The scope of application of aluminum continues to expand. Improving the quality of supply is still the key.
Aerospace, transportation, household appliances, Extruded Aluminum Framing，pots and pans... In recent years, under the promotion of national favorable policies, China's aluminum application field has become more and more extensive. At the high-level forum on expanding aluminum applications sponsored by the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association in recent 20 years, Chen Quanxun, president of the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association, said that at present, the promotion of aluminum applications in China not only has a solid industrial gift, but also has broad consumption prospects. In the field of transportation, “aluminum-based steel”, “aluminum wood” in the construction field, and “aluminum-copper” in the power field are all effective targets for resolving excess capacity of electrolytic aluminum.
Significantly expanded application
Aluminum is the second largest metal material after steel. Due to its excellent structural and functional characteristics, and the continuous improvement and improvement of the properties of aluminum and its alloy materials, its application range is expanding. Statistics show that among the 124 industries in China, there are 113 industries related to aluminum. It can be said that in the whole life cycle of aluminum, its excellent light weight and recycling performance have brought great social and environmental benefits to many industries, and it has been more and more widely recognized.
"Since 2012, we have always firmly grasped the application of expanding aluminum not to relax, finding a breakthrough every year, six years and six themes, from all-aluminum trailers, aluminum alloy cables, aluminum alloy building templates, aluminum alloy panels New energy aluminum alloy body bus to aluminum furniture, from the transportation field, power field to construction field, from the industry into the family, continue to inject new vitality into aluminum consumption." Chen Quanxun said that in 2018 we launched the expansion of aluminum applications In the seventh year, from the perspective of tracking, the effectiveness of expanding applications is very significant.
Up to now, China's aluminum alloy vans have increased from 20 vehicles to more than 20,000 vehicles, and have been favored by large logistics companies such as Jingdong, Shunfeng and Shentong, and have achieved bulk export; aluminum alloy tankers started from zero. The current aluminizing rate has exceeded 10%; the application rate of aluminum alloy formwork has increased from 3% in the promotion to the current 20%, and the amount of aluminum used is close to 3 million tons; the aluminum alloy new energy bus borrows “government subsidized new energy vehicles” The east wind has increased from zero to more than 35,000. The aluminum furniture has received high attention due to its excellent performance in environmental protection, zero formaldehyde, corrosion resistance and high residual value. The shops have settled in the Red Star Macalline and the home. In the first year of just starting, the consumption of aluminum has exceeded 5,000 tons. The second-generation aluminum furniture has quietly appeared; the aluminum alloy overpass has built 50 buildings nationwide and 20 buildings under construction, and a large number are under planning.
"But we can't stop the decision and see the gap and the shortage." Chen Quanxun said that at present, the application level of aluminum in China is still far from the developed countries, not only in per capita consumption, but also in the consumption structure. The difference. While expanding the application of aluminum, it also faces competition in the replacement of other materials in some fields. It is necessary to speed up the innovation of service mode and further exert the characteristics of light, energy-saving, ecological and recycling of aluminum, and push China's aluminum application to a new stage.
The alternative space is especially broad
In fact, due to the particularity of aluminum metal, it has a huge replacement space in many fields.
In recent years, with the popularization of environmental awareness and the advancement of science and technology, many industries have gradually shifted to “green”, and the furniture industry is no exception. “Aluminum furniture is more environmentally friendly than particleboard, fiberboard, etc., and it also eliminates the formaldehyde generated by the application of adhesives during production and installation, and aluminum can be recycled and reused, which is an example of circular economy.” Deputy Secretary General of China Furniture Association Chi Minhua said that in 2017, aluminum furniture showed a rapid development trend with its own advantages.
By the end of 2017, there were 6,000 enterprises in China's furniture industry, including 998 metal furniture manufacturers, accounting for 16.63%, an increase of 47. The main business income of the metal furniture manufacturing industry ranks second only to wooden furniture in the industry.
Lightweight vehicles can not only reduce energy consumption, save limited energy, but also reduce environmental pollution and improve driving performance. It has become one of the main directions of the global automotive industry and enterprises. Zhao Yuzhi, a special expert of the national “Thousand Talents Program”, revealed that the prelude of lightweighting of Chinese automobiles has been opened, and new energy vehicles are accelerating the application of aluminum alloy sheets. The market size of aluminum alloy sheets for covering parts will reach 100,000 tons in 2017 and will be 2020. More than 300,000 tons, the amount of automotive panels will exceed 1 million tons in 2020.
With the rapid advancement of technology, the promotion and application of aluminum alloy on ships has also been solved. The ship with all-aluminum structure can reduce the weight by nearly 40%, improve stability and speed, save fuel, increase load capacity, extend service life and greatly improve operating profit.
Yan Qingtao, assistant general manager of Shandong Kailway Aluminum Alloy Ship Co., Ltd., believes that the market demand for aluminum alloy business vessels and workboats in the future is conservatively estimated at 5,000, with a market size of 40 billion yuan; various aluminum alloy leisure boats in the next five years, The yacht market demand is 10,000 ships, and the market size is 7 billion yuan. In addition, China is the country with the largest number of fishing boats in the world, and there are nearly 100,000 renewable spaces. If the country introduces policy support or subsidies, the market prospect is very broad.
Improve cost performance and enhance competitiveness
Although the expansion of aluminum applications is an old problem, it is also a new thing. Due to lack of understanding, aluminum products with better comprehensive cost performance are often not easily accepted when entering many traditional fields. “The practice of expanding aluminum applications in these years has promoted the industry's transition from material suppliers to total solution providers, but overall it is based on material supply, and the level of recognition and acceptance of downstream users is the key to whether aluminum materials can enter. Chen Quanxun said that the next step is to strengthen the positive publicity outside the industry, let downstream users, intermediate purchasers, product designers, etc., understand relevant industries, enterprises and products, and gradually establish a close contact mechanism and trust mechanism.
Expanding aluminum applications, in many cases, adopting new products to replace original products in new fields. Quality is the fundamental guarantee for expanding applications, and it is necessary to establish a good quality image and market reputation among users. "If we don't do our work well, the quality of the products is not good, the batch quality is unstable, the service awareness is not in place, and a quality problem may lead to abandonment, serious damage to market confidence, and even loss of market." Chen Quanxun admits .
At the China International Aluminum Industry and Shanghai International Industrial Materials Exhibition held in July this year, many aluminum companies exhibited lightweight products for automobiles, but at the same time, Extruded Aluminum Framing, various carbon fiber materials, new composite materials, and new types. Plastics and new magnesium alloy products are beginning to compete in the field of automotive lightweighting. Expanding the application of aluminum requires both a large weight and a differentiated development. Progress has been made in a wide range of applications, and the role of expanding applications is large. At the same time, enterprises must also combine their own characteristics, do not ignore the needs of personalized, high-end, small batch, multi-batch. In this respect, the requirements for technological innovation are higher, and the added value of products is also greater.
"In short, whether it is a large-scale field, or a differentiated and individualized field, we must persist in continuous innovation, strive for continuous consolidation in the traditional field, and continue to break through in emerging fields." Chen Quanxun said.
