in transport, being used in most vehicles today, including cars, trains, buses, ships, aircraft and spacecraft. Lightweight aluminium is only becoming even more attractive to vehicle manufacturers as the years go by, given the increasing demands for energy conservation, with the metal's advantages more than justifying the initial expense. After all, a lighter vehicle consumes less fuel.

The basic benefits of aluminium are magnified by the wide range of available aluminium casting alloys - to such an extent that the metal is almost always alloyed. This results in significantly better mechanical properties, especially when the aluminium is tempered. Common aluminium foils and beverage cans, for instance, are alloys of 92-99 per cent aluminium. Popular alloying agents like copper, magnesium, zinc, silicon and manganese give aluminium the special properties that allow it to fulfil a very broad range of applications, including not only transport, construction and packaging applications but also the likes of household items, street lighting poles and electrical transmission lines for power distribution.

More than 70 per cent of Western Europe's aluminium castings are used in transport applications, but the strength, versatility and corrosion resistance of aluminium castings has also ensured their use in general engineering products or processes. Although frequently unseen, these castings also make up vital parts in home appliances and products such as chairs and tables, cooking pots, washing machines and refrigerators. They are also widespread in the office, being used in computers, furniture and other small lightweight high technology equipment. These combined engineering, domestic and office applications account for up to 20 per cent of all used aluminium castings.

As for the building and construction industry, which uses around 8 per cent of aluminium castings, private houses or public buildings can have aluminium casting alloys incorporated into them for cosmetic reasons. In fact, any structure can look better as a result of the highly corrosion resistant surfaces with coloured finishes that are produced via the anodisation of aluminium casting alloys.

Such a vast range of applications simply demonstrates the importance of firms in these industries ordering their aluminium castings from the right supplier - such as K&S Metals (http://www.ksmetals.net). We offer the likes of linesman's tools and washdown guns in aluminium, as part of an extensive selection of hand tools, plumbing tools, stainless steel components and other fabrications of the highest industry standards.