In this era of industrialization, people have easy access to
all kinds of brass products. Whether you need brass tube, sheet, or bar supplies, there will
always be a supplier nearby that may have them in store. But have you ever
wondered where those supplies get their supplies from? Here’s a glimpse of how
brass supplies are manufactured and a quick guide to getting the highest
quality ones for your project.
Mining
Brass doesn’t occur naturally but by combining two basic
metallic elements—copper and zinc. It’s these basic contents that are mined and
processed; brass is artificially produced by alloying the two. Copper ores are
mined from open pits in different countries around the world, Chile being its
largest producer. And so is zinc, except it is mined underground and not in
open pit. The largest zinc mine is the Red Dog Mine, located in Alaska. Mined
copper and zinc ores are collected and delivered to foundries for processing.
Recycling
Not all copper and zinc that are processed into brass
products come from the mines. A huge volume of them are, in fact, recycled. The
process of recycling is quite easy; it’s the gathering of scrap copper and zinc
from different parts of the country that’s actually tedious and time-consuming.
Most foundries prefer recycling to processing of new metals because it’s up to
90 percent more energy-efficient.
Melting
After carefully segregating copper scrap, a suitable amount
of it is transferred into a furnace to melt. It usually takes about 1,920°F
(1,050°C) to melt copper, and when the right fluidity is achieved, the required
amount of zinc is added. To compensate for the zinc that vaporizes during this
process, an additional amount of zinc (around half the required amount) is
added. Then the molten mixture is poured into molds and allowed to harden into
slabs called cakes.
Rolling
Once the cakes solidify, they are placed in the furnace
again under a much lower temperature than what was used during melting just to
make them soft enough to be rolled. Then the soft cakes are fed into rollers so
that they can be reduced into the standard sizes for most supplies they are
meant to be manufactured into.
Annealing
A huge concern when rolling brass is that it becomes tougher
and harder to work as it hardens after rolling. This makes it almost impossible
to shape them into tubes, sheets, or bars, which is why the cakes have to be
reheated over and over to keep them ductile and malleable. This process is
called annealing. Final cold rolling can be performed to tighten brass’s
tolerances on the thickness or to produce a very smooth surface finish.
The whole metalworking process may last for several days to
a couple of weeks depending on the volume of materials that need to be
produced. Then the finished products are delivered to distributors throughout
the country. Some distributors like Rotax Metals, however, have their own
metalworking facilities, to have full control of the quality of the products
they offer their customers. You can choose to buy your metals from them if you
want to ensure the success of your project.
About Rotax Metals: It’s not easy
to find a metal supplier that offers guaranteed high-quality metals. Rotax
Metals is one of the very few that you can trust to deliver such top-rate
services. We offer a huge selection of metal products, including copper, brass,
and bronze tubes, sheets, and bars to suit various applications. Whether it’s a
minor project or a major one you’re working on, our metals can definitely come
in handy.
Sources:
Facts About Copper Recycling, thebalancesmb.com
Brass, madehow.com
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