Choosing the right metal alloy is not as easy as it sounds for many people. Knowing which alloy to use is greatly determined by the type of task you are carrying out. Even as an experienced machinist or an expert in the metal industry, there is always the likelihood that you will end up compounding your work by suing the wrong metals in certain jobs. This knowledge highlights the need for proper research regarding the conditions that your metal alloy will be exposed to as well as having clear knowledge of the job you are expecting the alloy to undertake. If you feel that your knowledge in metal alloys is till somehow patchy, do not be discouraged. Just having some basic knowledge on what are combined metals, how to make thin aluminum strips or creating a thin sheet metal from combined metals is a great starting point. To begin with, you need to know what metal alloys are.
What Is a Metal Alloy?
What comes to mind when you hear the term metal alloy? This is one phrase that people encounter but sometimes can’t explain what it means. Simply put, a metal alloy is a metal compound consisting of two or more components through the heating process. The whole idea of alloying metals is so that you can come up with a new compound that has is quite different from the original metals. It is the new properties of metal alloys that make them very attractive to engineer and metal experts based on a number of reasons. For instance, metal alloys tend to be harder, durable and very resistant to corrosion. This means that such metals can cope with very extreme conditions such as excessive heating or exposure to oxidizing agents. Some of the most common metal alloys include: 3003 aluminum, copper brass, 6061 aluminum, 17-7 stainless steel and 304 stainless used to make thin sheet metal.
Corrosion and Heat Resistance
When trying to choose a thin sheet metal alloy, heat resistance and corrosion are arguably the most important factors to consider. There is a lot of data out there outlining the corrosion and heat resistance of thin sheet metal alloys but there is very limited information for you to carry out tests on the metal alloys to establish these two important characteristics. The problem is that currently, there is no standard measure of establishing corrosion rates of different thin sheet metal alloys. With this information in mind, you can try and work with the available data and try to replicate the results based on a number of standard parameters. When exposed to certain oxidizing agents, you find that some metal alloys are less prone to corrosion.
Product Form and Fabrication
Before choosing a metal alloy, you must also take into consideration the product form of these thin sheet metal alloys. It is worth noting that some metals are only available in very specific forms and dimensions. Prior to choosing the metal alloy, look at the bigger picture in relation to what you are intending to use the metal for. It is not guaranteed that every metal alloy you choose for specific tasks will work for you. This is where the issue of fabrication comes in. there are some metal alloys that require extensive welding and machining compared to others. Although this is not enough reason to rule out a good alloy, choose an alloy that you can easily work with without spending too much time trying to fabricate it in order to achieve specific requirements in the metal industry.