General Engineering
The “General Engineering” market category is used to cover the wide range of industries which use aluminium in its various forms to make components and end products.
In each case it is one or more of aluminium’s beneficial characteristics that make it the material of choice.
Here are some examples of engineered components across a range of industries and applications
In all cases the aluminium sheet, plate or extrusion can be formed and joined to meet the required strength and tolerance specifications.
Key Properties
| Product | Why Aluminium? |
|---|---|
| Ladders | Light weight, strong and corossion resistant |
| Picture frames | Modern, high-tech appealing finish |
| Tool boxes | Light weight tough and handsome finish - a favourite in bright tread-sheet |
| Signage | Light weight, workability and attractive finish |
| Scaffold towers | Light weight, hard wearing and corrosion resistant |
| Mine skips | Non-sparking and light weight |
| Stadium seating | Attractive finish and corrosion resistant |
| Cookware | Light weight, conductivity and formability |
| Pallets | Light weight and corrosion resistant |
| Aerial dishes | Light weight, durable and corrosion resistant |
| Telescopic tripods | Light weight, sturdy and corrosion resistant |
| Helicopter landing pads | Light weight, strong and corrosion resistant |
| Solar panels | Corrosion resistant |
Hulamin in General Engineering
Distributors and Stockists: Important Suppliers to the General Engineering Markets
Distributors, also known as stockists in some markets, play a very important role in supplying our end user manufacturers with a wide range of rolled and extruded products. This is particularly so in the General Engineering market.
Globally, 30% to 40% of all rolled and extruded aluminium is sold through a distributor channel.
In many cases the distributors have invested in equipment to cut, bend, slit and surface finish aluminium to customer requirements. This added value service is key to many customers in this market.
We value relationships with distributors, working with them to open up and develop new market opportunities across the globe. Together we ensure that customers are serviced with quality stock delivered on time.
Fast Facts: Did you know?
- The aluminium ladder on the Chinese side of Mr Everest is the highest man made structure in the world. It was made from Hulamin’s aluminium extrusions and installed in 2005 by a South African led team.
- Aluminium in not magnetic.
- In World War II aluminium foil strips were dropped from aircraft to confuse air defence systems.
- Aluminium easily forms compounds with other elements like copper, silicon, magnesium and others and as a result a vast number of aluminium alloys have been developed. Even a very small amount of an alloying element can drastically change the properties of the metal – and each time opportunities for new uses are created.