COMMENTARY — Lead crucial to many industries

Lead alloys have many uses and come in numerous forms, including anodes, sheet, solder and wire. These alloys are used in high-tech industry and electronics, and have been around for centuries in the forms of stained glass and jewelry.

The most widely used solders are made of a tin-lead alloy, and are used to join two or more metals at temperatures below their melting point. The joint provides metal and electrical continuity and results in low-resistance connections. Tin-lead solders have many benefits, including a low melting point, high electrical conductivity and low cost. These benefits render them usable in a wide range of applications.

For example, tin-lead solders can be used to fill seams and dents in car bodies, and a high lead content offers good corrosion resistance. Tin-lead and antimony-lead are used in metal finishing and plating. The end-uses are all around us, from screws and circuit boards, to car bumpers and jewelry.

Lead is used in such traditional applications as fine crystal and stained glass windows. In ancient times, the Romans perfected the manufacture of stained glass. Lead alloys are also used in the casting of costume jewelry, tableware and statues.

Tin-lead solders are frequently used in coil winding, which has hundreds of applications. In cars, coils are used for gauges, speedometers, alternators, starter motors, horns, anti-lock brakes and electronic fuel-injection systems.

Solders are used for radiator cores, electrical connections, roofing seams, cable sheaths and heating units. And since only a minimum of heat is required to make an electrical connection, solders are highly suitable for electronic components, such as computers and communications equipment.

Besides being an excellent conductor of electricity, lead is a soft metal and can be easily shaped. It is the preferred metal for key components in incandescent and fluorescent light systems, and tin-lead solders are used in power-regulating devices that control fluorescent lamps.

When it comes to protecting health and ensuring safety, lead is more beneficial that most people realize. High-purity lead is used to line nuclear waste casks, thereby acting as a shield against high-level radioactivity. In medical applications, it is used for X-rays and for precision control of radiation in the treatment of cancer.

— The preceding is an excerpt from “MetalsWorld,” the publication of Cominco.