When it comes to industries that depend on metal finishing, aerospace manufacturing may not be the first thing most people think of. But of course, the aerospace industry depends strongly on superior-quality metals that must meet strict regulations and requirements to ensure aircraft and spacecraft are ready for flight.
At Polished Metals, our team provides metal finishing for the aerospace industry, specializing particularly in common aerospace metals such as high-grade aluminum and stainless steel. Today, we’re providing an industry breakdown on aerospace manufacturing, including common metals, finishes, and use cases in this space.
Metals Used in Aerospace Projects
Across the aerospace manufacturing industry, aluminum and stainless steel are by far the most commonly used metals. Let’s take a look at how these metals are beneficial.
Aluminum
Aluminum is simply the ideal material for many use cases throughout the aerospace manufacturing industry. First, it’s one of the lightest metals—but this does not mean it’s weak by any means. In fact, high-grade aluminum used in aerospace applications can reach a tensile strength upwards of 13,000 PSI, which can be increased through cold working or alloying with other metals.
Overall, aluminum’s strength to weight ratio is incredible, and alongside its corrosion resistance and superior ductility, it is perhaps the most common metal in aerospace projects.
Stainless Steel
Alongside aluminum, stainless steel is also one of the most common aerospace metals. Stainless steel is renowned for its tensile strength which typically outperforms aluminum. While it is heavier, aircraft can still make effective use of stainless steel when this weight is accounted for.
Stainless steel is also highly corrosion resistant and maintains its mechanical properties across a wide range of temperatures. This also means particular stainless steel alloys see use in spacecraft.
Aerospace Metal Finishing: Use Cases 
Various finished metals are used throughout the aerospace manufacturing industry. By volume, most metal, and particularly sheet metal, is used for the body of the aircraft (fuselage) and the wings. Aluminum is a common choice for these components.
Stainless steel may be used for structural components including frames, landing gear, engine mounts, and exhaust systems. Various other metals, such as brass, titanium, nickel, and tungsten, may be used for specific purposes as well.
Industry Considerations
All industries have their own unique considerations and nuances when it comes to requirements for products used within them. For aerospace manufacturing, some of the chief considerations that metal finishing companies must be able to meet include:
- Strict Regulatory Standards – Whether for aircraft or spacecraft, the aerospace manufacturing industry has extremely high standards for the quality of metals used in this space. Metal finishing companies must be able to meet these standards across all of their aerospace metal finishing projects.
- Metal Quality Requirements – Aerospace metal finishing companies must also be able to source superior-quality materials for these projects. In order to meet the standards for strength, durability, and weight, it’s essential to have strong industry contacts from which companies can source high-grade metals.
- Timelines and Volume – Aerospace manufacturing may frequently require high-volume orders to stay within timelines for their projects. This means metal finishing professionals working in this space must be able to process these orders—while maintaining superior quality from start to finish.
Polished Metals: Expert Metal Finishing for Aerospace Projects
Polished Metals is the global leader in metal finishing, and our team has supplied high volumes of finished metals for use by various companies in the aerospace manufacturing industry. Our team has the experience and skill for these demanding projects, as well as strong industry connections enabling us to source high-grade materials for your project.
Reach out today for a quote!