Aluminum

Pennsylvania Aluminum Industry: A Vision For The Future

Pennsylvania Industries of the Future Vision and Roadmap Resource Document is now available. The document characterizes the current state of the aluminum industry in Pennsylvania and serves to identify the needs, issues, goals, and resources available for industry leaders to insure an environmentally sustainable and secure place in Pennsylvania’s manufacturing future. The project, funded through a grant from the U.S. Department of Energy Industrial Technology Program, leveraged state-wide support from aluminum industry representatives. Dr. Wojciech Z. Misiolek of Lehigh University’s Institute of Metal Forming headed the two year project that focused on topics including “key industry challenges”, “workforce needs”, “market development”, “materials manufacturing and new technology”, and “energy efficiency”. Information on Pennsylvania’s Coal Mining and Metal Casting Industry of the Future projects is available from the PAIoF homepage. The Roadmap is available in PDF format by clicking here.

PAIOF Companies Win DOE I&I Award

Dr. Wojciech Z. Misiolek, Academic Champion for the Pennsylvania Industries of the Future Program, announced this week that several Pennsylvania companies have been successful in securing funding from the U.S. Department of Energy's Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy Inventions and Innovation (I&I) Program. The companies, EMV Technologies, Ampal, New York Wire, and Birdsboro Alloying Inc., pooled resources as a result of contacts made during the PAIOF Aluminum meetings at Lehigh University. The project entitled, "Cost Effective Consolidation of Fine Aluminum Scrap for Increased Remelting Efficiency" received a $75,000 grant through a competitive solicitaion process that opened on February 12, 2003, and closed on April 11, 2003. At the close of the solicitation, I&I had received 252 proposals of which only 9 received funding.

The DOE I&I Program provides two levels of funding: Category 1 projects can receive up to $75,000 in funding for conducting early development and establishing technical performance of innovative energy saving ideas and inventions; Category 2 projects can receive up to $250,000 for more well-developed inventions moving toward prototype development or commercialization.

New Aluminum Vision and Roadmap Available

ITP's Aluminum Team is pleased to have a new and up-to-date aluminum industry vision plus a technology roadmap for alumina manufacture. More...

Aluminum Industry

Aluminum is widely used throughout the U.S. economy, particularly in the transportation, packaging, and construction industries. As a lightweight, high-strength, and recyclable structural metal, aluminum has and will continue to play an important role in a healthy economy.  As applications are further extended in the infrastructure, aerospace, and defense industries (source). The Aluminum Industry is a major contributor to Pennsylvania's economy.  There are currently over 13,000 jobs in the industry. The majority of the aluminum manufacturers in Pennsylvania produce secondary aluminum. The PAIOF and Lehigh University's Institute of Metal Forming (IMF) have joined together to help the advancement of the aluminum industry in Pennsylvania. The IMF’s main research objective has been expanded to conduct cross-disciplinary process engineering studies, in order to better understand and control forming techniques and their impact on the micro structural response of a material.

What is Aluminum?

There are two types of aluminum.  The first is Primary Aluminum. Primary Aluminum is produced from alumina (extracted from bauxite ore) in electrolytic cells. The second type of aluminum is Secondary Aluminum.  Secondary Aluminum is produced by melting down scrap metal in furnaces.

Economic Impact (source)

Aluminum manufacturing is a major engine of PA's manufacturing economy. In 1996 the aluminum industry accounted for over 12,900 jobs, 15.12% of the national employment, and shipped over 3.4 billion dollars worth of aluminum, 12.5% of the National figure.  In 1996 Pennsylvania ranked second in employment and fourth in the value of shipments in the nation.

Advantages to using Aluminum (source)

There are numerous benefits to using aluminum.

• Aluminum is light and its density is only one third that of steel.
• Aluminum is resistant to weather, common atmospheric gases, and a wide range of liquids.
• Aluminum has a high reflectivity, therefore, finds more decorative uses.
• Aluminum alloys can equal or even exceed the strength of normal construction steel.
• Aluminum has high elasticity, which is an advantage in structures under shock loads.
• Aluminum keeps its toughness down to very low temperatures, without becoming brittle like carbon steels.
• Aluminum is easily worked and formed; it can be rolled to very thin foil.
• Aluminum conducts electricity and heat nearly as well as copper.