Raw materials

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BRASS

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc; the proportions of zinc and copper can be varied to create a range of brasses with varying properties. Common brass, or rivet brass, is a 37% zinc brass, cheap and standard for cold working. It is used for decoration for its bright gold-like appearance; for applications where low friction is required such as locks, ammunition casings, eyelets, accessories, zippers and electrical applications and extensively in musical instruments such as horns for its acoustic properties. With less than 35% zinc, are malleable, can be worked cold, and are used in pressing, forging, or similar applications and for use in marine service owing to its corrosion resistance, hardness and toughness.

Today almost 90% of all brass alloys are recycled. Because brass is not ferromagnetic, it can be separated from ferrous scrap by passing the scrap near a powerful magnet. Brass scrap is collected and transported to the foundry where it is melted and recast into billets. Billets are heated and extruded into the desired form and size.

Corrosion-resistant brass for harsh environments.

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IRON

Iron is a chemical element with the symbol Fe (from Latin: ferrum) It is a metal in the first transition series. The material is significantly hardened and strengthened by impurities from the smelting process, such as carbon. Qualities such as the hardness, ductility, and tensile strength of the resulting steel. Steel is an alloy of iron and other elements, including carbon. When carbon is the primary alloying element, its content in the steel is between 0.002% and 2.1% by weight. Steel with increased carbon content can be made harder and stronger than iron, but such steel is also less ductile than iron.

Today, steel is one of the most common materials in the world, with more than 1.3 billion tons produced annually. It is a major component in buildings, tools, ships, automobiles, machines, inexpensive mass-produced material.

Unlike many other metals which form passivation oxide layers, iron oxides occupy more volume than iron metal, and thus iron oxides flake off and expose fresh surfaces for corrosion.

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ALUMINIUM

Aluminium (or aluminum) is a chemical element in the boron group with symbol Al . It is silvery white, and it is not soluble in water under normal circumstances. Aluminium is remarkable for the metal's low density and for its ability to resist corrosion due to the phenomenon of passivation. Despite its prevalence in the environment, aluminium salts are not known to be used by any form of life. In keeping with its pervasiveness, aluminium is well tolerated by plants and animals. Owing to their prevalence, potential beneficial (or otherwise) biological roles of aluminium compounds are of continuing interest. Aluminium is a relatively soft, durable, lightweight, ductile and malleable metal with appearance ranging from silvery to dull grey, depending on the surface roughness. Corrosion resistance can be excellent due to a thin surface layer of aluminium oxide that forms when the metal is exposed to air, effectively preventing further oxidation.

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STAINLESS STEEL

In metallurgy, stainless steel, also known as inox steel or inox from French "inoxydable", is a steel alloy with a minimum of 10.5% to 11% chromium content by mass.

Stainless steel differs from carbon steel by the amount of chromium present. Unprotected carbon steel rusts readily when exposed to air and moisture. This iron oxide film (the rust) is active and accelerates corrosion by forming more iron oxide, and due to the greater volume of the iron oxide this tends to flake and fall away. Stainless steels contain sufficient chromium to form a passive film of chromium oxide, which prevents further surface corrosion and blocks corrosion from spreading into the metal's internal structure, and due to the similar size of the steel and oxide ions they bond very strongly and remain attached to the surface.

Stainless steel does not readily corrode, rust or stain with water as ordinary steel does, but despite the name it is not fully stain-proof, most notably under low oxygen, high salinity, or poor circulation environments. There are different grades and surface finishes of stainless steel to suit the environment the alloy must endure. Stainless steel is used where both the properties of steel and resistance to corrosion are required. Type 316 stainless is used on the exterior, because of the durability of the material, many buildings retain their original appearance.

High oxidation-resistance in air at ambient temperature is normally achieved with additions of a minimum of 13% (by weight) chromium, and up to 26% is used for harsh environments. The chromium forms a passivation layer of chromium(III) oxide (Cr2O3) when exposed to oxygen. The layer is too thin to be visible, and the metal remains lustrous. The layer is impervious to water and air, protecting the metal beneath. Also, this layer quickly reforms when the surface is scratched. This phenomenon is called passivation and is seen in other metals, such as aluminium and titanium. Corrosion-resistance can be adversely affected if the component is used in a non-oxygenated environment, a typical example being underwater keel bolts buried in timber. Similarly to steel, stainless steel is not a very good conductor of electricity, with about a few per cent of the electrical conductivity of copper.

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ALUZINC

Aluzinc® is a steel substrate coated on both sides with an aluminium-zinc alloy. The composition of the coating is: 55% aluminium, 43.4% zinc and 1.6% silicon. ALU… ZINC… stands for aluminium and zinc, fused in almost equal proportions to coat the steel sheet with a unique silvery spangle, composed of aluminium, zinc and a touch of silicon to achieve perfect harmony with the steel. The result is a combination of the strength of steel, the protection of zinc and the stability of aluminium. This protection against corrosion, which is remarkable for an exclusively metallic coating, is the result of the combined action of aluminium and zinc. The aluminium protects the steel substrate, creating a shield between the surface and the atmosphere. This aluminium barrier is very stable as the aluminium oxide coating that forms on the surface is insoluble in most environments, thus ensuring a long-lasting resistance to corrosion. Thanks to a thin transparent layer of aluminium oxides on the top surface of the coating, this appearance is preserved when aging and offers additional advantages: Good corrosion resistance at high temperatures ; Good abrasion resistance because of its surface hardness; Excellent thermal and light reflectivity For more than a quarter of a century, Aluzinc® has demonstrated its outstanding resistance to atmospheric corrosion.

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COPPER

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from Latin: cuprum). It is a ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. Pure copper is soft and malleable; a freshly exposed surface has a reddish-orange color. It is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, a building material, and a constituent of various metal alloys. It does not react with water, but it slowly reacts with atmospheric oxygen forming a layer of brown-black copper oxide. In contrast to the oxidation of iron by wet air, this oxide layer stops the further, bulk corrosion.

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ZAMAK

Zamak (formerly trademarked as ZAMAK and also known as Zamac) is a family of alloys with a base metal of zinc and alloying elements of aluminium, magnesium, and copper. These alloys are most commonly die cast. Die casting is a metal casting process that is characterized by forcing molten metal under high pressure into a mould cavity, the mould cavity is created using two hardened tool steel dies which have been machined into shape and work similarly to an injection mould during the process. Manufacture of parts using die casting is relatively simple, involving only few steps, which keeps the incremental cost per item low. It is especially suited for a large quantity of small to medium sized castings, lightweight, high dimensional stability for complex shapes and thin walls, good corrosion resistance, good mechanical properties, high thermal and electrical conductivity, retains strength at high temperatures. Die castings are characterized by a very good surface finish (by casting standards) and dimensional consistency. Zamak can be electroplated, wet painted, and chromate conversion coated well.

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PLASTIC

A plastic material is any of a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic organic solids that are mouldable. Plastics are typically organic polymers of high molecular mass, but they often contain other substances. They are usually synthetic, most commonly derived from petrochemicals, but many are partially natural A Thermoplastic, also known as a thermo softening plastic, is a polymer that becomes pliable or mouldable above a specific temperature, and returns to a solid state upon cooling. Thermoplastics are easily recyclable. Injection moulding is a manufacturing process for producing parts by injecting material into a mould. Injection moulding can be performed with a host of materials, including metals, glass, and most commonly thermoplastic. Plastic for the part is fed into a heated barrel, mixed, and forced into a mould cavity where it cools and hardens to the configuration of the cavity. After a product is designed, a moulds are made by toolmaker from metal, usually either steel or aluminium, and precision-machined to form the features of the desired part. Injection moulding is widely used for manufacturing a variety of parts, from the smallest component to entire body panels of cars.

Nylon is a generic designation for a family of synthetic polymers known generically as polyamides, nylon has the ability to be very lustrous, semi lustrous or dull. Nylon is clear and colourless, or milky, but is easily dyed. Strong durability: its high tenacity fibres are used for seatbelts, tire cords, many military applications and other uses..

Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) The most important mechanical properties of ABS are impact resistance and toughness, generally ABS would have useful characteristics within a temperature range from -20 to 80 ° Even though ABS plastics are used largely for mechanical purposes, they also have electrical properties that are fairly constant over a wide range of frequencies and this allowed the possibility to electroplate (galvanic).