Aluminum Extrusions image courtesy of Mid-States Aluminum Corp.
Anteros is referred to as the god of requited love in Greek mythology. An English 19th century experimental sculptor by the name of Sir Alfred Gilbert made a highly-regarded and, in my opinion, very beautiful representation of her which can still be viewed atop the Piccadilly Circus memorial fountain in London, England. One of its many noteworthy characteristics includes its rank as one of the first statues to be cast in aluminum— a metal considered to be extremely exotic during those days due to the high cost of extracting it from beneath the Earth’s crust.
Aluminum, though still somewhat costly to extract, is considered to be one of the most favored metal alloys in the world and is used in a wide range of industries and applications. Its popularity is due to its lengthy list of favorable attributes, such as its high strength-to-weight ratio, impressive resistance to corrosion and low manufacturing costs, in addition to its natural and attractive sheen. Furthermore, aluminum and its various extrusions are considered to be 100% recyclable, which is becoming a growing priority in today’s “eco-friendly” culture.
Because of the wide range of shapes, angles, channels, beams, tubing and profiles that can be manufactured via aluminum extrusion, the diverse number of industries and applications that have become dependent on such are numerous. Structural applications like window frames, lighting fixtures, light poles, hardware joints, decorative trim and car bumpers are all examples, in addition to extremely small and/or specific parts due to the highly effective extrusion processes aluminum is capable of. This is extremely valuable to certain industries in particular, such as the automotive and electronic industries, both of which require original specificity and precision.
In addition to aluminum extrusions being 100% recyclable, various tools of transportation using aluminum extrusions— like cars and trains— will consequently save on carbon emissions due to the fact that aluminum is far lighter than any other metal available, such as its competitive older brother, steel and stainless steel.
