Experts: Aluminum bats no more dangerous than wood bats

A decision made by a Montana jury could change the face of baseball in America. Jurors are listening to evidence in a case about the death of an 18-year-old pitcher. In 2003, Brandon Patch was hit in the temple from a hard line drive. He died 5 hours after the impact due to a blood clot. Patch's family is suing Hillerich & Bradsby, makers of the aluminum bat, arguing the bat is "unreasonably dangerous.”
The parent company of the Louisville Slugger has been making wooden bats for more than 100 years and aluminum bats since 1970. In this case, the Montana jury is looking into whether aluminum bats are safe for baseball players to use. In court, the attorney representing Hillerich & Bradsby said aluminum bats are not any more dangerous than wooden bats.
University of Louisville head baseball coach Dan McDonnell is not involved in the Montana case, but spoke with WAVE 3 about the differences between wooden versus aluminum bats. McDonnell said injuries can happen regardless of the bat being used.
"We have pitchers that get hit. Just throughout this fall, we've had 5 or 6 pitchers that have gotten hit with a ball coming off a bat," said McDonnell, whose team uses aluminum bats.
Like any other contact sport, McDonnell said baseball can be dangerous and injuries can happen.
"Whether it's a wooden bat, an aluminum bat, any bat - it's just the pitchers are always at risk because they are so close to the plate," McDonnell said. "The last thing anybody wants is for somebody to get hurt, but it happens."
McDonnell said bat companies are doing a good job of following regulations. "Knowing Louisville Slugger and the type of people they are and the family-owned business, I know they're doing everything in their power. [They are doing everything] in compliance with college baseball, high school baseball -whatever the rules are and the standards."
McDonnell wants to keep the standards the same. He said aluminum bats are a good fit for high school and college players and the wooden bats should be left for the pros. McDonnell said when it comes to speed it has to do with hitting the ball with the "sweet spot" of the bat and aluminum bats give players a better chance to do that.
"For it to come off with any velocity, you're going to have to hit it on the sweet spot whether it’s an aluminum bat or a wooden bat," he said.
Coach McDonnell said a batter swinging with a wooden bat can also hit a pitcher.
Meanwhile, “The Don't Take My Bat Away Coalition” supports players choosing what bats they want to use for a game. Coalition representative Mike May said it doesn't matter if a ball is hit using an aluminum or wooden bat, the speed is the same. May did say that with aluminum bats, "you do get a few more well hit balls, but they are not harder hit balls."
In regards to the Montana case, while May said Brandon Patch's death was a tragedy, he doesn't think you can blame everything on the bat. According to May, just because the batter was using an aluminum bat, it’s a bigger deal. “The immediate criticism is negative and they start blaming the bat and that's not accurate and that's not fair."
Also in court, the attorney representing the Patch's family said Brandon did not have enough time to get his glove in place after the pitch to protect himself. Experts clocked the ball hit by the aluminum bat at 99.8 mph.
http://www.wave3.com/Global/story.asp?S=11370259

Comex delists aluminum, ponders future product

After 10 years of spotty trading and incessant illiquidity, CME Group's aluminum futures contract has expired with more of a whimper than a bang. But that hasn't stopped the exchange from considering taking a fresh stab at the market.
"I can't say people were upset about (the contract's demise)," according to Bob Levin, managing director for energy and metals research and development at CME Group, which operated the contract after its 2008 takeover of the New York Mercantile Exchange (Nymex). "I'm not aware of anybody voicing anything very negative at all, except perhaps some disappointment that it hadn't worked as successfully as we all would have liked. If they had wanted it that much, they would have been trading it more."
CME Group announced in June the decision to delist the futures contract upon the expiration of the September 2009 contract month and the options contract at the end of August. The contract launched in May 1999 against the backdrop of a roaring aluminum product on the London Metal Exchange but struggled to attract volumes from the start.
Traders of the light metal told AMM that the decision to delist didn't come as a surprise, and, if anything, came too late. "They could have done that a long time ago. It's definitely been obsolete for some time," one trader said.
A second trader agreed. "I think that contract just hasn't been used for so long it's just irrelevant. What it became was just like a joke," he said, noting that his trading company hadn't held positions on the...
http://www.amm.com/login/denied_empty/2009-10-06__15-42-11.html/Comex+delists+aluminum+ponders+future+product

Newport introduces aluminum breadboards

ewport, a lasers and photonics manufacturer, has introduced the Labasix SA2 series of low-cost aluminum breadboards for basic photonic research and OEM optical assemblies.
The new, solid aluminum breadboards, machined from 0.5in 6061 aluminum, provide a stable yet lightweight platform for optical components and sub-assemblies.

The LABasix SA2 aluminum breadboard provide a stable yet lightweight platform for optical components and sub-assemblies

The durable SA2 Series incorporates several unique design features that improve the flexibility and ease-of-use compared to traditional aluminum breadboards.
The standard grid of tapped holes extends to within 0.5in of the plate edges, providing more mounting surface than competitive products.
Newport's SA2 also features 'in-grid' counter-bored holes and deep edge chamfers for easier lifting, aligning, and integration of the SA2 onto standard optical tables.
The SA2 Series is offered in the most popular standard sizes with custom sizes and shapes also available.
The imperial standard models feature 1/4 - 20 tapped holes on a 1-inch grid.
Metric models feature M6 tapped holes on a 25mm grid.
Both imperial and metric versions are anodized deep black to minimise surface reflections, with other surface finishes available upon request.
http://www.engineeringtalk.com/news/mcr/mcr178.html

Century Aluminum sells stake in joint venture

Century Aluminum Co. said Tuesday that the company completed the divestment of its stake in certain bauxite and alumina assets.

Century Aluminum ( CENX - news - people ) sold its half of Louisiana-based Gramercy Alumina LLC and Jamaica-based St. Ann Bauxite Ltd. to privately held Noranda Aluminum Holding Corp. The two companies jointly acquired Gramercy and St. Ann from Kaiser Aluminum ( KALU - news - people ) and Chemical Corp. in 2004. Noranda, based in Franklin, Tenn., now is the sole owner of Gramercy and St. Ann. Bauxite is the primary ore of aluminum.

In August, Century Aluminum said the transaction will increase its focus on the company's core aluminum smelting business and growth projects.

Gramercy owns and operates a 1.2 million metric ton per year alumina annual capacity alumina refinery located in Louisiana and St. Ann owns and operates a 4.8 million metric ton per year annual capacity bauxite mining operation in Jamaica. As a result of the economic downturn, Century Aluminum said that Gramercy and St. Ann have been producing at about 50 percent and 40 percent of their rated capacities since early 2009.

Last month, Noranda said Century had agreed to purchase alumina---the key ingredient in aluminum-- from Gramercy in 2009 and 2010.

Noranda CEO Layle K. Smith said in a statement the deal is "consistent with our vertical integration strategy and our continuing desire to have a secure strategic supply of alumina. We also believe owning 100 percent of these two operations represents an opportunity to enhance profitability as market pricing improves."

Shares of Monterey, Calif.-based Century Aluminum dropped 18 cents to $10.05 in morning trading.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2009/09/01/business-materials-us-century-aluminum-sale_6836916.html

Century Aluminum takes USD 73 million Q2 charge

Reuters reported that Century Aluminum Company which already reported a Q2 loss is taking a USD 73.2 million charge that will increase that loss.

The charge relates to the recently agreed transfer of the company's 50% ownership interests in Gramercy Alumina LLC in Louisiana and Jamaica's St. Ann Bauxite Limited.

The non cash charge for equity investment impairment will be reflected in Q2 financial statements on Form 10-Q expected to be filed with the Securities and Exchange on August 10th 2009.

California based company reported a Q2 net loss of USD 33.9 million or 46 cents per share. A spokesman said that those results were only "provisional" and that the impairment charge although incurred in the Q3 would be included in the Q2 results filed with the SEC next week.

Century Aluminum said that it will transfer its stakes in the 2 companies to subsidiaries of privately held Noranda Aluminum Holding Corporation.
http://steelguru.com/news/index/2009/08/17/MTA3NDQw/
Century_Aluminum_takes_USD_73_million_Q2_charge.html

Martin introduce carriage house doors in aluminum

Martin carriage house doors in aluminum offer almost all of the features of wood, without any of the heavy maintenance or the safety liabilities.

The aluminum doors feature Martin's patented FingerShield joint design as well as over 30 safety and quality items that are standard with each Martin Door.

"This door is the best in its class.

In fact, the Carriage House Collection Aluminum Doors are in a class all their own," David Martin, chairman of MDM, said of the door.

The doors will come in over 70 powder coat colors and include 1/4" thick antique hinges and handles in black or silver.

The doors are only available with a powder coat finish.

The door is almost maintenance free, according to Martin, because of the aluminum and powder coating.

The door comes with a lifetime warranty with few limitations.

Even the door's hardware lasts long on the super strong door because of its lightweight aluminum, according to Martin.

The door features a true 3-D design, he added.

The benefits of the new carriage house look to traditional wood doors are obvious.

"Experience has shown that wood warps, cracks and splits," Martin said.

"Wood has a short warranty and does not last long.

Steel also does not last as long as aluminum.

Hardware usually wears out faster on heavier doors".

The new aluminum door is also environmentally friendly, because it offers the charm and appeal of a carriage house look, without cutting down any trees.

http://www.buildingtalk.com/news/amw/amw100.html

Alcoa posts loss on sharply lower aluminum prices

SAN FRANCISCO (MarketWatch) - Alcoa Inc. said Wednesday it swung to a second-quarter loss as aluminum prices plunged from a year ago and as top customers continued to grapple with the persistent economic recession. See full story.
Hasbro hitches bigger sales to Transformers sequel

The toy maker is revving up for bigger sales thanks to the blockbuster Transformers sequel, with merchandise sales topping the 2007 product line by up to 25%, analysts say. See full story.
Oil slumps 4%, falling for sixth day

Crude-oil futures tumble more than 4% to a seven-week low, falling for the sixth straight session, as government data shows demand for petroleum products remains weak and as U.S. inventories rise. See full story.
NRG Energy rejects Exelon offer, shares rise

NRG Energy shares rise as the wholesale-power generator rejects a sweetened $7.45 billion all-stock buyout offer from Exelon -- but leaves the door open to considering a higher bid. See full story.
Treasurys jump after 'best' 10-year note auction

Treasury prices jump, pushing 10-year yields to the lowest in about seven weeks, after the U.S. government garnered record demand for $19 billion in the benchmark securities, the third of four major auctions this week. See full story.
MARKETWATCH COMMENTARY

Dell Inc. is paving the way for possible large acquisitions, but as analysts and the press pontificate on potential targets, it becomes increasingly clear that no one really knows what direction the company should take. See full story.
MARKETWATCH PERSONAL FINANCE

Think about when you fall in love: You feel great. You look at the world differently. You’re ready to take on any challenge. Wouldn’t you love to stay in that state forever?
http://www.marketwatch.com/story/alcoa-posts-loss-on-sharply-lower-aluminum-prices-20097817040