Metals That Can Be Molded Like Plastics

We are used to plastics taking the places of things that were made from metal, but not normally the other way around. Metals that are more malleable like plastics exist though they aren’t used as often as you might think.

Many solids can exist in either a crystalline or a glassy state. If a molten material is frozen quickly, the atoms or molecules have less time to settle into an orderly arrangement before they’re out of energy, and have to freeze where they are. The resulting solid is more likely to be glassy. If frozen slowly, however, the atoms or molecules can find their “proper” places and settle into a regular structure. The resulting solid is more likely to be crystalline.