Ferrous and Non-Ferrous Metals

• Ferrous metals


  Contain iron, corrode easily, need to be protected, magnetic
• Mild steel


  Very malleable, rusts easily, used for nuts, bolts, car bodies
• Cast iron


  Melted down to pour into mould, brittle but very strong, used for man holes, brake disks
• Stainless steel


  Mouldable and resistant to wear, used for kitchen sinks, cutlery, surgical instruments
• Non-ferrous metals


  Contain no iron, don't rust, not magnetic
• Non-ferrous metals


  • Aluminium
  • Copper
  • Tin
• Aluminium


  Light grey in colour, lightweight, used for foil, ladders, sweet wrappers
• Copper


  Orange in colour, soft, conducts heat and electricity well, used for plumbing pipes, electrical wire
• Tin


  Soft, easy to mould, anti-corrosive, used for food packaging, storage cans
• Alloys


  Mixtures of two or more metals to achieve specific properties
• Alloys


  • Brass
  • Pewter
• Brass


  Mixture of copper and zinc, used for decorative metalwork like candlesticks, door handles
• Pewter


  Mixture of tin, antimony and copper, melts at low temperature, used for jewellery, cutlery, decorative frames
• Metal forms


  Sheets or ingots
• Forming sheet metal


  1. Cutting with shears, compressed air shears, bench mounted lever shears, CNC plasma cutter

  2. Bending using different shaped bending tools

  3. Pressing between two shapes in a hydraulic press
• Forging metal


  1. Heating iron and steel to high temperature and hammering to form shapes

  2. Drop forging - forcing molten metal between two shapes with a single blow
• Casting metal


  1. Creating moulds with oiled sand, pouring in liquid metal, cooling, trimming off runner and riser

  2. Die casting - using a water cooled mould to inject molten metal and cool repeatedly