Whether a project calls for aluminum foil (thinner than 0.006 inches
in thickness) or aluminum sheet (0.006 inches to 0.070 inches in
thickness), aluminum coil is behind the manufacturing process. Aluminum
coil is formed by taking one continuous strip of aluminum and coiling it
into a roll.
Some of the advantages of pre coated aluminum coil
is that it is lightweight, heavy duty and able to resist corrosion. By a
process called anodizing, whereby the aluminum surface is coated with a
protective oxide, that corrosion resistance can be improved even
further. As a result, manufacturers who need to increase their
productivity and require parts that can withstand the elements rely on
aluminum coil to get the job done.
Why might they opt for aluminum coiling over another durable material
like steel or copper? At about 33% the density and weight of steel,
aluminum renders parts that are much lighter, thereby reducing handling
costs and shipping fees. What’s more, is the cost is about 50% that of
copper.
In fact, according to the Air Conditioning, Heating, Refrigeration
News, aluminum versus copper has become “The Great Condensing Coil
Debate.” In that article published by the industrial news source, while
controversy stirs about one versus the other, one thing is clear.
Condensing coils made from aluminum have made air conditioning more
affordable. “That (aluminum coil) brought the cost of an a/c system
down, making it more palatable to consumers and builders.”
But the heating, ventilation and air conditioning sector isn’t the
only industry in which aluminum coil is used. The transportation
industry, in fact, is the largest user of the product in the United
States, accounting for close to 30% of all that is produced in the
nation. Indeed, the average car driven in this country contains over 275
pounds of aluminum, and some luxury car makers use aluminum sheeting to
make the entire bodies of their vehicles. Perhaps that’s why aluminum
has become the most abundantly produced non-iron metal.
In the construction industry, aluminum coil is also being used more
and more frequently as trim to cover base materials on homes. Because
the aluminum can be anodized with a decorative oxide and comes in a wide
variety of colors, it provides a pleasing finishing feature. Best of
all, it is easy to install, making it a nice home project for the do it
yourselfer. The most typical way in which aluminum coil is put to use in
homes is as a trim finish for windows, soffit boarding, siding and roof
edging.
Beyond these industrial advantages, aluminum is extremely kind to the
environment thanks to its ability to be recycled. That ecological
friendliness is further enhanced by aluminum’s ability to be recycled an
infinite number of times. In the transportation industry alone, that
adds up to substantial benefits to the earth. In concrete terms, the
average car is made up for about 7% aluminum, yet aluminum
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