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One of our favorite sayings is "If you can't grow it, you have to mine
it!"
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Our Dependence on Mining (a short list) |
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Material |
Uses |
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Ceramics (made from clay, kaolinite, flint, feldspar, & quartz) |
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Glass |
Windows, Buildings, Art |
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Industrial Ceramics |
Turbine, Automotive, & Aerospace Components, Heat Exchangers,
Semiconductors, Seals, Prosthetics, Cutting Tools |
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Traditional Ceramics |
Tiles, Brick, Sewer Pipe, Pottery, Abrasive Wheels |
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Metals |
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Aluminum |
Aircraft (including 82% of a Boeing 747), Automobiles, Food
Containers, Drink Containers, Buildings & Other Construction,
Railroad Cars, Marine Craft, Electrical Applications
(Conductors), Appliances, Cooking Utensils, Furniture, Tools |
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Beryllium |
Rocket Nozzles, Space Craft, Missiles, Aircraft Disc Brakes,
Precision Instruments, Mirrors, X-Ray Applications, Springs,
Electrical Contacts, Nonsparking Tools |
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Copper |
Electrical & Electronic Components, Springs, Plumbing, Heat
Exchangers, Marine Hardware, Cooking Utensils, Jewelry,
Decorative Items, Polymer Molds, Lubricant in Hot Metal Forming
Operations, Brass (alloy of Copper & Zinc), Bronze (alloy of
Copper & Tin), Aluminum Bronze (alloy of Copper & Aluminum), And
Many Other Things |
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Lead |
Piping, Collapsible Tubing, Cable Sheathing, Roofing, Batteries,
X-Ray Shielding, Vibration Dampening, Ammunition, Weights,
Chemical Industry, Solders, Solid Lubricant in Metal Forming
Operations |
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Magnesium |
Aircraft, Missiles, Material Handling Equipment, Power Tools,
Ladders, Luggage, Bicycles, Sporting Goods, Cameras, Printing &
Textile Machinery |
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Nickel |
Superalloys (used for Jet Engine Components, Rockets, Nuclear
Power Plants), Food-Handling & Chemical Processing Equipment,
Coins, Marine Applications, Electromagnetic Applications such as
Solenoids, Electroplating, Important Component in Alloying other
Metals |
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Refractory Metals--Molybdenum, Niobium, Tungsten, & Tantalum |
Important Metals in Alloys because they maintain their strength
at elevated temperatures. |
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Steel (Made up of Iron, Boron, Calcium, Carbon, Cerium,
Chromium, Cobalt, Copper, Lead, Magnesium, Molybdenum, Nickel,
Niobium, Phosphorus, Selenium, Silicon, Sulfur, Tantalum,
Tellurium, Titanium, Tungsten, Vanadium, Zirconium) |
Automobiles, Appliances, Containers, Boilers, Ships, Bridges,
Buildings, Railroads, Tools, Musical Instruments, Fasteners,
Medical Instruments, Furniture, Computer Parts, Furnaces, Water
Heaters, Plumbing Fixtures, Lighting Fixtures, and Many Other
Things |
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Titanium |
Aircraft, Jet Engines, Racing Cars, Golf Clubs, Chemical,
Petrochemical, and Marine Components, Submarines, Armor Plate,
Biomaterials (such as Orthopedic Implants). We use Titanium
Oxide as a Polish |
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Zinc |
Galvanizing Iron & Steel, Alloys including Superplastic Alloys,
Batteries, Automobiles, Components of Household Appliances,
Photoengraving Equipment |
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Zirconium |
Electronic Components, Nuclear-Power Reactors |
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Polymers (made from coal and petroleum products) |
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Thermoplastic |
Acetals (Mechanical Parts, Wear Surfaces, Pipes, Valves,
Showerheads), Acrylics (Lenses, Lighted Signs, Displays,
Windshields, Lighting Fixtures, Display Stands), Cellulosics
(Tool Handles, Pens, Knobs, Eyeglasses Frames, Safety Goggles,
Helmets, Tubing, Steering Wheels, Packaging Film, Billiard
Balls, Toys, Decorations), Nylons (Gears, Bushings, Fasteners,
Zippers, Electrical Parts, Combs, Surgical Equipment, Physics
Induction Experiments), Polyesters, Polyethylenes, Polyvinyl
Chloride, Conducting Polymers (Adhesives, Microelectronics,
Rechargeable Batteries, Capacitors, Catalysts, Fuel Cells,
Fuel-Level Sensors, Radar Dishes, Antistatic Coatings, Sun
Roofs, Power Windows) |
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Thermoset Plastic |
Phenolic, knobs, pot & pan & other handles, light switch &
outlet components |
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