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Friday, January 19, 2018

Brass Suppliers: Properties that Make Brass a Practical Alternative Metal

The price of raw brass materials may not be the cheapest compared to other alternative metals, but it remains the practical option. Aside from its distinct range of colors, excellent malleability, ductility, electrical conductivity, and acoustic properties, other characteristics unique to brass add to its overall value. This is why many industries rely on their trusted brass suppliers to provide quality materials for a wide variety of applications.

Superior Machinability
Performance is just as critical as cost when to selecting materials to work on, and brass has even aluminum and steel beat in this category. All types of brass are intrinsically easy to machine and formed into one’s desired shapes while still retaining high strength but brass variants with a higher lead content have high universal machinability ratings. In particular, “free cutting brass” is universally accepted as the standard for which all other materials are judged when machinability is being assessed. As a result, brass is able to withstand higher machining speeds while maintaining lower rates of tool wear. This means that metalsmiths enjoy higher productivity at minimized per-part costs.
Corrosion Resistant
The high copper and tin content of select brass types give them a remarkable tolerance for moisture and weathering as well as high atmospheric and aqueous conditions. When exposed to the elements, brass forms a patina or a protective oxide layer on the surface to help guard against further corrosion. It is for this reason that admiralty brass, naval brass and free machining brass are typically used to make fasteners, marine hardware, pump shafts, screw machine parts and other mechanical products in many environments. Its innate resistance to corrosion and moisture also eliminates the need for protective electroplating or coatings which can add more to the cost of the product.
Exceptional Recyclability
As a copper-based alloy, brass has the capacity to be recycled an infinite number of times because it does not lose its chemical or physical properties in the process. This particular ability yields some economical advantages and gives brass an unmatched secondary value and lowers the net material cost for customers. In fact, brass used for extrusion and hot forging are normally made from basic melt of scrap. This is why fabricated brass costs considerably less than it might otherwise be. Furthermore, the entire brass industry is dependent upon the recycling of any surplus products to make components more environmentally advantageous as well. Recycling brass is less energy-intensive and yields a smaller carbon footprint as compared to the process of recycling aluminum and steel.
Raw material cost is only a small consideration when determining the true value of alternative metals. Given these properties, brass is a clear, pragmatic choice.

About Rotax Metals
Rotax Metals offers an extensive inventory of copper, brass, and bronze products, and special services to a variety of industries. Founded by Ronald Rosenthal in 1948, Rotax has been dedicated to forging strong business relationships with our customers, and observing sustainable and responsible practices. Get in touch with our knowledgeable sales team to help you choose the best products among our selection of angles, channels, rods, extrusions, coils, sheets and tubes.

Sources:
Brass: The Cost-Effective Choice, Copper.org

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