Aluminium and its alloys are among the most important materials in the manufacture of profiles, tubes, and metal sheets. Aluminium is the most common metal in the earth's crust, but being a base metal it is not found in its pure form. The most important raw material for alumiunium smelting is bauxite.
The red-brown mineral is found in Australia, Guinea, Brazil, and Jamaica amongst other places.

The production of aluminium from bauxite takes place in two stages: First the ore is cleaned of impurities resulting in pure alumina (aluminium oxide). The metal is then obtained in the subsequent molten electrolysis process.
Pure aluminium is a silver-white, relatively soft light metal, which is very ductile and malleable.

Aluminium has very good electrical and thermal conducting properties. It is relatively resistant to humidity and atmospheric oxygen. This is due to the thin layer of oxide that forms on freshly scarified aluminium within seconds and protects the aluminium underneath from further corrosion.

Aluminium is a metal with outstanding properties, and it is difficult to imagine everyday life and work without it. It is three times lighter than steel and can easily be compounded with many other materials. It defies the effects of weather and the environment for decades, and it can be recycled almost without limits!
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