Brass Tube, Sheet, and Bar Products—How They Are Manufactured

1. May 18, 2018 Brass Tube, Sheet, and Bar Products—How They Are Manufactured In this era of industrialization, people have easy access to all kinds of brass products. Whether you need brass tube, sheet, or bar supplies, there will always be a supplier nearby that may have them in store. But have you ever wondered where those supplies get their supplies from? Here’s a glimpse of how brass supplies are manufactured and a quick guide to getting the highest quality ones for your project. 1 | P a g e

2. Mining Brass doesn’t occur naturally but by combining two basic metallic elements—copper and zinc. It’s these basic contents that are mined and processed; brass is artificially produced by alloying the two. Copper ores are mined from open pits in different countries around the world, Chile being its largest producer. And so is zinc, except it is mined underground and not in open pit. The largest zinc mine is the Red Dog Mine, located in Alaska. Mined copper and zinc ores are collected and delivered to foundries for processing. Recycling Not all copper and zinc that are processed into brass products come from the mines. A huge volume of them are, in fact, recycled. The process of recycling is quite easy; it’s the gathering of scrap copper and zinc from different parts of the country that’s actually tedious and time- consuming. Most foundries prefer recycling to processing of new metals because it’s up to 90 percent more energy-efficient. Melting After carefully segregating copper scrap, a suitable amount of it is transferred into a furnace to melt. It usually takes about 1,920°F (1,050°C) to melt copper, and when the right fluidity is achieved, the required amount of zinc is added. To compensate for the zinc that vaporizes during this process, an additional amount of zinc (around half the required amount) is added. Then the molten mixture is poured into molds and allowed to harden into slabs called cakes. Rolling Once the cakes solidify, they are placed in the furnace again under a much lower temperature than what was used during melting just to make them soft enough to be rolled. Then the soft cakes are fed into rollers so that they can be reduced into the standard sizes for most supplies they are meant to be manufactured into. 2 | P a g e

3. Annealing A huge concern when rolling brass is that it becomes tougher and harder to work as it hardens after rolling. This makes it almost impossible to shape them into tubes, sheets, or bars, which is why the cakes have to be reheated over and over to keep them ductile and malleable. This process is called annealing. Final cold rolling can be performed to tighten brass’s tolerances on the thickness or to produce a very smooth surface finish. The whole metalworking process may last for several days to a couple of weeks depending on the volume of materials that need to be produced. Then the finished products are delivered to distributors throughout the country. Some distributors like Rotax Metals, however, have their own metalworking facilities, to have full control of the quality of the products they offer their customers. You can choose to buy your metals from them if you want to ensure the success of your project. About Rotax Metals: It’s not easy to find a metal supplier that offers guaranteed high-quality metals. Rotax Metals is one of the very few that you can trust to deliver such top-rate services. We offer a huge selection of metal products, including copper, brass, and bronze tubes, sheets, and bars to suit various applications. Whether it’s a minor project or a major one you’re working on, our metals can definitely come in handy. Sources: Facts About Copper Recycling, thebalancesmb.com Brass, madehow.com 3 | P a g e