Why use aluminum over other materials?
You most likely know of aluminum but probably don’t know the ins and outs of this material. Aluminum makes up about 8% by weight of the Earth’s solid surface. Aluminum is also one of the most abundant minerals on earth after oxygen and silicon.
But beside there being a lot of it, why is aluminum used? Some of the benefits of aluminum are it’s a soft, lightweight, strong, fire-proof and a heat-resistant material. Aluminum also has a higher resistance to oxidation and corrosion due to passivation. Plus is mixes well with other chemicals to slightly change its composition.
But isn’t stainless better than aluminum. Stainless steels are a harder material which means it’s harder to form than aluminum. Plus stainless is a much heavier material so when it comes to automotive parts lighter usually means better. Aluminum also has a better thermal conductivity than stainless steel, producing even heat distribution, which is why you often see cookware being made from aluminum.
Aluminum is a useful material that is used in many different areas. Below you can see in the chart a quick snap shot of the industries aluminum is used in.
Chart: Aluminum consumption in the United States. Transportation (planes, ships, trucks, and cars) is now by far the biggest single use for the metal and its alloys. Source: US Geological Survey, Mineral Commodity Summaries: Aluminum. February 2019.
Here are Philadelphia Racing products majority of our products are made from 6061 billet aluminum, an aluminum alloy, this is when metals are mixed together with other elements to make a new material.
The 6xxx series are versatile, heat treatable, highly formable, weld-able and have moderately high strength coupled with excellent corrosion resistance. Alloys in this series contain silicon and magnesium in order to form magnesium silicide within the alloy. Extrusion products from the 6xxx series are the first choice for architectural and structural applications. Alloy 6061 is the most widely used alloy in this series and is often used in truck and marine frames.
So now you know a little bit more about aluminum and the material that 99% of PRP Products are made from. We do sell a stainless steel bung so I can’t say 100% of our products.
Sources:
https://vollrath.com/vollrathUniversity/Culinary-Support/Guides-Reference/Aluminum-Basics.htm
https://www.explainthatstuff.com/aluminum.html
https://www.aluminum.org/resources/industry-standards/aluminum-alloys-101
