Stainless steel - a rust-free revolution
Stainless steel is an alloy made by incorporating chromium, nickel, and other metallic elements into steel. Its rust-free feature comes from the composition of chromium in the alloy. Chromium forms a strong and self-healing chromium oxide film on the surface of the alloy, which is invisible to the naked eye. The ratio of stainless steel and nickel we usually refer to is generally 18:10.
Stainless steel is divided into four main types: austenite, ferrite, ferritic-austenite (composite), and martensite. The stainless steel used in household items is basically austenitic.
Material properties: health care, anti-corrosion, fine surface treatment, high rigidity, can be formed by various processing techniques, difficult to cold work.
Typical uses: Austenitic stainless steel is mainly used in household goods, industrial pipes and building structures; martensitic stainless steel is mainly used for making knives and turbine blades; ferritic stainless steel is corrosion-resistant and is mainly used in durable washing machines and In boiler parts; composite stainless steel has stronger corrosion resistance, so it is often used in aggressive environments.
Aluminum (AL) - a modern material
When aluminum first appeared, it was not immediately applied to people's lives. Later, a series of new products for their unique functions and characteristics gradually came out, and this high-tech material gradually has a wider and wider market. Although the application history of aluminum is relatively short, the output of aluminum products on the market now far exceeds the sum of other non-ferrous metal products.
Material properties: flexible and malleable, easy to alloy, high strength-to-weight ratio, excellent corrosion resistance, easy to conduct electricity and heat, recyclable.
Typical uses: vehicle skeletons, aircraft parts, kitchen utensils, packaging, and furniture
Magnesium Alloy - Ultra-thin Aesthetic Design
Magnesium is an extremely important non-ferrous metal. It is lighter than aluminum and can form high-strength alloys with other metals. Magnesium alloys have light specific gravity, high specific strength and specific stiffness, good thermal conductivity and good damping reduction. Shock and electromagnetic shielding performance, easy to process and shape, easy to recycle and so on. But for a long time, due to high price and technical limitations, magnesium and magnesium alloys are only used in a small amount in the aviation, aerospace and military industries, so they are called "noble metals". Today, magnesium is the third-largest metal engineering material after steel and aluminum and is widely used in aerospace, automotive, electronics, mobile communications, metallurgy and other fields. It can be expected that the importance of metallic magnesium will become greater in the future due to the increase in the production cost of other structural metals.
The proportion of magnesium alloy is 68% of aluminum alloy, 27% of zinc alloy, and 23% of steel. It is often used in automobile parts, 3C product shells, building materials, etc. Most ultra-thin laptop and mobile phone casings are made of magnesium alloys. Since the last century, human beings still have an undeniable love for metal texture and luster. Although plastic products can form a metal-like appearance, their luster, hardness, temperature and texture are still different from those of metals. As a new type of metal raw material, magnesium alloy gives people a feeling of high-tech products.
The corrosion resistance of magnesium alloy is 8 times that of carbon steel, 4 times that of aluminum alloy, and more than 10 times that of plastic. The corrosion resistance is the best among the alloys. Commonly used magnesium alloys are non-flammable, especially when used in automobile parts and building materials, which can avoid instantaneous combustion.
Material characteristics: lightweight structure, high rigidity and impact resistance, excellent corrosion resistance, good thermal conductivity and electromagnetic shielding, good non-flammability, poor heat resistance, and ease to recycle.
Typical uses: Widely used in aerospace, automotive, electronics, mobile communications, metallurgy and other fields.
Copper - human's partner
Copper is an incredibly versatile metal that is so closely related to our lives. Many of mankind's early tools and weapons were made of copper. Its Latin name "cuprum" originated from a place called Cyprus, which is an island rich in copper resources. People named this metal material with the abbreviation Cu of the island's name, so copper has its current code name.
Material characteristics: good corrosion resistance, excellent thermal conductivity, electrical conductivity, hardness, flexibility, ductility, and unique effect after polishing.
Typical Uses: Wires, engine coils, printed circuits, roofing materials, plumbing materials, heating materials, jewelry, cookware. It is also one of the main alloying components for making bronze.
Chromium - high-finish post-treatment
Chromium is most commonly found in stainless steel as an alloying element to increase its hardness. Chrome plating processes are generally divided into three types: decorative plating, hard chrome plating, and black chrome plating. Chrome plating is widely used in engineering. Decorative chrome plating is usually used as the outermost layer on the outside of the nickel layer. The plating has a delicate and mirror-like polishing effect. As a decorative finishing step, the chrome layer is only 0.006 mm thick. When planning to use the chrome plating process, the dangers of this process must be fully considered. In the past decade, there has been an increasing trend of hexavalent decorative chromium water being replaced by trivalent chromium water, because the former is very carcinogenic, while the latter is considered to be relatively less toxic.
Material characteristics: very high finish, excellent corrosion resistance, hard and durable, easy to clean, low coefficient of friction.
Typical Uses: Decorative chrome is the coating material for many automotive components, including door handles and bumpers, in addition to bicycle parts, bathroom faucets, and furniture, kitchen utensils, tableware, and more. Hard chrome plating is more used in industrial fields, including random access memory in job control blocks, jet engine components, plastic molds, and shock absorbers. Black chrome plating is mainly used for musical instrument decoration and solar energy utilization.
Titanium - light and strong
Titanium is a very special metal, very light in texture, yet very tough and corrosion-resistant, maintaining its own color for life at room temperature. The melting point of titanium is similar to that of platinum, so it is often used in aerospace and military precision components. After adding electric current and chemical treatment, different colors will be produced. Titanium has excellent resistance to acid and alkali corrosion. The titanium that has been soaked in "aqua regia" for several years is still bright and radiant. If titanium is added to stainless steel, only about 1% is added, which greatly improves rust resistance. Titanium has excellent characteristics such as low density, high-temperature resistance and corrosion resistance. The density of titanium alloy is half of that of steel and its strength is similar to that of steel; titanium is resistant to both high temperature and low temperature. High strength can be maintained over a wide temperature range of -253°C to 500°C. These advantages are exactly what space metals must do. Titanium alloys are good materials for making rocket engine casings, artificial satellites, and spacecraft, and are known as "space metals". Because of these advantages, titanium has become a prominent rare metal since the 1950s.
Titanium is a pure metal. Because of the "pureness" of titanium metal, when substances come into contact with it, no chemical reaction will occur. That is to say, because of the high corrosion resistance and stability of titanium, it will not affect its essence after long-term contact with people, so it will not cause human allergies. It is the only one that has no effect on human autonomic nerves and taste. Metals are called "biophilic metals".
Material properties: very high strength, excellent corrosion resistance to weight ratio, difficult to cold work, good weldability, approximately 40% lighter than steel, 60% heavier than aluminum, low electrical conductivity, low thermal expansion, and high melting point.
Typical uses: golf clubs, tennis rackets, portable computers, cameras, luggage, surgical implants, aircraft skeletons, chemical tools, and marine equipment.