Headline
Aluminium flat rolled products find a variety of applications
Published On
May 29, 2012
Abstract
Besides forecasting demand and supply of Indian aluminium rolled products, we have also explored the entire value chain and estimated the profitability for different players in this industry. Aluminium flat rolled products have diverse applications across various end-user sectors, either as a foil or as a sheet.
Key Issues
- What are the stages involved in manufacturing aluminium rolled products? - Which are the major end users of aluminium rolled products? -
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No part of this Report may be published/reproduced/distributed in any form without CRISIL’s prior written approval.
Introduction
This report focuses on the aluminium rolled products industry. Besides forecasting demand and supply of Indian aluminium rolled products, we have also explored the entire value chain and estimated the profitability for different players in this industry. In this section, CRISIL Research take looks at the process for producing rolled products and its key applications. An aluminium rolled product is a downstream product formed by rolling aluminium ingots into flat sheets/plates or foils. The aluminium ingot is first hot-rolled and then cold-rolled before it comes out as a flat sheet. It is further processed depending on end-user specifications.
Rolled products account for over a fourth of aluminium demand
Primary aluminium (in ingot form) is cast into downstream products such as rolled products, extrusions, wire rods and castings depending on their applications. In 2010-11, demand patterns show that over a fourth of total aluminium ingots are estimated to have been further processed into rolled products.
Downstream aluminium consumption mix in India (2010-11)
Source: CRISIL Research
Manufacturing process involves hot-rolling and cold-rolling aluminium ingots
Aluminium is primarily produced in the form of ingots, which are about 600 millimeters thick. This ingot is heated at 500 degrees and passed several times through a hot rolling mill. The thickness of the metal is gradually reduced to around 6 mm. This thinner aluminium is then coiled and transported to the cold rolling mill for further processing. There are several types of cold rolling mills, which can manufacture rolled products as thin as 0.05 mm. Cold rolling occurs with aluminium at about 100 degrees, which increases the strength via strain hardening up to 20 per cent and also improves the surface finish. While hot rolling reduces thickness faster, the high temperature effects the properties of the aluminium sheet. Aluminium foils are manufactured by repeatedly cold rolling the aluminium sheet until the desired thickness is achieved. Post cold rolling aluminium sheets or foils are cut and shaped as per the requirement of end-user. Before rolling, alloying materials may also be added, after melting the aluminium ingot, to meet end-user specifications. For instance, automobiles use aluminium sheets, wherein manganese or zinc is alloyed with aluminium while kitchenware 2 of 4
No part of this Report may be published/reproduced/distributed in any form without CRISIL’s prior written approval.
or consumer durables use pure aluminium. Generally, the end product depends on the alloy, the rolling deformation and the thermal treatment used in the process as well as other careful adjustments to the mechanics and chemistry of the process.
Aluminium rolling process
Source: Industry, CRISIL Research
Rolled products have diverse applications
Aluminium flat rolled products have diverse applications across various end-user sectors, either as a foil or as a sheet. Foils are predominantly used in pharmaceutical packaging but are finding increasing usage in FMCG and household packaging. Sheets are also used in the packaging industry, in the form of aluminium caps and bottle crowns. Aluminium sheets of varying thicknesses are used by the automobile industry as body sheets and extensively used as flooring sheets. In the construction segment, aluminium sheets are used as roofs and have new found applications such as aluminium composite panel (ACP).
Difference between sheets and foils
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No part of this Report may be published/reproduced/distributed in any form without CRISIL’s prior written approval.
Source: Industry, CRISIL Research
Apart from these, aluminium sheets are also used in kitchenware and consumer durables as body material, heat exchange panels, etc.
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