Have you ever wondered how Aluminum is made? I know I have. It’s actually quite interesting. The best place to start is where aluminum is actually found. I think its common knowledge that aluminum is a natural element found in the earth’s crust. It is the second most abundant metal you’ll find there. Although this is true, so is this. It is always compounded with other elements like Potassium, Sulphur and Oxygen. To get it in its pure form, it must be separated from the compound. Up until 1825 it was unknown how to perform this task and even then, it was in small quantities. In 1880 a new process was perfected. This meant it could now be extracted in large quantities!

Aluminum is extremely useful and versatile but it is still an element. Did you know when aluminum powder is missed with certain other elements it will quickly become extremely volatile and produce toxic, purple iodine vapor before it spontaneously combusts. Ah, the wonders of our planet! Beautiful yet dangerous.

So, what are some benefits of using aluminum for sheet metal? Well, it can be continually recycled, the colder the metal gets, the stronger it gets and it has the highest performance standards, just to name a few.

Aluminum has so many different uses. Here are a few examples:

• Transportation – Aluminum is light which helps with overall fuel efficiency.
• Research – it has amazing anti rust properties.
• Marine – Because Aluminum get stronger as it gets colder, it’s great for ships.
• Space Exploration – Aluminum is used to make space craft for NASA

And there are so many more uses!