Aluminium can easily boast of being one of the most useful metals in the history of humankind. The metal is low in density, which makes it lighter, less expensive, and an easily customisable option. Along with that, aluminium has an envious thermal conductivity. Besides, it is highly durable, resistant to corrosion, and can be easily machined and formed. All of these and more make aluminium the primary choice for a variety of applications across a range of industries.

Do you know that aluminium makes up for over 8% of our earth’s crust, and is the third most common element available on the planet, after oxygen and silicon?

Commercial aluminium doors and windows have been extensively used for years now in buildings, offices, and complexes. Finding the best quality aluminium for your commercial doors and windows is less of a worry now with Com-Al Windows by your side.

Being one such invaluable metal, as aluminium has been, the origin of aluminium really baffles most of us. So, here we have brought to you the process how aluminium is made.

The Manufacturing Process of Aluminium: How the Metal is

Produced!

Here are the main steps that go into the manufacturing process of aluminium:

Mining of Bauxite

The primary ingredient for the manufacturing of aluminium is bauxite, which is the primary ore needed that is needed to be mined. This clay mineral is popular in Australia and West Indies, being native to tropical and subtropical areas.

Grinding of Bauxite

The mineral bauxite is then transported to the refineries. The refineries focus on washing off the clay from the mineral, which is then passed through the grinder in order to produce a consistent product.

Crushing and Digesting of Bauxite and the Manufacturing of Sodium Aluminate

After the mineral is crushed, it is then pumped into large pressure tanks with the addition of caustic soda or sodium hydroxide solution, after which steam is applied. The chemical reaction that occurs in the tanks between the caustic soda and the aluminium compounds leads to the production of sodium aluminate, which is often referred to as slurry. While sodium aluminate surfaces at the top, the bottom residue, containing iron, silicon and titanium, known as red mud, is collected and removed.

The Settling Process

After the large-pressure tanks, it is the lower-pressure settling tanks that come into play. These tanks here receive the sodium aluminate solution. This solution is passed through these tanks to get rid of the excess of red mud. Then the remaining alumina is passed through “huge leaves” or cloth filters, as they are often called. This helps remove any remaining solid particles that might persist in the solution.

The precipitation process

The precipitators play a large role in this precipitation process that we come next to. Here, the large precipitators receive the sodium aluminate solution after it is cooled. To start the precipitation process, aluminium hydroxide seed crystals are added to the solution, which ultimately leads to the formation of large aluminium crystals.

The calcination process

The large crystals of aluminium that are got in the previous process are heated here in this process in rotary kilns to temperatures that often go beyond 960 °C. This help in removing any remaining impurities, which might be present, and gives rise to a white powder, known as alumina or aluminium oxide.

The smelting process

In the last process, the alumina is poured into a reduction cell with molten cryolite in it, which is at around 950 °C. The reduction cell then receives electrical currents close to 400kA. The passage of electricity ensures that the existing bond between the aluminium and oxygen is broken. At the end of the process, we get aluminium that is around 99.8% pure.

The making process of aluminium is a lengthy and complex process, but getting commercial aluminium doors and windows for your buildings and offices is easier than ever before. Com-Al Windows Pty Ltd takes pride in designing, manufacturing, and installing cutting-edge commercial windows and doors, paired with both, traditional and the most trending combinations of commercial cyclonic glasses and more. The company is based out in Perth, Western Australia, and supplies aluminium and glass that are tested in Australian labs and abide by Australian standards. Reach out to us now for more!