A series of powerlines illuminated at sunset.
By Dan Markham General Information 0 Comments

The Importance of Metal Conductivity

The metals we use in everyday life are crucial to helping everything go smoothly. Much of the reason why applications, buildings and machines work is because of the numerous metal properties that make them advantageous to use. Metal conductivity is just another one of these useful traits. Many of the things that power our day to day lives are as effective as they are because of metal conductivity! It’s definitely one of the most useful metal traits, but why is that exactly? We explain the importance of metal conductivity below!

Electrical Wiring

Perhaps the most popular use that metal conductivity has is creating functional electrical wires. Many of the household appliances you use every day are powered by copper electrical wiring. Copper is a highly conductive metal, which makes it useful for transferring the required electricity to run a device. The next time you go to make toast, do your laundry or brew up a coffee, you can thank electrical wiring for helping out!

Power Lines

Power lines are used to power all of the technology around us. They provide power to your home, strength to your Internet connection, and clarity to all of your phone conversations. Metal conductivity is a large part of what makes this happen. Instead of copper being used for these, however, aluminum is the primary metal of choice here. This is because aluminum has a higher conductivity to weight ratio than copper does, making it more useful for heavier applications.

Batteries

Even the batteries you use for a variety of electronics are powered by metal conductivity! Silver is the most conductive metal on the periodic table, which makes it useful for on-the-go applications like batteries, electrical circuits and hearing aids. This unparalleled ability also makes silver useful for military applications. Any device you own that is powered by a battery is able to do so because of this conductivity. Keep that in mind the next time you go to take a cell phone call or play some video games.

Metalworking at Markham Metals

Of course, there’s a little bit of work that needs to be done before a metal can be ready for its desired application. Markham Metals is here to help with a wide variety of metalworking services that help to bend, shape and form metal to the dimensions necessary for it to work. If you need a metal fashioned for your next application, click here to request a quote and get started!

A worker in a blue uniform uses a hand sander to polish a silver metal bar.
By Dan Markham General Information • • • 0 Comments

Polished Metals vs. Unpolished Metals

If you’ve looked at the services listed out on our website before, you’ll notice that one of them doesn’t quite fit in with the others. While many of our services revolve around shaping and forming metal to exact dimensions, there’s one that doesn’t accomplish either of these; metal polishing! At its surface, it doesn’t sound like that important of a service to improve your metal. But, did you know that metal polishing can make your metals better and stronger than unpolished ones? We go into more detail as to how polished metals differ below!

Corrosion Resistance

Did you know that polished metals have a higher corrosion resistance than those that aren’t? Corrosion in metals is caused by a process called oxidation, where molecules of oxygen attach themselves to a metal and become capable of breaking through its surface. Part of the process of metal polishing is getting rid of these molecules. This means that metals that are polished corrode at a much slower rate than those that aren’t. Metal polishing can increase the duration of your metal’s life!

Damage Resistance

Corrosion isn’t the only thing that metal polishing services can protect against! Polished metals also have sturdier defenses from the general wear and tear that comes from their uses. The process of oxidation also adds a protective layer to your metal that makes it less susceptible to damage like bumps, scratches and other abrasions. This helps to ensure that your application won’t need to be repaired as often. Unpolished metals don’t have this resistance and therefore will need more treatment to maintain form.

Cleaning

Polished metals are even easier to clean than unpolished metals! The increased corrosion resistance that polishing provides makes your metals much stronger against the chemicals that reside in cleaning agents. These smoother surfaces also make it much harder for harmful bacteria and germs to latch onto them, meaning that you won’t need to clean your metals as often. Polished metals can prevent the spread of disease and also require less maintenance to keep in order.

Metal Polishing Services With Markham Metals

If you have a metal that’s been worked on, choose Markham Metals to give it that extra finish! Once you’ve used our other services to get your metal to its desired shape, polishing it can give it the longevity you desire. There’s only one way to reap the benefits that metal polishing services can offer: click here to contact us directly!