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EVERYTHING FROM A SINGLE SOURCE
That is our promise to you. It’s a challenge that everyone poses themselves anew day in, day out. Because it’s only through continuous optimisation that HAI is today able to offer a complete production chain, from casting through to finishing. All that happens with the greatest passion for the highly complex material, aluminium. That makes HAI your ideal partner – and your reliable provider of complete solutions.
Casting
Different recycled materials are used according to precisely calculated formulations. That is the basis for the optimum admixing of the alloy metals in the melting furnace. The aluminium ingots are subjected to a 100% full-body ultrasonic inspection for inclusions and surface cracks.
Extrusion
More than 15 standard and special alloys cover all the specific demands. Innovative technologies guarantee the ideal balance between all eight presses. An important role is played here by the extrusion presses.
Processing
Dimensions of up to 20 x 4 x 1.6 m are processed – in addition to milling, sawing, drilling, bending or punching, the welding of aluminium is another of HAI’s outstanding competences. This allows complete components to be produced efficiently.
SERVICE
Location commitment
The long-standing aluminium tradition in Ranshofen is of great importance to us. The continuity of this industrial site forms the basis for our young and dynamic company that is firmly anchored not only in the industry but also in the region. Our production sites in Germany and Romania are a continuation of our success story.
Strategic dynamics
HAI unites long-standing tradition with the dynamics of a young company. Our competence, passion and commitment make us an ideal and attractive partner.
The highest quality
Quality has many facets and comprises many aspects: From the technical performance capability, through compliance with the highest environmental standards, up to deadline compliance and delivery reliability. This is all driven by one guiding principle: the enthusiasm and passion for aluminium, combined with the constant desire to always find the best solution for our customers.
Motivated team
As an employer, HAI promotes an atmosphere in which everyone is treated with respect and honesty. The technical and emotional competence of our employees and their passionate commitment are an expression of true team spirit.
Successful customers
The goals of our customers are what drives us to constantly look for new ideas and solutions. We make a lasting contribution to the success of our customers. Together we reach for the stars and achieve the impossible.
Continuous improvement
In our eyes, the continuous improvement process (CIP) is more than just an instrument for optimising work processes and safety standards. It really embodies a corporate culture: CIP encourages the employees to make an active contribution towards shaping the success of our company.
ALU-WIKI
ALU-FACTS
Alu-Fact no. 1: conductive
In comparison to copper, aluminium needs roughly 1.6 times the cross-section, but is only half as heavy.
Aluminium as a material
With a proportion of 8%, aluminium is the third most frequently found element in the crust of the earth – behind oxygen and silicon. Among the metals, the material actually takes 1st place (iron: 6%). Aluminium is a chemical element with the atomic number 13. The name comes from the Latin word “alumen”, meaning „alum“. Pure aluminium has a silvery colour and is an extremely light metal.
Source: GDA & Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V.; www.aluinfo.de
Alu-Fact no. 2: formable & non-magnetic
Aluminium can be formed using all common methods, with or without cutting. Aluminium is non-magnetic, a great bonus in electrical engineering, electronics and machine engineering.
Aluminium – extraction
Bauxite is required for the extraction of aluminium. The aluminium hydroxide is separated from the bauxite under pressure and heat using the “Bayer” process, and this is subsequently fired to produce aluminium oxide. In the second extraction stage, the metal is then extracted in aluminium plants using fused-salt electrolysis.
Source: GDA & Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V.; www.aluinfo.de
Alu-Fact no. 3: light & non-flammable
Aluminium only weighs around one-third as much as steel. The reduced weight predestines aluminium for use in transport applications. Aluminium increases fire protection in buildings and transport systems! It melts at 660°C, but without releasing gases.
The history of aluminium
It is a fairly young metal. The English chemist Humphry Davy tried to describe it in 1807 – and failed. It was not until 1825 that a Dane, Hans Christian Oersted, proved its existence. Two years later, Friedrich Wöhler produced aluminium in pure form for the first time. In 1854, Henri Etienne Sainte-Claire Deville invented a first technically viable process for aluminium extraction. But the process proved to be too costly at that time. In retrospect, 1886 is regarded as the year that the modern aluminium industry was born. Independently of one another, Hall and Héroult applied for patents for the fused-salt electrolysis process. In the years that followed, the production of aluminium grew rapidly. Alloys significantly improved the properties of the material. Today, aluminium is the second most widely used metal behind the ferrous materials; the aluminium industry has developed into a key economic sector.
Source: GDA & Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V.; www.aluinfo.de
Alu-Fact no. 4: resistant & recyclable
Aluminium does not corrode and is therefore suitable for practically all outdoor applications. It can be integrated into the material cycle again with only 5% of the raw metal extraction. During the further course of the process, aluminium can be melted and transformed into new products as often as required.
Aluminium as an important economic sector (example Germany)
Aluminium is produced or processed in around 600 plants in Germany. These companies (some of which operate worldwide) and the small and medium-sized enterprises thereby create jobs and incomes for a large number of people linked directly or indirectly to this sector. The aluminium industry in Germany had 74,000 direct employees in 2011. In 2011, the aluminium industry generated a turnover of around EUR 14.7 billion (2004 = EUR 13.1 billion). More than two-thirds of the turnover was achieved by the producers of raw aluminium and aluminium intermediates; the companies engaged in the further processing of aluminium accrued sales of some EUR 2.7 billion in 2011.
Source: GDA & Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V.; www.aluinfo.de
Alu-Fact no. 5: non-toxic
Aluminium does not represent a threat to health and therefore plays an important role in the packaging industry for foodstuffs, for example.
Aluminium and health
Due to its nature, aluminium occurs almost exclusively in bound form (i.e. as an aluminium compound) – such as in clay, gneiss and granite. According to a report by the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) published in May 2008 on the safety of the aluminium intake from food, most unprocessed foodstuffs contain less than 5 mg aluminium/kg. According to a study by the European Food Safety Authority, we take in between 1 and 15 mg of aluminium per day via our food, depending on the country and dietary habits. In healthy people, more than 99% of the aluminium taken in via food each day is excreted again unabsorbed. A question of heated discussion of late is whether and to what extent aluminium compounds are taken in via the skin through the use of cosmetics. According to scientific analyses of the known data by IKW, the intake of aluminium through the normal daily use of cosmetics such as antiperspirants lies within the permitted tolerable weekly intake. Aluminium compounds as constituents have already been declared on the packagings of foodstuffs (E numbers) and cosmetics for many years. Consumers can work towards reducing the intake through their consumption habits and the proper handling of aluminium consumer articles according to the instructions for their use. Whether as asthma aerosols in aluminium cans, medical creams in aluminium tubes, tablets in blister packs, healthy meals-on-wheels in aluminium trays, stretchers, etc., these numerous products made of metallic aluminium contribute considerably to maintaining or improving public health.
Source: GDA & Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V.; www.aluinfo.de
Alu-Fact no. 6: strong
Alloys can be added to make aluminium just as strong and stable as steel, while still remaining light.
Wealth of potential applications for aluminium
Aluminium is to be found wherever weight reduction, stability and corrosion resistance are called for.
For example,
- in households (aluminium foil, pots and pans, garden chairs, cupboard handles, bicycle frames and much more)
- as packaging (foodstuffs, cosmetics or medication)
- as structural elements (window and door frames, conservatories, sunshades, facade claddings, roof and wall systems, etc.)
- in sport and leisure activities (bicycle frames and parts, ladders, camping articles, etc.)
- in transportation and traffic systems (chassis, gearboxes, engines, etc.)
- in machine engineering and electrical engineering (robot parts, cylinders, heat sinks, housings for motors, capacitors, etc.)
Source: GDA & Gesamtverband der Aluminiumindustrie e.V.; www.aluinfo.de