The Top Five Metals, Their Properties and Custom Metal Fabrication Options
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If you’d like to get the best metals for your business, it is important to know the properties of the different metals and what custom metal fabrication options are possible for them. Keep reading to learn about the top five metals, their properties, and your custom metal fabrication options.
As a business owner, you’re often faced with the responsibility of choice. If you want to use metals that will be the most effective for your project or your product, it is very useful to know the properties and reliability of different metals before you decide which one to use. You wouldn’t want to order a bulk shipment of metal only to find out that it brings the quality of your product down. The type of metal you want depends on what you want it for, and how you intend to use it.
Steel
Steel is one of the more common metals you can get your hands on, and it has a whole range of applications. It has an amazing durability-to-weight ratio, which makes it perfect for bigger construction projects. You can see huge structures built from steel, as well as cars and other vehicles. Steel is strong, very durable, and it’s also used to make a wide range of tools. That includes things like sharp knives and other eating tools. It’s tough, easy to work with, and rust-resistant. It’s more expensive to get your hands on than iron, but perfect for a more refined product.
Iron
Iron’s main benefit is being very resistant to heat. It’s the perfect material for heavy-duty equipment that’s going to be exposed to a lot of heat. Iron is used in many industries – it’s tough, it’s heavy, and it’s inexpensive. Iron is very vulnerable to rust, so it’s not ideal for anything that needs to be used outside of the home.
Copper
If you want something that can be easily fabricated, copper is a great choice. It’s used in a number of common applications like cables and pipes. It’s very conducive in comparison to other metals, which is why it makes for such a great electrical component, but it’s also corrosion-resistant. It’s fantastic for plumbing, and you probably have it in your home. Due to its machinability, it’s often processed through metalworks services to produce intricate designs.
Aluminum
Aluminum is another metal that can be easily machinated, and it’s great for its durability. It’s not as strong as steel, but it’s perfect for many items that aren’t going to be used in construction. It’s very useful for making intricate designs, signs that are strong, or even small things that are easy to ship like canned drinks. It’s very useful, and if you’re thinking about having custom metal fabrication done, this is probably the best option.
Zinc
No metal is perfect, and where they’re lacking, zinc is used to help. Zinc can be used as a coating on metals instead of being used as a material itself. Metals such as steel and iron can be made strong by using galvanization. The material is melted down and then immersed in molten zinc at a high temperature, which bonds it to the steel. As a result of this, steel and iron are made much tougher and weather-resistant.
For more information about metals and materials you can use for your business, check out Westbrook Metals today for all your metal fabrication needs.