At Mavin Industries, we carry out custom fabrication related to transportation and other areas using aluminium, steel and stainless steel. This blog entry will focus on the first of those materials: aluminium.
What is Aluminium?
Aluminium is a lightweight metal that’s silver-grey in colour and quite abundant on earth. However, aluminium is never found alone and must be refined from ores, which can be a tricky business. It is for this reason that it wasn’t “discovered” until the 1800s (the ancients did have a vague knowledge of it). Once aluminium production was properly industrialised, demand skyrocketed and its use in metal fabrication became widespread.
You can read more about the interesting history of aluminium here.
Why is Aluminium Popular in Manufacturing?
Despite being light, aluminium is strong, malleable and doesn’t rust. These are ideal traits when it comes to metal fabrication and manufacturing in general. It also has the bonus property, very relevant in our age of environmental concerns, of being infinitely recyclable without quality loss. Additionally, aluminium is a good conductor of heat and electricity.
If we look at vehicles, aluminium is strong and therefore safe, while at the same time being light and therefore needing less energy to move along. Following from that second point, having a less powerful engine (or at least one that doesn’t have to work too hard) generally also means the vehicle will be quieter and more comfortable.
What are Some Common Uses of Aluminium?
The first two that spring to mind are probably soft-drink cans and the aluminium foil we use for cooking/wrapping food. But aluminium is used to manufacture a huge range of items from kitchen cutlery to aeroplane parts. It can be found in computers and window frames, refrigerators and power lines. The list goes on. As already stated, we at Mavin Industries use it in our custom fabrication, because it is easy to work with while being highly functional for many roles.
What Does Aluminium Fabrication Involve?
As with other types of metal fabrication, aluminium fabrication may involve any and all of bending, extruding, shearing, stamping, welding and more. Basically, whatever processes are required to shape the aluminium into the desired product.
In our case, that product will often be related to the transport industry, an industry which is estimated to account for 25-30% of total aluminium used worldwide! Specific vehicle parts made from aluminium include but are not limited to the frame, bodywork, wheels, engine parts, air-conditioning unit components, and parts for the safety systems and monitoring systems/displays.
You’ll find examples of some of the above parts in our gallery of finished products.
The Custom Aluminium Fabrication Experts!
Mavin Industries is locally owned and operated in Hillcrest, Queensland. We offer a range of fabrication services of which aluminium fabrication is just one. We pride ourselves on delivering finished products of the highest standard, with a fast turnaround and at a competitive price. Whatever your design, our team of engineers and craftspeople, utilising our state-of-the-art-machinery, can make it a reality. To contact us, you can phone (07) 3086 9203, email or use the online enquiry form here.