A new alloy designation for matte anodizing with high post-consumer recycled content

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• There has been an increasing demand for an alloy with a high recycled content, including a significant amount of post-consumer scrap. We have worked with our supplier to produce an alloy that closely matches the characteristics of 9020 alloy, but that can utilize a significant amount of controlled, uncontaminated post-consumer scrap. We have designated this alloy as “9030” and it will typically contain 80% or greater recycled aluminum including at least 20% post-consumer scrap.
• Recycling aluminum uses 95% less energy than making new aluminum and for this reason aluminum has always been extensively recycled. However, there is also a need to meet stringent regulations for products that are used in such industries as healthcare, pharmaceutical, and electronic components that have tight restrictions on certain impurities. Therefore it is important to use stringently controlled recycled metal in these applications and so, for the most part, mill or industrial scrap has been used, rather than post-consumer scrap.
• United Aluminum’s 9030 alloy, which was developed in collaboration with our customers, has been extremely successful for uniformity of finish and brightness for matte-anodized surface critical parts and components. The result is consistently reproducible finishes after anodizing.