Bronze – Shanghai Metal Corporation

Riace Warriors: No EXPO!

Until few weeks ago it seemed that the 2015 Milan Expo would have hosted the two famous bronze sculptures known as Riace Warriors. Unfortunately, the tourists coming from all over the world to visit this year’s edition of the Universal Exposition will not have the chance to admire these incredible pieces of art dubbed Bronzi di Riace. Some maintained that the two metal statues would have represented an added value for the exhibition, perfectly fitting with the healthy nutrition theme inspiring the 2015 Expo. Indeed the bronzes are the symbol of bodily vigor and muscle elasticity.

However, because of logistical issues the Riace Warriors will stay at the Magna Grecia National Museum of Reggio Calabria, in the southern of Italy. Indeed, after having gone through a delicate process of restoration between 2009 and 2011, the sculptures are today exhibited to the public inside a micro-climate room, and displayed on top of an anti-seismic platform made of Carrara marbled.

1268328325346_BRONZI-04 — from repubblica.it

You may wonder why here at Shanghai Metal Corporation we care so much about the Bronzi di Riace. First, because of their incredible story. These two metal statues were found in the Ionian Sea in 1972, 300 meters away from the coast of Riace, a tiny village close to Reggio Calabria. According to the analysis, the statues were probability made in Athens around 450 BC and then shipped to Rome. But the boat that was carrying them sank. The sculptures were then found interred under 8 meters of sand. Second, the statues are made of bronze and today after restoration their greatest splendor is again available to visitors. So if you plan to go to Italy for the 2015 Expo do not forget to book a flight for Reggio Calabria to see these amazing pieces of metal art.

QuarantannidalritrovamentodeibronzidiRiace — from artsblog.it

Take you time and come visiting our website. Did you know that Shanghai Metal Corporation provides you with a great selection of metals? Aluminum: it can be use for various applications. (Check out our aluminium tube/pipe, widely used for transportation.) Copper: it can be use for various applications. (Check out our superior quality copper foils) But also steel and so on. Great quality and competitive prices are our guidelines in order to satisfy clients from all over the world. Do not hesitate to contact us.

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Stefano // SMC Editor

Using Bronze Alloy to Lift Affliction

For thousands of years, copper and its alloy bronze were made at the service of war, construction, furniture and industrial components. However, bronze can also be use for the service of inner peace. An impressive example of this application is the great Buddha Statues of China. In 1993 was inaugurated one of the tallest Buddha statues in the world: the Tian Tan Buddha, in Hong Kong. The statue, on top of a 268 steps stair, lifts its left hand in the sign of removing the affliction and keeps its right hand in a giving gesture of generosity.

The exterior of this more than imposing Buddha statue is composed almost exclusively of bronze plating. Indeed, this sitting Buddha was builds from about 202 bronze pieces and is support by an impressive steel frame. The total structure of the Tian Tan Buddha weight over 250 metric tons. The statue, tall of more than 110 feet, is renowned to be seen as far as Macau.

The bronze alloy plates of the statue give its impressive and memorable shininess. A long lasting reminder of the great possibilities that occurs when faith, engineering and ambition work hand-in-hand.

As an international manufacturer and supplier for Bronze Plating, Shanghai Metal Corporation supplies its products to fit your specific copper, brass and bronze requirements.

To find out more, please visit our website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on social media by clicking on the click below to get news and update of our blog and product. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Source :
http://www.plm.org.hk/eng/buddha.php
http://www.discoverhongkong.com/

Photos from Google Image

Nicolas D.//SMC Editor

Do You Know How The UK Coins Are Made And What Are They Made of?

The processes involved in producing a coin can be broken down into three different sections: making the blanks, making the dies and striking the coins.

Making the blanks

Depending on the alloy required, the appropriate metals are melted in the necessary proportions in a furnace. The metal is then extracted from the furnace in the form of a continuous strip, which is cut to produce coils weighing up to 2.8 tonnes. The strip is passed through powerful rolling mills to reduce it to the thickness of a coin. Blank discs of metal are then punched from the strip in a blanking press at a rate of up to 10,000 a minute. Rolling metal under great pressure makes it hard so the blanks have to be softened, something which is achieved by heating them in an annealing furnace at up to 950°C.

Making the dies

Once a design has been approved, a plaster model is prepared at several times the diameter of the intended coin. The plaster model is scanned by a ruby-tipped probe which records the design as a digital file on a computer. Guided by this digital file, an engraving machine cuts the design into a piece of steel at the correct size of the coin. Known as a reduction punch, this piece of steel is then used to make the dies which will actually strike the coins.

Striking the coins

For the final stage of the process, the blanks are fed into a coining press containing a pair of dies. Applying a pressure of around 60 tonnes, the dies strike the blanks and turn them into coins at speeds of up to 850 a minute.

= 1 penny coin =

First Issued February 15, 1971

Diameter 20.3mm

Weight 3.56g

Thickness Bronze: 1.52mm. Copper-plated steel: 1.65mm

Composition Bronze (97pc copper, 2.5pc zinc, 0.5pc tin)

= 2 pence coin =

First Issued February 15, 1971

Diameter 25.9mm

Weight 7.12g

Thickness Bronze: 1.85mm. Copper-plated steel: 2.03mm

Composition Bronze (97pc copper, 2.5pc zinc, 0.5pc tin)

= 5 pence coin =

First Issued Smaller version in June 1990.

Diameter 18.0mm

Weight 3.25g

Thickness 1.7mm

Composition Cupro-nickel (75pc copper, 25pc nickel)

= 10 pence coin =

First Issued Smaller version in September 1992.

Diameter (since 1992) 24.5mm

Weight 6.5g

Thickness 1.85mm

Composition Cupro-nickel (75pc copper, 25pc nickel)

= 20 pence coin =

First Issued June 9, 1982

Diameter 21.4mm

Weight 5g

Thickness 1.7mm

Composition Cupro-nickel (84pc copper, 16c nickel)

= 50 pence coin =

First Issued Smaller version introduced in September 1997. Diameter (since 1997) 27.3mm

Weight 8.0g

Thickness 1.78mm

Composition Cupro-nickel (75pc copper, 25pc nickel)

= 1 pound coin =

Issue Date April 21, 1983

Diameter 22.5mm

Weight 9.5g

Thickness 3.15mm

Composition Nickel-Brass (70pc copper, 5.5pc nickel, 24.5pc zinc)

= 2 pound coin =

First Issued June 15, 1998

Diameter 28.4mm

Weight 12g

Thickness 2.5mm

Composition, Outer Nickel-Brass (76pc copper, 4pc nickel, 20pc zinc). Inner Cupro-nickel (75pc copper, 25pc nickel)

= 5 pound coin =

First Issued August 4, 1990. Previously crowns had a face value of 25p

Diameter 38.61mm

Weight 28.28g

Thickness 2.89mm

Composition Cupro-nickel (75pc copper, 25pc nickel)

Collector versions have been struck in precious metals

As an international manufacturer and supplier for copper sheet and bronze sheet, Shanghai Metal Corporation produces slitting, edging, and oscillates winding to fit your specific copper requirements. To find out more, please visit our Website or send your inquiry here. Our English speaking personnel will be more than pleased to help you. Follow us on LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Instagram and don’t forget to subscribe to our YouTube channel. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code.

Sources: Royal Mint, The Telegraph, museumvictoria.com.au

William P.//SMC Editor

Fabbing 3D Printed Houses Using Soybean: The Revolution in Housing Industry

Imagine a time when we all could afford a house. Imagine a time when all houses no differently are “green” with zero environment impact. Each “green” house could be customized according to users’ needs and desires, but yet has the same features of traditional cement-and-brick houses to accommodate plumbing system, electrical wiring and insulation. These “green” housing structures are made of biodegradable soybean based material, which can be torn down and 100% recycled.

This future may be here sooner than we all could have imagined. Sofoklis Giannakoupoulous, a researcher at Barcelona’s IaaC (the Institute for Advanced Architecture of Catalonia) has been developing a building structure that is stronger than reinforced concrete. He uses a soybean-based brownish-looking powder that could be extruded – or 3D printed – that are more solid than concrete.

Although it may sound absurd others companies have been experimented their own biodegradable mix materials to print chunks of buildings. Most notably companies such as Dus Architects and Ultimaker in the Netherlands have only printed so far a 3m-high, 180-kg sample corner of the future canal house using hotmelt, a bio-plastic mix that’s about 75% plant oil.

Watch here http://vimeo.com/87843940 the 3D Print Canal House – the world’s first movable 3D-printer pavillion. They plan to construct skycrapers by stacking and connecting the chunks together like LEGO bricks, forming multi-story complexes.

The technologies offered by the new 3D-housing-printing could revolutionize the way we make our cities. With 3D-printing we challenge the conventional building industry, one of the most polluting and environment harmful; there is no waste, construction costs are reduced, industrial waste from demolished buildings can be recycled and turned into new building materials and the new biodegradable materials are less expensive than concrete.

The future scenario of the 3D printing is yet to be seen but its game-changing potential is already provoking much interest in the public; over 2,000 people have come to visit the site, including the US president, Barack Obama.

Shanghai Metal Corporation takes pride in the manufacturing and trading of metal products used in manufacturing 3D printer parts. Tin coil, tin plate, and other metal clays such as copper, bronze, steel, have excellent features and properties in corrosion resistance and varying applications for printing plates, paint containers and parts used in 3D printers. We guarantee the best prices, quality support, and fast delivery. To find out more, please visit our Website, WordPress, LinkedIn , Twitter , Facebook and Instagram. Or you could try our new mobile app by scanning our QR code. Moreover, we sell directly from Alibaba , EC21 and Tradekey.

#BuildingValueAcrossTheGlobe

Source and Pictures: 3dprintingindustry.com, 3dprinting-stocks.com, archdaily.com, huffingtonpost.com, gigaom.com

Camilla G.//SMC Editor

Copper an Egyptian symbol of eternal life towards an increasing symbol of sustainability.

Copper is known to be a major metal and an essential element used all around the globe. It is the oldest metal known to man and was first discovered and used about 10,000 years ago; however it was only alloyed in bronze circa 3000 BC, making it the first engineering material known to man.

The first facts about copper relates to the pyramids of Cheops, located in Egypt. Archeologists have found water pipes partly made from copper. Piping network has been used in Egypt for more than 5000 years. Therefore, copper was believed as the symbol of the eternal life.

Nowadays, copper is not only restricted to piping work, but it has expanded to include heating, cooling and refrigeration, electrical wiring, electronics, power generation and transmission, automotive applications, antimicrobial uses and many more. Moreover, copper can still be considered a symbol of eternal life for the Egyptians; however it can also be considered as a sustainable material; when taking in consideration its process of extraction, production and retail.

Therefore, The Eden Project based in Cornwall, England is one of the most innovative and high profile of the Millennium Projects. It is the largest plant enclosure in the world built in the lightest and most ecological way possible. Eden’s aim was to build the Core (education center) with the highest sustainable specifications, challenging the conventions for sustainable design and construction, with targets above the national benchmarks and using carefully selected materials. The team considered the complex interaction between a range of criteria of sustainable issues, specifically waste neutrality, positive futures, recycled content, certification of materials and local sourcing implications.

The key criteria affecting the choice of roofing material were:

to make a bold architectural statement to complement Eden’s ground-breaking architecture and landscapes;
to be durable, strong and relatively lightweight;
to be malleable enough to cope with the complex structure of the roof;
to have excellent sustainability credentials, and
most importantly for a building dedicated to education at Eden, the roof should highlight a progressive message relating to sustainable development issues.

While copper can be relatively expensive for a roof and is in strong competition with other roofing materials, it is robust, even when turned into sheets, malleable, completely waterproof and very long lasting: physical properties that made it ideal for the roof’s complex design. Aesthetically too, copper is the only common metal; other than gold, that is not grey or silver, making it one of the most easily recognized metals, thus aiding engagement with visitors as a first step to relating the sustainability message.

As an international manufacturer, supplier for copper sheet, bronze sheet and many more copper materials. Shanghai Metal Corporation produces slitting, edging, and oscillating winding to fit your specific copper requirements. At Shanghai Metal Corporation our Primary Goal is Sustainable Growth because it improves the quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come. It encompasses environmental, economic and social dimensions, as well as the concept of stewardship, the responsible management of resource use. More information on copper can be found on our website here. be sure to join the conversation in our Linkedln group, Facebook.

点击以访问 rock-to-roof-journey-of-copper.pdf

(http://infactcollaborative.com/things/facts-about-copper.html)

(http://www.copper.org/education/copper-production)

http://www.shanghaimetal.com

William P.// SMC Editor

A Secret Place in New York City, The Clocktower Gallery

Albert Einstein once said that if he could have chosen what he would have become, he would have became a watchmaker. Up to September 2001, the Clocktower in New York City used to be open for public visit for those who ever wonder how a clock works. However, after the attacks, the clock was made off limits to casual visitors due to its landmarked status. Only the clock master and special guests are allowed to visit the clock itself.

The clock was built in 1898 and is made of a 5000-pound bronze structure, representing the largest mechanical clock still in operation in the city. Since then, the clock tower was bought and landmarked by New York City.

In 1972 Alanna Heiss opened the Clocktower Gallery, offering series of art spaces. It resides in the top two floors of the Clock Tower Office, a government-owned building in Tribeca. The clock, however, was not up and running until 1979 when a man named Marvin Schneider asked the city if he could fix the clock for them. Later on, MoMA stepped in and became an affiliate.

The Clocktower Gallery itself used to be opened to the public throughout the 40 years since its opening. This year the Clocktower moved into Pioneer Works for a full year, and the city decided to sell the floor out from under them to develop studio residencies.

Although such a gem in the heart of NYC disappear, a new alternative contemporary art space is planned to open next year in Queens, according to experts.

Shanghai Metal Corporation is an international manufacturer, supplier for bronze sheet/plate, and a leader in producing slitting, edging, and oscillate winding to fit your specific bronze requirements. For our full list of products that we offer check out our website here. Be sure to join the conversation in our LinkedIn group, Facebook, and Twitter.