ALL THINGS ALUMINIUM

We thought we’d focus on All things Aluminium this week. It’s a really interesting material and of course we purchase a huge amount of it from various companies. The business sectors that we work with range from automotive and aerospace through to engineers and infrastructure providers.

RECYCLABILITY

Aluminium is the most recyclable of all metals, it is used widely in every area of our lives.  On a personal level it is without doubt the most valuable item in our recycling bins. It can of course be recycled over and over and this happens widely throughout the UK.

The manufacturing, automotive and aerospace sectors all use huge amounts of aluminium and in many different grades – this is why it is really important you ensure that the grade you are using is accurately identified.

We use Niton x-ray analysers to guarantee accuracy. Using this technology ensures that our customers are paid accurately. It also means that the foundries we sell to are assured of their quality of material.

As well as having many different grades, aluminium also comes to us in many different forms – these range from skeleton sheet and offcuts through to swarf and punchings.

Aluminium swarf can be particularly challenging for our customers, it can be very dense and curly or very light, similar to candy floss. It can also be extremely greasy or wet and contaminated with other materials such as iron. Appropriate storage solutions must be very carefully considered. 

DUTY OF CARE

We can advise on a number of different options to manage all of these issues. Whilst we cover your Duty of Care as standard we are always happy to advise on all environmental matters – our Health, Safety and Environment Manager is extremely well qualified to offer guidance.