Powerful uses of aluminum products
The use of patterned aluminum plates is very extensive. Three-reinforced, five-reinforced, and pointer-type patterned aluminum plates are all common varieties. The patterned aluminum plates can be seen in the fields of construction, transportation, decoration, and refrigeration equipment. .
1. The substitutability of aluminum for steel. Aluminum and aluminum alloys have low density and high strength, and can replace steel in some industrial sectors. For some small metal product processing companies in the world, they can purchase relatively small quantities of aluminum strips to replace galvanized steel. Aluminum can also replace general steel in some aspects, such as welding, car hoods and box covers.
2. The substitutability of aluminum for copper. The lack of aluminum wire to replace copper wire is that the conductivity and performance are slightly worse than copper, so copper wire has always played a leading role in the field of wires and cables. If the copper-aluminum price difference remains at a normal level, the industry tends to use copper as a conductor. However, under the current situation that the LME price difference between copper and aluminum per ton has exceeded US$1,200, and the domestic price has now exceeded RMB 12,000, it is economically profitable to replace copper wires with aluminum wires. In fact, aluminum is only half the weight of copper, so even if the price of copper and aluminum is the same, aluminum will still be much cheaper than copper.
3. The use of aluminum to replace other metal materials has become a light-weight car manufacturing industry today. At that time, the primary direction of the world's car material technology development was lightweight and environmental protection. Reducing the quality of cars is one of the most useful ways to reduce car emissions and improve fuel efficiency. According to estimates, for every 10% reduction in the quality of a car, fuel consumption can be reduced by 6% to 8%. Now, the quality of foreign cars has been reduced by 20% to 26% compared with before. It is estimated that in the next 10 years, the quality of the car itself will continue to be reduced by 20%. Therefore, the development and application of new lightweight materials will continue to be popular as car materials, and aluminum and its alloys are now a better choice for the car manufacturing industry.
4. The substitutability of aluminum for stainless steel. Due to the sharp rise in nickel prices, the price of stainless steel has also increased considerably in the past two years. The use of stainless steel as a material has led to a sharp increase in the cost of materials for manufacturers of household appliances and utensils, while the prices of finished products are difficult to increase accordingly. Although the appearance of aluminum is not as beautiful as stainless steel, it is still better than ordinary steel materials in terms of corrosion resistance and appearance, and the price has a greater advantage over stainless steel. Using aluminum or aluminum alloy to replace or partially replace stainless steel, although it is slightly lacking in the performance and appearance of the finished product, it is very cost-effective economically and more simply acceptable to consumers.
The substitutability of aluminum for other metals will promote the increase in global aluminum consumption. According to estimates, only the partial replacement of copper wires by aluminum wires will increase global aluminum consumption by more than 200,000 tons. If the amount of aluminum used by each car advances from the current 115 kg to 130 kg, then the world's new tens of millions of new cars each year will consume one million tons more aluminum. If you consider the substitutability of aluminum and aluminum alloys for other metals in construction, decoration, household appliances, utensils, stainless steel, etc.