14 10, 2021

Taber Extrusions Social Study: Aluminum’s Economic Impact

2021-10-14T02:28:11+00:00October 14th, 2021|

A photograph of a piece of paper, a dark blue pushpin is affixed at the top of a bar graph alongside a blue pen below which are the words “Taber Extrusion Social Study: Aluminum’s Economic Impact.”

Aluminum is everywhere. Many of the conveniences of modern life would not be possible without it. It is a crucial element for modern innovative applications, for sustainability, and also for the progress of the economy. Its strong and lightweight features and ability to be infinitely recycled propelled the U.S. aluminum industry to become the backbone of the nation’s manufacturing base. With the findings of research conducted by John Dunham & Associates and released by the Aluminum Association, this blog will delve deeper into the impact of aluminum on the United States’ economy.

An image of a person wearing a black helmet and a thick red jacket welding a piece of metal, with green light sparking out of the welding machinery.

The Aluminum Industry Generates Jobs

Several challenges have been presented to the industry in recent years, still, the aluminum market has shown a great deal of resilience. Even though the aluminum industry faced several challenges, including many job losses, growth in downstream segments like flat-rolled products and extrusions provided a way to compensate.

 

Today, the American aluminum industry directly employs over 166,000 people that generate more than 170 billion dollars in economic output. In addition, over 494,000 workers are indirectly employed, which contributes another 102 billion dollars to economic activity. As a whole, over 660,000 U.S. jobs are supported by the production, processing, and use of aluminum. Those employed in the aluminum industry earn an average yearly salary that is above the national average. Indirect employees contribute 44 billion dollars in wages and benefits to the economy. When all employment supported by the industry is considered, these jobs generate nearly 16 billion dollars in federal, state, and local taxes. 

An image of the tops of a bunch of shiny, unopened aluminum cans beneath a gray banner with the word “Recyclable” and a graphic of the green recycling symbol next to it.

Aluminum Recycling Generates High-Value Economic Impact

Aside from being strong and lightweight, aluminum also has the advantage of retaining its properties, making it one of the most recyclable materials. Having said that, the aluminum industry has recycled more than 70 percent of its output since it was established.

Aluminum recycling conserves more than 90 percent of the energy costs required in primary production. Recycling a pound of aluminum saves about 7 kilowatt-hours of electricity. Also, it is the only material in the consumer disposal stream that generates a greater return than the cost of its collection. Every minute, an average of 113,000 aluminum cans are recycled. The aluminum industry pays a tremendous amount of money to replace empty aluminum cans. With the recycling of aluminum, specifically aluminum cans, charitable organizations have been developed and supported for decades and more decades to come. 

An image of cylindrical billets of aluminum resting on top of each other with beams of wood between each of them and green bands to hold them in place.

Aluminum is a major contributor to the nation’s manufacturing base and economy, supporting thousands of jobs in many communities and regions. Over 660,000 workers are employed by the industry, which generates 170 billion dollars in economic output each year. Moreover, aluminum is considered to be a sustainable metal. This means it can be recycled multiple times without the risk of degrading breaking. Taber Extrusions understands the important role that aluminum plays in the nation’s economy and contributes to that role by providing various processing services related to aluminum. A few of these services include aluminum extrusions, micro extrusions, billet casting, aluminum fabrication, and friction stir welding.

ABOUT TABER

Founded in 1973, Taber Extrusions is the pioneer of extruding rectangular billet, allowing the company to manufacture solid profiles up to 31 inches wide or hollow profiles up to 29 inches wide. With the purchase of an extrusion facility in Gulfport, MS, Taber expanded its capabilities with a state-of-the-art cast house, two additional presses, micro extrusion capability, and numerous fabrication expansions.

Taber continues to extrude billets in an array of alloys and sizes. Its markets have expanded beyond the military to include aerospace, automotive, marine, infrastructure, and sporting goods. For these markets, the company supplies cast and extruded products in various soft and hard alloys.

Today, Taber Extrusions is a vertically integrated supplier of friction stir welding panels and assemblies in North America not previously seen – offering extruded aluminum components, value-added machining services, and raw materials.

Follow Taber Extrusions

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/8843183/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/taberextrusions/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/taberextrusions

Are you interested in joining the Taber Team? Send your resume to: careers@taberextrusions.com

Become a customer today! Visit us or request a quote: https://taberextrusions.com or call us at (888) 985-5319.

17 10, 2018

Aluminum Extrusions Provide Healthcare Solutions

2018-10-17T18:35:39+00:00October 17th, 2018|

Aluminum extrusions have countless benefits, almost all of which can benefit the medical and healthcare industry. Aluminum extrusions for the healthcare industry allow for flexible designs that can help meet very specific needs.

All patients are unique, so the machines, devices, and tools needed for the healthcare industry also vary dramatically. Aluminum extrusions make highly specialized parts that are designed to fit these very specific needs. From oversized aluminum extrusions to micro extrusions, we will review why aluminum is an ideal choice for medical products.

Why choose aluminum extrusions for the healthcare industry?

In 2016, health spending per person in the U.S. was $10,348 and made up 18% of the GDP. By lowering the cost of healthcare equipment and devices,  creating savings for both providers and patients. Some benefits of using aluminum extrusions are as follows:

  • Aluminum is non-magnetic, non-sparking and inert
  • Durable – Post extrusion processes help make medical devices resistant to the environment, chemicals, and abrasiveness, allowing for products that have long-lasting strength and reliability.
  • Flexible design – With modern technology, medical devices are often electronic and computer- This means that these machines need very specialized, small parts. Aluminum extrusions allow for highly specific designs to meet these needs.
  • Lower costs – As mentioned before, aluminum extrusions can achieve desired performance at a fraction of the cost because of lower material costs. As technology improves and becomes more affordable, so do the devices that are used in tandem with them (i.e. fibre optic cables, sensors, stints, etc.)
  • Alumimum extrusions are key components in patient handling systems as well as patient care systems example https://www.hill-rom.com/usa/Products/Category/Patient-Handling/ these systems create a safer, better patient experience while decreasing the load requirements on the caregiver.

Case Example:

Leading Company’s Modern IGRT/IRMT Solution

Modern IGRT/IRMT MRI Machine

Previously, 64 mechanical ‘leaves’ in the machine were coupled with pneumatic actuators, opening and closing to deliver a prescribed radiation dosage. Occasionally, these couplings would break and cause the machine to shut down. The objective was to redesign these couplings to improve the system’s up-time while reducing part costs and manufacturing complexity. This is where aluminum extrusions came in.

Rather than using EDM steel coupling, they were replaced with aluminum extrusions (6063 alloys that were hard coat anodized). They tweaked the parts’ design for improved strength and durability and, as a result, there were no failures throughout a 10 million cycle test regimen. Overall, this ‘snap fit’ assembly cut labor by 30 to 60 minutes per assembly and cut component manufacturing costs by nearly 90%.

How Taber can provide you healthcare solutions?

Taber Extrusions wants to lead the way in supporting medical component manufacturers with their aluminum extrusion needs. Taber offers a

Take our work in microextrusions for medical devices for example. We have helped companies that create life-saving devices and want to continue to expand our collaborations in this industry. ‘Good products at low costs’ is what Taber tries to provide to its customers and the healthcare industry is the perfect place to do that.

About Taber Extrusions

Founded in 1973, Taber Extrusions originally pioneered a process for extruding rectangular billet which enables the company to extrude solid profiles up to 31 inches wide or hollows up to 29 inches. Taber expanded with the purchase of an extrusion facility in Gulfport, MS in 1995 which houses a new state of the art cast house, two additional presses, and a fabrication area that has been expanded multiple times. Taber continues to extrude billet in a wide range of alloys. and sizes.

Taber Extrusions recently expand their capabilities to include ultra-precision aluminum extrusions®. To learn more about how we can be of service visit: https://taberextrusions.com/   For inquiries or quotes visit: https://taberextrusions.com/contact-us/

Follow Taber Extrusions

LINKEDIN: https://www.linkedin.com/company/8843183/

FACEBOOK: https://www.facebook.com/taberextrusions/

TWITTER: https://twitter.com/taberextrusions

Interested in becoming a part of the Taber Team?  Submit your resume to careers@taberextrusions.com.

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