research paper

This report was a look into how the metal process has changed. The metal processing industry started as something small. Many people didn’t know what was happening. Stone tools where the only things available that where hard enough to cut other stones. The discovery of making metal liquid or in to a workable slab improved everything. The new things that were being made out of metal where better. Tools where stronger. Weapons where more effective. Jewelry became the thing to have if you were rich. This is because the first things made of steel and other metals that where expensive. The products where being made by blacksmiths. The technology that we have developed for it could do the same work at a much more efficient way. Steel is now one of the biggest industries. Many new things will continue to be developed to advance metal processing.

Contents Abstract 2 Table of Figures 4 Driving forces 5 The Process of Technology Diffusion 7 The Future Outlook 9 References 11

The Advancements of Metal Processing in Today’s Industry

Metal processing has come a long way since it started. The first know metal processing was done in about 5000 B.C (Cramb). This is when they believe copper was being made into sheets of workable metal. This also led to other types of metal processing like metal casting. Metal casting is when molten metal gets poured in to a mold to make the shape of the mold. The molds are made out of wood then compressed with sand. The mold gets pulled apart and the wood pieces get taken off. The shape is left over. Then is put back together and that’s when the metal is poured into. The first medal casting was a cooper frog that scientist believe it dates to 3200 B.C and casted in Mesopotamia (MetalTechnologies.com). One of the best technologies to come out of metal processing has been the discovery of Iron and steel. Steel is iron with 1% of carbon. Iron was first discovered in 2000 B.C (MetalTechnologies.com). Technology grew and so did metal processing.

The use of metals in everyday life made things easier. The persons that where using them didn’t have to rely on rocks, stone tools or animal parts. One of the parts where metal processing was used was in weapon making. Stone weapons was a push factor for better metal weapons. The metal used could be made into spears, armor and cannons.

The creation of cannons happen because of two things. In 645 B.C. the first sand molding where created in china (MetalTechnologies.com). Then in 233 B.C. Cast iron plowshares where developed in China. These two discoveries help create the cannon. The cannon can be categorize as a pull factor. Many early battles were fought using a cannon. We still use it today it’s just more advance. The first cannons provided a major advantage because they were unstoppable. In 1324 English fortress of La Réole in Gascony fell after a month's bombardment by cannon (themcs.org). The cannon was made possible because of the metal casting. They went from being made of bamboo to being made of metal.

Another push factor was stone tools. Stone tools where the first tools to be used by mankind. They were used to kill, eat and build things. The development of metal tools made things easier and changed many societies. The stone tools where replaced by copper.

When copper tools where introduced it changed things. The first things that copper tools did was slow the production of stone tools (Bailly). This happened in Europe at around 3500 B.C and 2000 B.C (Bailly). The tools where being made out of steel, cooper, and iron. These metals where being made in blacksmith shops all around Europe an Egypt. The technology of metal tools was being diffused in a wave pattern through Europe (Bailly). Although the steel and copper tools where very efficient they didn’t completely replace stone tools (Bailly). They didn’t replace them in the places where copper tools where hard to come by. Tree cutters still relied in there stone axes. The copper tools where commonly used in towns, as time went by and people expanded there knowledge of making tools. Some of the tools eventually made it out of Europe and some into Europe. Egypt is also known for developing steel tools. This is evident when many of the pyramids and statues in Egypt where made with copper and steel chisels. They is also evident in status that where carved out of marble with metal tools in Greece. The tombs of many people have been found with necklaces and other jewelry (Bailly). These tools made possible because of metal working and combining metals to achieve the right hardness. The first copper tools weren’t hard and broke easily (Bailly). This made the search for better quality metals.

There were many push and pull factors as metal processing evolved. The first thing that began to change was the way metal was being made. Once the metal was made people found many uses for it. The push factor for metal processing where the need of better tools and better weapons. The pull factors for metal processing where harder tools, the weapons where effective and the tools where more efficient. Many things changed because of this new technologies. Metal processing is changing still today. Many different things are being created advance metal processing there is still many things that use metal. Like welding, cutting, forging and fabricating things for everyday life.

The diffusion of metal processing since it’s begin has allowed us to change the word. The way we use everyday things from automobiles to the houses we live in. The technology has spread all around the world. Today we use it in many applications. We have the developed new ways to mold metal, to connect it and to make it stronger.

The beging of metal processing can be traced back to many years ago. The earliest of people where melting copper and other metals to make jewelry. Then they realized they could make tools. The tools where later distributed to other countries. The first of the metal processing technologies was found in the in the Egypt. The table above shows what was being creating in Egypt. Egypt was where some of the technologies where born. Later on the technologies where transported outside of Egypt. Egyptians used stone tolls to build some of their most famous buildings.

Another technology that came out of the Iron Age was steel. Steel originated about 4000 years ago (Bell, metals.about.com). This new type of metal replaced what was the most common metal used which was Bronze (Bell, metals.about.com). The new technology quickly began to replace the bronze tools and weapons. Steel is made of iron ore which gets heated in a furnace. The furnace releases the impurities from the iron ore. Carbon then gets added to make it more durable (Keen Ovens).The iron ore is derived from the ground. This is what made steel so important in the early stages of its production. Many of the things that were being made from steel where for only the richest. They were most likely gifts given to each other in special occasions (The Steel Federation,A.S.). These gift where made by craftsman and made then in low volumes. Not all places had iron ores. When it was available many things began to be produced. The Great Moravian Empire started to make tools for wood working, hoes, spades, scythes, sickles and other products (The Steel Federation,A.S.). There was about a total of 100 iron products (The Steel Federation,A.S.). The production of iron was still very expensive and took a long time. This would remain the same for a long time. Eventually other continents began to make their own steel and iron. The first of the mass producers where England and Europe (The Steel Federation,A.S.). These new rate of producing things from iron started in the middle 19th century. This was possible because of the invention of crucible steel (The Steel Federation,A.S.). The technology allowed for the making of hard metals without the use of forging rods and plates. In 1855 a patent for refining pig iron in the crucible was stablished (The Steel Federation,A.S.).

The invention of steel is something many take for granted. Many things today are made out of steel. Many buildings are made out of steel. It has become the world most recycle and produced metal. The steel industry has grown a lot from when it started. The places you will find still today is in construction, transport, energy, packaging and appliances (Bell, metals.about.com). The number one of user of steel is construction. The use of steel makes for strong buildings at a low-price (Bell, metals.about.com). The most significant user of steel in transportation was in railroads. This is what expanded growth in many countries at the end of the 20th century (Bell, metals.about.com). 50% of the weight of a modern car is because of the steel. Many things use steels. The process of recycling will make it that we will continue to use it for a long time.

The future of metal processing is still unknown. One thing is for sure it won’t stop. Many new technologies are being made to work with metal at a much efficient way. Steel will still continue to be the number one recycled metal. Since the start of making metal and to now the world has evolved with it. Imagine if the process of working with metal had not been discovered. Many things would not have been built or they would have been only constructed out of cement. The thing that I learned is that many people are still not sure when the metal process started. They just say about 3000B.C. to 5000B.C. hopefully will be exact one day.

The new technologies that are been created will help us work with metal much better. At the beginning of the metal processing, products where very expensive (Bell, metals.about.com). The products that where being made where made out of bronze which was not that great for making tools. Then steel was created. Steel is iron mixed with carbon to make a strong metal. Other metals were also being used around the same time. Steel was the one that was recognized as a metal witch could be used in a lot of applications. The modern steel industry would of have not been possible if it wasn’t for Henry Bessemer in 1856 (Bell, metals.about.com). The method devolved used oxygen to lower the amount of carbon. Too much carbon and the metal doesn’t melt (Bell, metals.about.com). The steel industry was one of the most used and diffused technology from metal processing.

I think that metal process as an industry will grow. There are many things that could be built with steel. The California High Speed Rail that will be built in California is going to need a lot of steel to make its rails run from San Francisco to Los Angeles. This train is also going to go into other cities like Sacramento. The train is going to need everything the metal process has. The parts for the train is going to need CNC machines to make. The big part are going to need cutters like plasma and hydro cutters. The industry will continue to use steel and other metals to progress the world.

The metal industry has come a long way. The world we live in could not have been possible for some of the technologies that metal processing has produced. I think it will continue to grow but it will eventually even out in the S-curve.

References Bailly, Maxence. "Stone Tools and Copper Tools in Late Neolithic Western Europe: what Relationships, what Substitution? From Common Sennse to Research Agenda." n.d. www.academia.edu. Article. 26 April 2015. Bell, Terence. "metals.about.com." n.d. Steel History. Article. 28 April 2015. —. Metals.about.com. n.d. Document. 28 April 2015. Cramb, Alan W. "A Short History of Metals." n.d. neon.memes.cmu.edu. Article. 25 April 2015. Keen Ovens. "www.keenovens.com." n.d. www.keenovens.com/articles/steel-furnance.htm. Document. 28 April 2015. MetalTechnologies.com. "History of Metal Casting A Brief Timeline." Informative. n.d. Article. The Steel Federation,A.S. www.hz.cz/en/history-of-steelmaking. n.d. Document. 28 April 2015. themcs.org. "The Medieval Combat Society Early Medieval Cannon." n.d. www.themcs.org/weaponry/cannon/cannon. Documnet. 25 April 2015. www.reshafim.org.il. www.reshafim.org.il. September 2012. Report. 28 April 2015.