Industrial process

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Industrial processes are procedures involving chemical or mechanical steps to aid in the manufacture of an item or items, usually carried out on a very large scale.

Industrial processes are the key components of heavy industry.

Most processes make the production of an otherwise rare material vastly cheaper, thus changing it into a commodity; i.e. the process makes it economically feasible for society to use the material on a large scale. One of the best examples of this is the change in aluminium from prices more expensive than silver to its use in recyclable/disposable beverage containers.

An industrial process differs from a craft, workshop or laboratory process by the scale or investment required. Most of the processes are complex and require large capital investments in machinery, or a substantial amount of raw materials, in comparison to batch or craft processes. Production of a specific material may involve more than one type of process.

Contents

[edit] General processes

These may be applied on their own, or as part of a larger process.

[edit] Physical reshaping

There are several processes for reshaping a material by cutting, folding, joining or polishing, developed on a large scale from workshop techniques.

[edit] Moulding

The shaping of materials by forming their liquid form using a mould.

[edit] Purification

Many materials exist in an impure form, purification, refining or separation provides a usable product.

[edit] Electrolysis

The availability of electricity and its effect on materials gave rise to several processes for plating or separating metals.

[edit] Iron and Steel

Early production of iron was from meteorites, or as a by-product of copper refining. Heating iron ore and carbon in a crucible at 1000 K produces wrought iron. This process gained popularity during the Iron Age. Temperatures of 1300 K were produced around the 8th century by blowing air through the heated mixture in a bloomery or blast furnace (12th century); producing a strong but brittle cast iron. Furnaces were growing bigger, producing greater quantities; a factor contributing to the Industrial Revolution. In 1740 the temperature and carbon content could be controlled sufficiently to consistently produce steel; very strong and very workable. The 19th century saw the development of electric arc furnaces that produced steel in very large quantities, and are more easily controlled.

[edit] Petroleum and organic compunds

The nature of an organic molecule means it can be transformed at the molecular level to create a range of products.

[edit] Others

Organized by product:

A list by process:

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