#rotaxmetals

Most people have heard of “bronze” at least once—in a museum, in a church, or in an Olympic ceremony. It’s a metal used to make a variety of things, including sculptures, bells, and medals. Brass?—Not a lot. Only those in the manufacturing and construction industry are well aware of it.

Truth is even though brass is as useful, if not more, as bronze, it isn’t as popular. One apparent reason for this is because its history is not as remarkable as bronze’s. Unlike brass, bronze was discovered at a time when there are no other metals that could rival it yet.

Metals have the reputation of being the strongest material on Earth. There are not very many materials that can rival their strength. The only materials that can are the pure carbons, which are not as abundant and lack the necessary properties to resist breakage.

According to the U.S. Geological Survey, every American born in 2008 will use about 1,309 pounds of copper throughout their lifetime for necessities, lifestyles, and health. Despite the many uses of copper and its obviously critical role in everyday life, very few can be bothered to learn a thing or two about copper. Chances are the only copper most people know of are old coins and plumbing fixtures. Some don’t even know that the electrical wires crisscrossing their home are made of copper, too. Here’s to fill you in with other interesting facts about copper before you decide using it for your projects. 

Discovery and Development 

If you look around you, you’ll see that most of the things that comprise the modern world are made of any or a combination of three basic materials—plastic, concrete, and metal—of which metal is the oldest. It’s been around for over 10,000 years and still surprises us with its flexibility and inimitability. Even now when the technology that allows us to create stronger and more durable materials already exists, metal is still kicking and won’t be disappearing anytime soon. 

One of the oldest metals that is still extensively utilized today is copper. Its amazing properties make it irreplaceable in a wide range of applications. If pure copper doesn’t seem to suffice, you can simply mix it with other metals to form more fitting materials, but certainly no other metal can rival its exquisiteness. 

Metals are a staple material for construction, industrial, and art projects. They are prized for their many beneficial properties, which are impossible to find in other materials. Even rock, wood, glass, or plastic pale in comparison to metal in many ways. Each metal has its own set of properties that suit specific applications. Fortunately, because there’s a wide variety of metals available commercially, you have a big chance of finding the specific type you need for your own projects. 

Copper and Its Alloys 

Engraving is the practice of carving a design, pattern, or message on the surface of a material. It is arguably the oldest form of art, dating back 500,000 years. The ancient people continued using engraving as their primary channel of visual art and communication until over 400,000 years later when they finally discovered that soot and animal fat, when dissolved in water or oil, could make paint. Surprisingly, even after the emergence and development of other art forms, engraving lingered. In fact, it is currently a booming $2 billion industry in the United States alone with an annual growth rate of more than 4 percent. 

What to Engrave 

Extrusion is a metalworking technique that involves pushing a material through a die to create objects of fixed cross-sectional profiles. Manufacturers often prefer this technique traditional casting because of its ability to create complex cross-sections. Since the whole process relies on compression and shear forces, it is perfect for working brittle metals as well. 

Generally, all malleable and ductile metals can be extruded. Their unique properties enable them to conveniently flow through the die even with minimal compression. It can therefore be presumed that the most ideal metals to work using this technique are those with naturally high malleability, such as copper alloys. 

Among today’s countless types of commercially available metal, only a handful stand out due to their distinct, valuable properties. One that has stood the test of time and has been utilized for a vast array of applications for many generations is bronze. This metal has been around for over 9000 years, making it the first manmade alloy. 

What Most People Know So Far