Bismuth’s low melting point may have helped it find a niche in the printing and typesetting industries of the early 20th century, but it gained new life around the mid-20th century for its use in electronic devices. Due to its non-toxicity, it has become in high demand as a lead substitute in products such as…
Although aluminum is the third most abundant element on the planet, it’s only been commercially viable for about a century due to historically restrictive production costs. As a lightweight and resilient metal, the versatility of aluminum lends itself to a variety of applications, such as construction materials, aircraft parts, HVAC units and consumer products. Aluminum is…
Given the sheer number of applications metal has, it’s no surprise that different processes require specific forms of metal. Sheets, bars, billets, cubes, ingots and shot are all unique ways to form a metal, with ingots and shot being among the most popular. There are several reasons why having different shaped metal makes such an impact….
Indium has been used in several applications since the 1930s, many of which capitalize on either its malleability or low melting point. Primarily found as a byproduct of zinc, copper, and iron ore processing, indium is rarely found on its own due to it being the softest non-alkali metal and easily combining with others around…