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| July 17, 2007
Alcoa Aluminum Helps Preserve Map That Named America
NEW YORK--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Alcoa (NYSE:AA) announced today that its aluminum technology and
engineering expertise will have a permanent place in America’s
history when the 500-year-old Waldseemüller
world map goes on display in Washington, D.C. later this year. The first
map to use the name “America,”
this crown jewel of cartography, which measures more than four feet by
eight feet when assembled from its 12 separate sheets, will be secured
in a state-of-the-art encasement made from Alcoa’s
6013 Power Plate™ alloy, a high-strength alloy
with superior machining characteristics. Alcoa Foundation is supporting
the project with a $110,000 grant for constructing the encasement.
Often referred to as America’s “birth
certificate,” the map was purchased by the
U.S. Library of Congress in 2003 for $10 million from Germany, where the
map had been hidden inside of a castle for hundreds of years. Of the
1,000 copies of the wall map printed, this is the only one still in
existence. By the end of 2007, the map will go on permanent display in
the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building.
The 1507 map, drawn by German cartographer Martin Waldseemüller,
is not only the first map to name “America,”
but it is also the first map to depict the Western hemisphere, show the
Pacific Ocean as a separate body of water, and the first map to
precisely chart latitude and longitude.
“This project highlights aluminum’s
many benefits, contributes to arts and cultural development and furthers
one of Alcoa Foundation’s strategic Areas of
Excellence: business and community sponsorship,”
said Meg McDonald, president Alcoa Foundation. “Because
of its strong materials emphasis and focus on innovative design, the
encasement project is highlighting the versatility and beauty of
aluminum as a product of sustainability and strength.”
The Alcoa Foundation grant enabled the Library of Congress to work with
the National Institute for Standards and Technology to fabricate the
argon-filled, oxygen-free encasement which is machined from a solid
piece of aluminum. Central to the encasement design, the concave-shaped
aluminum back measures several inches thick at the edge and hollows to
one-fourth inch in the center. The design enables the aluminum to flex
and helps the glass remain flat, providing a protective barrier against
air – the map’s
single largest threat. The hermetically sealed encasement will also
include valves for flushing out oxygen, which can degrade the map’s
paper and ink.
“This project provided Alcoa the opportunity
to leverage the unique characteristics of its 6013 Power Plate™
alloy. We suggested using this alloy because its high strength and
superior machining characteristics would prove beneficial for the
precision machining work needed for this encasement. Reduced machining
time makes 6013 Power Plate a more cost effective product. The strength
of the product will provide more stability to the encasement over the
long term,” said Brian Pendrak, Market
Manager, Alcoa Industrial Products. Alcoa’s
Davenport (Iowa) Works has shipped 21,000 pounds of the alloy to Bechdon
Company in Maryland, a precision machining and fabricating company,
which is machining the encasement’s metal.
“We are grateful for Alcoa and Alcoa
Foundation support in helping us sustain and preserve this national
treasure -- a universal collection of knowledge and creativity for
future generations. The encasement will provide optimum accessibility
for the viewing public while preserving and protecting the document,”
said Dianne van der Reyden, director of preservation, Library of
Congress.
When completed the encasement will be the most environmentally secure
enclosure ever made for a document of this size. Although the Library of
Congress has much smaller treasures in anoxic encasements, the only
other documents incased at this level of security on public display are
the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution of the United
States.
About Alcoa
Alcoa is the world's leading producer and manager of primary aluminum,
fabricated aluminum and alumina facilities, and is active in all major
aspects of the industry. Alcoa serves the aerospace, automotive,
packaging, building and construction, commercial transportation and
industrial markets, bringing design, engineering, production and other
capabilities of Alcoa's businesses to customers. In addition to aluminum
products and components including flat-rolled products, hard alloy
extrusions, and forgings, Alcoa also markets Alcoa®
wheels, fastening systems, precision and investment castings, structures
and building systems. The company has 122,000 employees in 44 countries
and has been named one of the top most sustainable corporations in the
world at the World Economic Forum in Davos, Switzerland. More
information can be found at www.alcoa.com
About Alcoa Foundation
Alcoa Foundation is a separately constituted nonprofit U.S. corporate
foundation with assets of approximately $534 million. Its mission is to
actively invest in the quality of life in Alcoa communities worldwide.
Throughout its history, the Foundation has been a source of positive
community change and enhancement, with nearly $437 million invested
since 1952. In 2006, Alcoa and Alcoa Foundation invested a combined
total of $42.3 million in community programs in 32 countries, focusing
on four areas of excellence: conservation and sustainability, global
education and workplace skills, business and community partnerships, and
safe and healthy children and families. For more information, visit www.alcoa.com,
under Community.
NOTE TO EDITORS: There is an umlaut over the "ü"
in Waldseemüller. This symbol may not appear
properly in some systems.
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