Carry Tray

Aluminium

Aluminium is a chemical element with the symbol Al and atomic number 13. Aluminium has a density lower than those of other common metals, at approximately one-third that of steel. Aluminium is a natural element and can be found on the periodic table. This metal is commonly mixed with copper and zinc to create other alloy materials. Aluminium is a lightweight material used to manufacture cans for food products and building products such as window frames.

Copper

Copper is a chemical element with the symbol Cu (from Latin: cuprum) and atomic number 29. It is a soft, malleable, and ductile metal with very high thermal and electrical conductivity. A freshly exposed surface of pure copper has a pinkish-orange color. Copper is used as a conductor of heat and electricity, as a building material, and as a constituent of various metal alloys, such as sterling silver used in jewelry, cupronickel used to make marine hardware and coins, and constantan used in strain gauges and thermocouples for temperature measurement.

Copper is one of the few metals that can occur in nature in a directly usable metallic form (native metals). This led to very early human use in several regions, from c. 8000 BC. Thousands of years later, it was the first metal to be smelted from sulfide ores, c. 5000 BC; the first metal to be cast into a shape in a mold, c. 4000 BC; and the first metal to be purposely alloyed with another metal, tin, to create bronze, c. 3500 BC.

Bright Mild Steel

The term Mild Steel applies to all low carbon steel that does not contain any alloying elements in its makeup and has a carbon content that does not exceed 0.25%. Bright mild steel bar is usually a carbon steel alloy which has had the surface condition improved by drawing, peeling or grinding over the hot rolled finish supplied by the steel mill. Mild Steel is used in mechanical engineering applications for parts that will not be subject to high stress. Compared to normal Mild Steel, bright Mild Steel provides tighter sectional tolerances, increased straightness, and a much cleaner surface. The main advantage of cold drawn Steel is that Steel can be brought closer to the finished machine size, providing reduce machining costs. Another benefit of bright Steel bars is a marked increase in physical strength over hot rolled bars of the same section.

Black Mild Steel

Black mild steel is steel direct from a hot rolling forming process, which still has a scale coating on its surface, is not precise in its dimensions, nor straightness or flatness. It is used for general non-critical work, especially where welding is performed. Black Mild steel has a dark blue oily surface and is not as accurate as bright mild steel because bright steel undergoes additional processes to produce higher quality material. Mild steel is reasonably soft and ductile. It is easily cut and machined and is a good material to practice welding on. The reason for this is its carbon content, which varies between 0.15% and 0.3%. Some of the uses of Mild Steel are Ship Hulls, Garden Gates, Girders, General Structural Steel, etc.

Stainless Steel

Stainless Steels is also classed as an Alloy Steel. The main alloying elements are Nickel and Chromium. It has a very high resistance to corrosion and as a result is ideal for areas where clenliness is important. Resistance to corrosion and staining, low maintenance, and familiar luster make stainless steel an ideal material for many applications where both the strength of steel and corrosion resistance are required. Moreover, stainless steel can be rolled into sheets, plates, bars, wire, and tubing. These can be used in cookware, cutlery, surgical instruments, major appliances, vehicles, construction material in large buildings, industrial equipment (e.g., in paper mills, chemical plants, water treatment), and storage tanks and tankers for chemicals and food products.

Brass

Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc, in proportions which can be varied to achieve varying mechanical, electrical, and chemical properties. Brass is similar to bronze, another alloy containing copper that uses tin instead of zinc. Historically, the distinction between the two alloys has been less consistent and clear and modern practice in museums and archaeology increasingly avoids both terms for historical objects in favor of the more general "copper alloy".

Brass has long been a popular material for decoration due to its bright, gold-like appearance; being used for drawer pulls and doorknobs. It has also been widely used to make utensils due to properties such as having a low melting point, high workability (both with hand tools and with modern turning and milling machines), durability, and electrical and thermal conductivity.

Brass is still commonly used in applications where corrosion resistance and low friction are required, such as locks, hinges, gears, bearings, ammunition casings, zippers, plumbing, hose couplings, valves, and electrical plugs and sockets. It is used extensively for musical instruments such as horns and bells, and also used as a substitute for copper in making costume jewelry, fashion jewelry, and other imitation jewelry. The composition of brass, generally 66% copper and 34% zinc, makes it a favorable substitute for copper based jewelry, as it exhibits greater resistance to corrosion. Brass is not suitable for such items as boat propellers because the zinc reacts with minerals in salt water, leaving porous copper behind. The tin in bronze will not react with these minerals.

Brass is often used in situations in which it is important that sparks not be struck, such as in fittings and tools used near flammable or explosive materials

Tinplate

Tinplate consists of sheets of steel, coated with a thin layer of tin. Before the advent of cheap milled steel the backing metal was iron. While once more widely used, the primary use of tinplate now is the manufacture of tin cans. Tinplate is made by rolling the steel (or formerly iron) in a rolling mill, removing any mill scale by pickling it in acid and then coating it with a thin layer of tin. Plates were once produced individually (or in small groups) in what became known as a pack mill. In the late 1920s pack mills began to be replaced by strip mills which produced larger quantities more economically. Formerly, tinplate was used for cheap pots, pans and other holloware. This kind of holloware was also known as tinware and the people who made it were tinplate workers.

For many purposes, tinplate has been replaced by galvanised (zinc-coated) vessels, though not for cooking as zinc is poisonous. The zinc layer prevents the iron from rusting through sacrificial protection with the zinc oxidizing instead of the iron, whereas tin will only protect the iron if the tin-surface remains unbroken.

Galvanised Iron

Galvanized iron is the same as standard iron, the only difference is that it features a layer of zinc. The added layer of zinc helps to protect the iron from rust and corrosion. Without it, the iron will be exposed to moisture and oxygen from its surrounding environment. If left unchecked, this will trigger a chemical reaction with the iron known as oxidation. Oxidation will cause the iron to rust and corrode.

Galvanised construction steel is the most common use for galvanised metal, and hundreds of thousands of tons of steel products are galvanised annually worldwide. In developed countries most larger cities have several galvanising factories, and many items of steel manufacture are galvanised for protection. Typically these include: street furniture, building frameworks, balconies, verandahs, staircases, ladders, walkways, and more. Hot dip galvanised steel is also used for making steel frames as a basic construction material for steel frame buildings.