(Material) Horses for (Fabrication) Courses?

I thought one ALWAYS matched methods to materials. Or is this only old-school thinking?

The matching of metals to methods is not new. Todays Direct2U metals & Alloys e-mail lists two examples: Astralloy V, an air hardening steel that has been hot formed for decades without requiring subsequent re-quench and temper to regain strength, toughness or hardness. AR400 eventually developed a formable grade to allow bending many shapes without the old cut and weld routine. Newer, is the Astralloy 4800 which can be cold formed to shapes not possible with AR plates and can be hand drilled. It also virtually eliminates preheating to cut or weld up to 2-1/2 " thick sections. The approach has definite cost and other advantages even though most manufacturers can process standard metals effectivly.

Ed-WestEnd