Aluminum is a metal that can be combined with specific amounts of other elements including copper, magnesium, silicon, zinc, and manganese, to alter its mechanical and physical qualities, making it suitable for different applications. This combination makes it an “alloy”. Just as an example, if you mix aluminum with magnesium, you’ll get a strong and lightweight alloy that’s great for use in aerospace and automotive. It has low density, is corrosion resistant, and has good thermal conductivity. Many different items, including metal enclosures, automobiles, and aircraft components, are made from aluminum alloys. Xometry offers many different types of aluminum alloys available for automatic quoting on our platform via our CNC machining, sheet metal fabrication, sheet cutting, and other manufacturing processes. For more information on this versatile metal, have a look at our in-depth guide on Aluminum.
What Is the History of Aluminum Alloy?Naturally occurring compounds that contain aluminum have been known since antiquity, but aluminum’s elemental nature as a metal wasn’t confirmed until 1825 as a result of the combined efforts of German chemist, Friedrich Wöhler, and Danish physicist, Hans Christian Ørsted. It was soon realized that aluminum was a hard material to process, and it was also expensive—at the time, it cost more than gold! The price of aluminum alloy only started to go down in 1856 when Henri Étienne Sainte-Claire Deville, a French chemist, found a way to make it on a large scale. Fifty years later, duralumin (the first structural aluminum alloy with a good amount of strength) was created and developed for military and industrial purposes.What Is Aluminum Alloy Made Of?The following are some typical elements found in aluminum alloys:Copper (Cu): Adding copper to aluminum increases its strength and hardness. An example of aluminum-copper alloy is 2024.Zinc (Zn): Aluminum-zinc alloys are known for their strength and corrosion resistance. One common example is 7075.Magnesium (Mg): Aluminum-magnesium alloys are lightweight and have excellent corrosion resistance. An example of such an alloy is 5083.Silicon (Si): Adding silicon to aluminum improves its casting properties and reduces shrinkage during solidification. 4043 aluminum alloy numbers among those that offer such exceptional qualities.It is important to remember that many additional metallic and non-metallic elements can be added to aluminum alloys to improve their properties further. For example, chromium can be used to increase corrosion resistance while magnesium can be added to increase strength and toughness. Because of this, a large number of aluminum alloys are available, each with a distinctive set of properties and potential uses.What Are the Characteristics of Aluminum Alloy?Aluminum alloys are characterized by several things. Perhaps their most famous attribute is their low weight that makes them ideal for use in areas where reduced weight is important. A natural oxide layer forms on the aluminum alloy’s surface, making it corrosion resistant and keeping it protected in all different environments. In spite of their low density, they are strong and durable, factors that make them useful in projects where strength and weight have to be carefully balanced. They can also be easily shaped and formed, making them a versatile material for those in manufacturing to work with. For example, aluminum 5052 is especially malluable and a popular alloy with our sheet metal customers, where aluminum 6061 is extremely popular for CNC machined parts due to its machinability and balanced characteristics.
Traits can differ greatly from alloy to alloy, so it’s best to refer to the relevant data sheet for precise characteristic information.