Aluminum – The Fascinating Story of a Non-Ferrous Metal
Have you ever been curious about the origin of one of the most common metals Americans use on a daily basis? Aluminum is unique in many ways and we love it here at OERC as it is a non-ferrous metal that we trade regularly. While browsing the internet for information on Aluminum to write an upcoming article, one of our blog team stumbled on this classic video from 1956, that does an amazing job of explaining the history of aluminum.
This is not our traditional type of article, but we have transcribed the video below and offer this link to you if you would like to watch the video. This offers a bit of nostalgia with the animation from days gone bye. We hope you love it as much as we do.
History of Aluminum Production - Aluminum on the March (1956) – Charlie Dean Archives
“This is aluminum, aluminum for our industries and aluminum for our homes, aluminum for building for transportation, for communication, for agriculture, and for national defense. What is it that has made aluminum one of the youngest members in the family of metals, such an outstanding material? The answer lies in its amazing versatility and unusual combination of properties. Its smart, modern appearance in a variety of natural or colored finishes. Its great strength, combined with extreme lightweight, and outstanding advantage in almost every metal application. Its high electrical conductivity, with aluminum leading all other metals in a pound for pound comparison. Its immunity to all kinds of weather without rust or corrosion. Its superior light and heat reflectivity for aluminum brilliantly outshines all other uncoated metals. Aluminum excels most other metals and its ability to conduct heat quickly and evenly.
One of the most amazing things about this most remarkable metal is its tremendous abundance as a raw material.
In America, the richest of these commercial grade aluminum deposits are located in the central region of Arkansas. Although traces of aluminum may be found in almost any soil, only those clays containing 50 or 60% aluminum ore, and known as oxide are mined for commercial production. And here, one of the foremost producers of aluminum derives much of its or for the reduction plans. In order to ensure a constant and uninterrupted supply of this raw material. Reynolds some years ago, pioneered the development of extensive aluminum ore deposits in Haiti and Jamaica. These deposits along with mining operations in British Guiana, constitute the world's largest known aluminum ore reserves, representing a vital backlog of strategic material for consumer goods and defense production. On the island of Jamaica alone, more than 50,000 acres are owned by Reynolds for the mining of aluminum ore. As the Bauxite deposits are mined out. Reynolds re soils and restores the pits to crop grazing or forest land for the Jamaicans use. Mining of aluminum ore in Jamaica is primarily a huge earthmoving operation, and for the islanders, the minds of many new jobs and a sounder economy. After leaving the mines, the aluminum ore travels on a breathtaking journey over six miles of aerial tramway to the sea.
At hotels Rios Bay the Bauxite ore is loaded aboard a modern or carrier for its trip to the mainland. where the next phase of its transformation to metal begins. Among this maze of giant adjusters, settlers and washers, all the skill and ingenuity of modern chemical engineering combined to provide the first step in unlocking aluminum from the earth, the chemical process reaches its climax in these huge tanks, where alumina is precipitated out of the war in caustic solution. Later the water content is driven off by baking and giant rotary kilns, resulting in this pure snow-white powder known as aluminum. And ever-increasing amount of this alumina is being used in chemical processing, in soil conditioners in abrasives, and many other applications. In order to reduce the alumina to solid aluminum, it is transferred to one of a number of reduction plants and converted to metallic form in giant electrolytic cells. These plants consume electrical power in tremendous quantities, enough to supply the daily needs of 1 million people. About 1/3 of the required electricity is generated at Reynolds plants, and the rest is purchased from outside sources. Over 20,000 kilowatt hours of electricity will pass through the cell to produce one ton of aluminum.
In the most modern operation, some of the Molten Aluminum is transferred directly to a customer's adjacent foundry, where it is poured hot into the customers holding furnace before casting.
Back at the Reynolds plant, as the molten metal is cast, aluminum begins to take recognizable shape and form.
After casting, the pigs are allied with small amounts of other metals to give them the right combination of properties. From the alloying furnace, aluminum now marches forth in the shape of ingots, blooms and villains, each destined for a specific fabricating sequence reducing 6000-pound ingots into aluminum sheet requires giant machinery plus great technical skill and experience.
After rolling the coil sheet is ready for shipment to 1000s of fabricators who will reshape it into 100,000 useful things from washing machines to airplane wings.
The fabricating service as its name implies, is a service to manufacturers providing them with a great variety of blank formed and precision finished parts ready for assembly
Here under one roof is found the most modern equipment. Many costly but necessary facilities, often beyond the reach of the average fabricator are made available through this service, including press equipment capable of handling the largest aluminum drawers ever made. Plus, a workforce of skilled specialists with long experience in high-speed precision fabrication.
With imagination and daring the fabricating service tackles the most difficult production assignments such as this patented tube sheet, a solid aluminum sheet with self-contained passages for liquid or gas. The tube sheet is now in common use as in this refrigeration unit and has unlimited possibilities in all types of heat transfer applications. Still another contribution of the fabricating service or the all-aluminum truck and body parts assembled for the leading truck and trailer companies because aluminum will not rust, these parts will not need painting and neither will these aluminum gutters and downspouts. Aluminum buildings are easily constructed, requiring a minimum amount of maintenance and upkeep. Self-insulating against both heat and cold aluminum sheet provides greater protection for every type of outdoor use. From industrial buildings large and small, to the most modern residence. Lightweight strength and the versatility of aluminum make possible higher payloads and all commercial vehicles from Highway trailers to modern smart looking delivery trucks. Aluminum adds beauty and flexibility of design to lightweight highway homes and ultra-modern buses. In national defense as in many other fields, aluminum is everywhere in the air on the ground and on the sea. First of all, aluminum serves our fighting men. In today's architecture, aluminum has become synonymous with modern design, not only in new buildings, but to facelift, dingy old exteriors and transform them into colorful new fronts in tune with the times. The use of aluminum is equally effective inside as well as out from table lamp to acoustical ceiling. Aluminum contributes that decorative modern touch to office and home. Because aluminum reflects up to 95% of all radiant heat and effectively stops moisture. It finds extensive use in all types of insulation. These same reflective qualities add extra efficiency to aluminum heating and air conditioning ducts. In the field of home appliances for decorative as well as functional uses. Aluminum has no equal rust proof and corrosion resistant. It helps keep cleaning and maintenance at a minimum. Add the advantages of low-cost lightweight workability and multicolored beauty and it's easy to see why more and more aluminum is being designed into every type of modern appliance and to help manufacturers achieve the highest quality aluminum products. The Reynolds Metals company maintains a full-time aluminum styling and design section.
Aluminum foil which is merely sheet aluminum roll extremely thin is welcomed in the American home in ever growing quantities. As a convenience of 1001 practical uses for even the thinnest aluminum retains all the advantages of this amazing metal
conducts cold to speed up freezing and distributes heat evenly while cooking and whether in the refrigerator in the oven or on the barbecue grill. Aluminum foil keeps foods from drying out, while sealing in all their natural flavor.
Aluminum foil may be produced hard or soft, finished bright or dull, and cut into strips fine enough to make non tarnishing aluminum yarn, which add sparkle luster, the gleam of glamour to my lady's gowns, the fabrics in her home and the upholstery of the latest automobiles. Versatile aluminum foil when used for packaging or advertising may be laminated to paper or cardboard and printed on high-speed presses in as many as seven colors. Adding great I appeal to packages and reader interest to national advertising. Customer after customer is drawn by the bright shiny colors and the reflective beauty of aluminum foil announcing the product and aside from beauty. Aluminum foil serves the public in many other ways.
On the store shelves all over America. Reynolds foil packaging and labels. Possess unequaled selling and protection magic. It keeps things like tobacco or chewing gum moist and dehydrated soups dry. It preserves the crispness of potato chips and the softness of prunes. It seals flavor in and keeps harmful light rays out. It provides extra convenience in the form of one-way containers which can be used right in the oven, such as delicious ready mixed cakes, ready to serve frozen pies
and complete dinners which only need heating and are ready to serve. All made possible with lightweight heat conducting aluminum containers. Only foil offers so much beauty and merchandising value. Only foil offers such perfect product protection. To pass on the extensive knowledge gained through its long experience in working with foil. Reynolds maintains a full-time staff of packaging design experts.
in powdered form, aluminum provides the kick for our Fourth of July fireworks and adds extra power to military and commercial explosives. In this form, another unusual property of aluminum appears suspended in a paint vehicle. The powdered particles float to the surface and form a continuous layer of aluminum over the area being covered. This aluminum shield provides protection from weather and reflects light and heat almost as effectively as a solid sheet of aluminum. Another wide use of aluminum pigments is in the unusual metallic effects of paned and today's modern polychromatic finishes
the parade of billets and blooms continues uninterrupted to still another conversion mill.
extrusion is accomplished by slowly squeezing the heated billet under 1000s of tons of pressure out through a die opening.
variety of designs and patterns which can be extruded are practically unlimited, restricted only by the skill of the designer and the requirements of the end product. Extruded bridge railings and light standards need no painting or costly repairs and aluminum is light enough to make possible an oil drilling rig which can travel on the highways and set up ready for drilling in a matter of hours. High strength lightweight aluminum pipe the perfect answer to many irrigation problems
many of the shapes in the do it yourself rack are extruded sections from which a tremendous variety of useful items can be assembled with ordinary household. aluminum extrusions because of their versatility and ease of fabrication have opened countless new possibilities for light metal application. To help manufacturers take full advantage of aluminum has amazing properties. The Reynolds engineering service, along with the styling and design section provides customers with better and newer ways of using aluminum, thus helping to solve many difficult fabrication problems. Aluminum now reaches the processing stage at the rod and bar mill.
aluminum bars are fed through smaller and smaller roller openings, until small enough to be used for forging stock and screw Machine Products. The smaller aluminum rod is again reduced in dimension and then pulled at high speeds through a series of dyes to produce aluminum wire of all sizes.
Some of this wire is used in the production of screams nails, rivets and machine bolts. These intricate machines wind still more of it into heavy duty transmission cable.
Aluminum high electrical conductivity combined with its lightweight results in longer spans with lower power loss than any other metal. So convincing are the advantages of aluminum cable that it's used in the majority of modern high voltage systems throughout the world. The same advantages served to reduce weight and lower costs in 1000s of applications for low voltage distributing systems and other electrical uses. In the auto industry, other metals are giving way to aluminum in mechanical units and parts as new decorative styling features in gold anodized aluminum with aluminum is lightweight resistance to corrosion and many color anodizing possibilities, decorative and functional trim of today's cars is being supplied in ever increasing quantities by bright colorful aluminum, aluminum window treatments and color anodized wheel covers and grills interior and exterior trim. These are only a few of the many automobile parts are now being designed in aluminum. And in the production of mechanical parts of all kinds, pistons, torque converters, transmission housings, and other mechanical parts. Aluminum has become the standard of the industry. Today, aluminum provides us with better and safer transportation, in the air, on the seas and on the land. In transportation, as in every field of industry, aluminum contributes to our continued progress in the form of pig and in good shape, drag and extrusion, foil building products, industrial shapes, and parks for home appliances. Aluminum flows in an uninterrupted stream. Aluminum is transformed into 100,000 useful things from the most delicate and decorative to the most formidable and functional, like these gleaming highway giants, from convenient kitchen containers, to home installation, refrigerators, and farm buildings, automobile parts, and Reynolds Wrap, building materials and home appliances, outdoor furniture, and magazine advertising, high fashion dresses and engine components, electrical cable and packaging material, bridge railings, irrigation pipe and an endless variety of do it yourself material. Only a few of the things in the almost endless procession that makes up aluminum on the march
and this never-ending March of aluminum continues and ever-growing parade supplying the 1000s of parts which form the products of today and the better products of tomorrow.”