Smelting To yield the aluminum alloys in common use today, alumina must go through smelting and alloying processes. Alumina, in powder form, is placed into the cryolite bath, where it is melted and separated from its oxygen component, settling beneath the cryolite. The molten aluminum is siphoned from the bottom of the smelter and placed in a crucible, then formed into ingot or transferred to an alloying furnace. Alloying For production of primary aluminum alloys, the molten aluminum may be transferred from the smelter to the alloying furnace or previously produced aluminum ingot may be melted in the furnace. Alloying metals can then be mixed with the molten aluminum.
Alloys are mixed metals that offer a wide array of specific material properties.
The characteristics of various finished aluminum products are determined, in part, by their alloy content. Logs may be cut to obtain a more manageable billet. Some other materials may offer some of the beneficial characteristics of aluminum profiles, but aluminum can offer a complete range of benefits at once. Aluminum weighs less by volume than most other metals. In fact, it is about one-third the weight of iron, steel, copper, or brass.