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Secondary Smelting and Alloying of Aluminum

NAICS 331314 · Primary Metal Manufacturing · SBA size standard: 750 employees

Secondary smelters and alloyers purchase aluminum scrap, dross and used beverage cans, melt them in furnaces, refine the melt, add alloying elements and cast the metal into ingots, sows or billets for sale to foundries and extruders. Specialists turn supplier deliveries into melt schedules, lab results into chemistry adjustments, and finished heats into shipping paperwork while the melter retains all decisions on furnace practice, safety and quality sign-off.

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What makes this business different

  • Incoming scrap streams that vary widely in alloy, cleanliness and contamination (paint, plastic, iron, copper)
  • Furnace charge calculations that must hit target chemistry within tight specification ranges
  • High-temperature molten metal handling with strict safety, PPE and emergency procedures
  • Skim, dross and salt slag that must be cooled, processed and shipped as hazardous or non-hazardous waste
  • Alloy additions, grain refiners and modifiers added at precise times and temperatures
  • Furnace logs, temperature charts, chemistry certificates and weight tickets required for every heat
  • Customer-specific certifications, heat numbers and traceability from scrap lot to shipped ingot
  • Seasonal swings in scrap availability (can scrap peaks in summer, industrial scrap in winter)
  • Melt permits, air-quality monitoring, baghouse dust disposal and storm-water runoff compliance

Specialist bots

  • a worker in flame-resistant clothing standing beside a large pile of aluminum scrap on a scale platform, holding a sampling tool and clipboard

    Scrap Receiver

    Turn every incoming scrap load into an inspected, sampled and inventoried lot ready for melting.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Sheets · Workflows: Scrap intake and inspection

    Automates

    • Reads scale tickets and supplier manifests
    • Creates lot numbers and inspection checklists
    • Logs photos and visual findings
    • Generates receiving reports for accounting

    Stops for a person

    • The melter or yard lead decides whether to accept or reject questionable loads
    • A person signs the scale ticket and approves the lot for use
  • a worker reviewing a printed charge sheet next to stacked aluminum scrap bales inside a metal recycling yard building

    Charge Planner

    Calculate optimal furnace charges from current scrap inventory to hit target alloy chemistry at lowest cost.

    Works in: Ambitious Sheets, Process Optimizer, Ambitious Tasks · Workflows: Melt schedule and charge planning

    Automates

    • Pulls assayed chemistries for each scrap lot
    • Runs linear optimization to minimize expensive alloy additions
    • Produces the exact charge weights and loading sequence
    • Creates the furnace charge sheet

    Stops for a person

    • The lead melter reviews and approves every charge plan before loading
    • Adjustments for furnace condition or heel chemistry are made by the melter
  • a worker in full PPE using a long-handled skimmer on a glowing molten aluminum bath inside an open-top reverberatory furnace

    Melt Coordinator

    Track each heat through melting, sampling, refining and alloying steps and maintain the live furnace log.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Sheets · Workflows: Melting, refining and alloying

    Automates

    • Records temperatures, addition times and sample pulls
    • Reminds when the next sample or addition is due
    • Logs flux, degasser and skimming events
    • Flags when lab results are expected

    Stops for a person

    • The melter decides all furnace practices and when the heat is ready to pour
    • Safety and emergency decisions remain with the floor personnel
  • a worker using tongs to lift a freshly cast aluminum ingot from a mold on the foundry floor, steam rising around the ingot

    Casting and Marking Clerk

    Record pour data, assign heat and cast numbers, and track finished ingots into inventory.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Docs · Workflows: Casting, ingot finishing and marking

    Automates

    • Generates sequential heat and cast identifiers
    • Logs pour weights, cooling times and mold usage
    • Prints or drafts tags with alloy, heat number and weight
    • Updates location and available inventory

    Stops for a person

    • The caster inspects surface quality before the ingot is released
    • A person physically applies tags or stamps to the metal
  • a worker in a laboratory coat preparing a small aluminum sample disk on a polishing wheel before inserting it into a spectrometer

    Metals Lab Technician

    Log samples, record spectroscopic results, compare against specifications and calculate corrective additions.

    Works in: Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Tasks · Workflows: Chemistry lab and certification

    Automates

    • Logs sample receipt and test timestamps
    • Records spectrometer readings
    • Compares values to alloy limits
    • Calculates needed alloy or flux additions
    • Drafts certificates of analysis

    Stops for a person

    • The lab supervisor or quality manager reviews and signs every certificate
    • Final release of the heat is performed only by authorized personnel
  • a worker attaching a metal tag to a stack of aluminum ingots on a wooden pallet inside a warehouse ready for shipment

    Shipping and Documentation Coordinator

    Match inventory to orders, generate bills of lading, certificates and invoices for each shipment.

    Works in: Ambitious Docs, Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Tasks · Workflows: Shipping, documentation and billing

    Automates

    • Selects heats that satisfy the customer order
    • Compiles certificates of analysis and weight tickets
    • Drafts bills of lading and commercial invoices
    • Prepares hazardous waste manifests for dross shipments

    Stops for a person

    • The owner or manager approves every shipment and signs legal documents
    • A person performs the final count and seal verification before truck departure
  • a worker wearing safety glasses checking pressure gauges and recording data on a clipboard beside a large fabric filter baghouse in an industrial yard

    Compliance and Permit Clerk

    Maintain daily checklists, compile emission and waste records, and track all permit and renewal dates.

    Works in: Ambitious Tasks, Ambitious Sheets, Ambitious Docs · Workflows: Regulatory and permit maintenance

    Automates

    • Generates daily furnace and baghouse checklists
    • Compiles monthly operating data
    • Tracks permit, insurance and license renewal dates
    • Maintains disposal manifests for dross and dust

    Stops for a person

    • The environmental manager confirms which local, state and federal requirements apply
    • All submissions to agencies are reviewed and filed by people
    • The bot never certifies compliance

Workflows

Scrap intake and inspection

Starts when: A truck arrives with scrap, dross or used beverage cans

  1. Capture supplier, load weight, scale ticket and material description
  2. Visually inspect and photograph the load for contamination or prohibited items
  3. Sample according to the lot plan and send to the lab
  4. Assign a lot number and place material in the correct staging area
  5. Draft the receiving report and supplier payment file

Watch for: Radioactive, explosive or sealed containers must be rejected immediately; Moisture content and iron pieces affect furnace yield and must be flagged

Melt schedule and charge planning

Starts when: Daily at start of shift and when new scrap lots are approved

  1. Review current inventory of scrap lots and their assayed chemistries
  2. Select charges that minimize purchased alloying elements while meeting target specs
  3. Calculate charge weights, expected yield and furnace loading sequence
  4. Assign furnace, shift and heat number
  5. Create the furnace-ready charge sheet with lot numbers and sequence

Watch for: Furnace capacity, lining condition and previous heel chemistry constrain each charge; Certain scrap types cannot be mixed because of zinc or magnesium limits

Melting, refining and alloying

Starts when: Start of each heat

  1. Load the calculated charge into the furnace in the prescribed order
  2. Track melt temperature, flux additions, skimming and degassing steps
  3. Pull samples at prescribed intervals and send to the lab
  4. Add alloying elements, grain refiners or modifiers based on lab feedback
  5. Approve the heat for pouring once chemistry is within specification

Watch for: The melter decides when to skim, degas or flux; the bot only logs and reminds; Temperature must stay within alloy-specific ranges to avoid oxidation or inclusions

Casting, ingot finishing and marking

Starts when: Heat is approved for pouring

  1. Record pour temperature, mold type and cast weight
  2. Track cooling time and demolding
  3. Weigh finished ingots or sows and assign sequential heat and cast numbers
  4. Apply alloy designation, heat number, weight and date stamps or tags
  5. Move product to the storage area and update inventory

Watch for: Surface defects, cracks or inclusions must be noted before shipment; Certain customers require specific ingot sizes or stacking patterns

Chemistry lab and certification

Starts when: Each sample arrives from the floor

  1. Log sample identification, heat number and timestamp
  2. Run spectroscopy or wet chemistry and record results
  3. Compare results against the customer or internal specification
  4. Calculate additional alloy or flux needed if out of range
  5. Produce a certificate of analysis for each heat

Watch for: The lab technician confirms final chemistry before the heat is released; All records must be kept for traceability audits

Shipping, documentation and billing

Starts when: Customer order is ready to ship

  1. Match inventory to customer order by alloy, heat and weight
  2. Generate bill of lading, weight ticket and certificate of analysis
  3. Draft commercial invoice and packing list
  4. Schedule carrier pickup and record seal numbers
  5. Close the order and trigger supplier payment for consumed scrap

Watch for: Traceability from finished product back to the original scrap lot is mandatory; Hazardous waste manifests for dross and baghouse dust must accompany shipments

Regulatory and permit maintenance

Starts when: Daily, monthly and on permit renewal dates

  1. Generate daily furnace and baghouse checklists
  2. Compile monthly air-emission and wastewater discharge data
  3. Track renewal dates for operating permits, licenses and insurance
  4. Maintain dross and dust disposal manifests
  5. Flag upcoming stack tests or agency inspections

Watch for: Rules differ by state and local air district; The environmental manager confirms which requirements apply each period

Bot templates for this industry

Source: U.S. Small Business Administration, Office of Size Standards, Table of Small Business Size Standards Matched to North American Industry Classification System Codes, version March 2023 (effective 2023-03-17, NAICS 2022). Size standards are shown for reference only.