Alloy Tech

An ingot is a mass of metal or semiconducting material, heated past its melting point and then cast into a shape, which is easy to handle, often a bar or block. Additionally, ingots may be moulds from which metal objects are cast.

An ingot is usually rectangular in shape and is subsequently rolled into blooms and billets. Ingots play an integral part in the production of almost all aluminum products. Plates, sheets, foils, wires, rods, and bar products are all produced by pressing or rolling ingots.

Ingots are cast from molten aluminum. In the cast house, crucibles of molten aluminum empty their silvery liquid either directly into moulds or into a holding furnace where the metal is kept molten at temperatures between 1200 and 1500 degrees F. Alloying elements are then added.