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80 DESIGN007 MAGAZINE I MAY 2022 Aluminum is an amazingly versatile metal and has found its way into countless products since its discovery during the reign of Napoleon III of France. At the time, it was more valuable than gold, and at hosted dinners, the emperor and his honored guests dined using aluminum cutlery while the others had to make do with gold utensils. It took some time for scientists to calculate that it was by far the most abundant metal Blue Skying It With Aluminum Rigid-Flex Flexible Thinking by Joe Fjelstad, VERDANT ELECTRONICS found in the earth's crust at 8.3%, ranking third among all elements found in the crust, ranking behind oxygen (46%) and silicon (26%). Today, aluminum is one of the most afford- able metals and arguably, also one of the most useful. Aluminum has a long list of desirable properties. It is lightweight, and an excellent electrical and thermal conductor. It can be easily machined, stamped, chemically milled, and formed. Being a metal it is, by nature,