Why Is Aluminium Sought-After As A Scrap Metal?

All sorts of metals can be recycled effectively once they have reached the end of their useful lives in their current form. Steel and copper are two very sought-after metals that can be repurposed without a great deal of time and effort. Another very useful scrap metal is aluminium. Thanks to its numerous uses in manufacturing industries and fabrication projects, it commands some of the highest prices of all non-precious metals when it is scrapped. Read on to find out why aluminium is often so highly prized in the metal recycling sector.

Lightweight

Unlike steel and iron, for example, aluminium is relatively light. This means that it is cost-effective to pick up and move around. As such, it is an inexpensive scrap metal to reprocess since you do not need heavy-duty machinery to handle it at recycling centres or to transport it from one part of the country to another. As a light material, it also has many uses once it has been reprocessed that other metals wouldn't be suited to. The construction of parts for the aerospace industry is just one example of this.

Low Melting Point

Another key property of aluminium is that it can be melted without a very hot furnace. Consequently, the energy costs involved with recycling it are relatively low. Once a scrap metal has been melted, it can be reshaped into the sorts of ingots that manufacturers like to purchase wholesale metal in. Aluminium takes very little effort to be turned into a new, usable material.

Extrusion Possibilities

When manufacturers and fabricators are turning scrap aluminium into something new, they will need to form it. Bending, rolling and punching aluminium is perfectly possible, as it is with other scrap metal. In addition, aluminium is particularly suited to extrusion. This means heating it to a slightly molten state and then forcing it through a die to take on a particular shape. All sorts of products can be made this way from window frames to lightweight ladders.

High Tensile Strength

Finally, aluminium has a high tensile strength. This property makes it suited to all sorts of industrial applications once it has been recycled. What high tensile strength boils down to is that a material will not easily bend when pressure is applied to it. Therefore, formed aluminium will retain its shape even when it is exposed to external forces. For this reason, it is suited to street furniture products, such as bollards and road signs, among others.

Contact a metal recycling centre to learn more.


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