The aluminium value chain ( also known as supply chain) is the process of starting from the raw material bauxite and ending with the aluminium products in our life.
BAUXITE
The raw material bauxite is rich in global reserves, mainly concentrated in countries close to the equator, including Australia, Guinea, Brazil, Vietnam, and Jamaica. The total reserves from these countries are 64% of the world’s total.
ALUMINA
Aluminium oxide (alumina) is mainly distributed in China, Australia, and Brazil. China imports a large amount of bauxite from overseas and eventually produces aluminium oxide.
PRIMARY ALUMINIUM
The main raw material of primary aluminum is aluminium oxide, which is a widely used metal and the main raw material for aluminum product processing. The liquid aluminum produced by an industrial aluminum electrolytic cell is purified, clarified, and slag-removed, and the commercial aluminum ingot that is cast generally contains no more than 99.8% aluminum, which is called primary aluminum.
Primary aluminium will be alloyed with other metal elements such as copper, manganese, silicon and more for better strength, corrosion resistance and other mechanical properties. These are then cast into aluminium billets, aluminium remelt ingots, aluminium slabs, and other castings for further processing.
SEMI-FABRICATED PRODUCT AND ITS FINAL USE
Primary aluminum is processed into aluminum processed materials which will be used in various industries.
Extrusion Process: products made through extrusion processes are called extrusion profiles.
Aluminum profiles are mainly used in the field of construction and engineering industry, which can be divided into two categories: architectural profiles and industrial profiles.
The construction and real estate industry is the largest architectural aluminum extrusion consumption field, of which aluminum doors, aluminum windows, and aluminum curtain wall profiles account for the main part.
Industrial aluminum profiles are mainly used in four fields: transportation, mechanical and electrical equipment, durable goods, and electrical appliances.
RELATED REFERENCE: What is Aluminum Extrusion?
Die Casting Process: The primary aluminum is processed into various precision aluminum castings.
Aluminum alloy die castings are mainly used in the two major fields of communications and automobiles, and a small part is used in aviation equipment and high-speed locomotives. Among the many application fields of aluminum alloy die castings, automobile manufacturing accounts for the largest share in the transportation industry, main parts such as automobile wheels and engines.
Calendering Process (Rolling Process): The products made through the calendering process are called aluminum plate, aluminum strip, and aluminum foil.
Aluminum plates and aluminum strips are widely used for their excellent properties, such as a beverage can plates, PS plate substrates, high-end curtain wall panels, roof curtain wall panels, aviation, subway and automobile panels, and high-grade coated panels.
Aluminum foil is an aluminum strip with a thickness of less than 0.2mm formed by rolling aluminum or aluminum alloy strips. Due to its lightweight, good airtightness, good cladding, and environmental protection, the application fields of aluminum foil are diversified. And rapid growth, including capacitors in the electronics industry, heating elements for evaporators, condensers and cable shields, heat exchange fins in the electromechanical industry, aircraft rotors, missiles, rockets, satellites, and other liquid fuel tanks in the aerospace industry Insulation and waterproofing, food, medicine, cigarettes in the packaging industry, places and decorative materials used for heat and moisture insulation in the construction industry.
