Mining
Silver: The Undercover Super Metal
Silver: The Undercover Super Metal
Silver has a reputation for being gold’s less desirable sister, but make no mistake, silver may still be a golden opportunity to invest in.
You might be surprised to know that silver plays a part in many everyday things you use, especially electronics. Silver has the highest electrical and thermal conductivity of all metals. The use of silver is very prevalent in the photography, consumer electronics, medical, and high tech industries.
A huge future super consumer of silver will be the green technology sector. The primary technology that converts the energy of light into electricity in solar panels is solar cells, also known as photovoltaic cells. Silver is the primary ingredient used in these cells; depending on the type, up to 90% of the cell may be silver. Future silver consumption by the solar energy industry is estimated to be 100 million ounces by 2015.
Another area silver may be set to gain steam is in batteries. Lithium ion batteries were first commercialized over 20 years ago by Sony, which makes them very old from a tech perspective. Many concerns have also been raised about their safety. Some research is showing that silver oxide and silver-zinc batteries might be a substitute. Imagine if a company such as Tesla switched to using silver as a main component of their batteries. Hint: they just ordered 2 billion automotive-grade lithium ion cells from Panasonic.
Original graphic from: sbcgold.com
Copper
Brass Rods: The Secure Choice
This graphic shows why brass rods are the secure choice for precision-machined and forged parts.
Brass Rods: The Secure Choice
The unique combination of machinability and recyclability makes brass rods the secure choice for manufacturers seeking future-proof raw material solutions.
This infographic, from the Copper Development Association, shows three ways brass rods give manufacturers greater control and a license to grow in the competitive market for precision-machined and forged products.
Future-Proof Investments in New Machine Tools
A material’s machinability directly impacts machine throughput, which typically has the largest impact on machine shop profitability.
The high-speed machining capabilities of brass rods maximize machine tool performance, allowing manufacturers to run the material faster and longer without sacrificing tool life, chip formation, or surface quality.
The high machining efficiency of brass leads to reduced per-part costs, quicker return on investment (ROI) for new machine tools, and expanded production capacity for new projects.
Supply Security Through Closed Loop Recycling
Brass, like its parent element copper, can be infinitely recycled.
In 2022, brass- and wire-rod mills accounted for the majority of the 830,000 tonnes of copper recycled from scrap in the United States.
Given that scrap ratios for machined parts typically range from 60-70% by weight, producing mills benefit from a secure and steady supply of clean scrap returned directly from customers, which is recycled to create new brass rods.
The high residual value of brass scrap creates a strong recycling incentive. Scrap buy back programs give manufacturers greater control over raw material net costs as scrap value is often factored into supplier purchase agreements.
Next Generation Alloys for a Lead-Free Future
Increasingly stringent global regulations continue to pressure manufacturers to minimize the use of materials containing trace amounts of lead and other harmful impurities.
The latest generation of brass-rod alloys is engineered to meet the most demanding criteria for lead leaching in drinking water and other sensitive applications.
Seven brass-rod alloys passed rigorous testing to become the only ‘Acceptable Materials’ against lower lead leaching criteria recently adopted in the national U.S. drinking water quality standard, NSF 61.
Learn more about the advantages of brass rods solutions.
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