Pure aluminum has limited use as the base substrate for engineered components due to its lower mechanical properties relative to aluminum alloys. Is Aluminum Found as a Pure Metal?ĭue to its high affinity for oxygen, aluminum is typically found in oxides or silicates and not in its elemental form. offers the process of electroplating components with high purity aluminum. It is also characterized by its high reflectivity and resistance to oxidation.Īll of the attractive characteristics of pure aluminum are now available as a pure aluminum coating. Pure aluminum properties include an electrical conductivity that is twice as high when compared to copper, with a thermal conductivity that is about three times greater than steel, making it an ideal material for heating and cooling applications.

To be considered pure aluminum, the metal needs to consist of 99% aluminum. Pure aluminum is a soft, silvery-white, ductile and non-magnetic metal that belongs to the boron group and identified by the atomic number 13, because its atoms contain 13 electrons and 13 protons. Common Questions About High Purity Aluminum What is Pure Aluminum? The pure aluminum coating can be heat treated to form intermetallics with high wear, abrasion and a working temperature envelope of up to 900 ☌. This electrodeposition process has attractive characteristics such as tight control capability, ability to throw into holes and it can be used to build pure aluminum layers hundreds of micrometers thick.Īluminum platings used as a surface finishing solution can enhance and protect the surface of other structural metals and composites to improve the material’s performance in the end-use environment. Dense, thick and very pure aluminum (99.99% pure) can be deposited as a protective coating via the AlumiPlate® Aluminum Electroplating process.

Pure aluminum is of special interest for its improved corrosion resistance, high ductility, high electronegativity and low atomic weight for surface finishing solutions.

Pure aluminum is highly abundant, making up 8% of the Earth’s crust, and can be found in over 270 naturally occurring minerals. Unlike other light metals, including magnesium and beryllium, it passivates in oxygen environments and is not toxic, making it an ideal structural metal when weight savings is a concern. Aluminum is an important engineering material due to its low density and high corrosion resistance.

Light metals finishing process manual