Carbon-Interlaced Aluminium Alloy

The standard reinforced material in use for armour, weapons, or anything which needs to be durable and strong. Per the name, is essentially an already tough aluminium alloy interlaced with carbon nanotubes and fibers, which makes it a lot tougher and more durable, while reducing weight and electricity conductance.

Properties

Material Characteristics

A dim silver-ish colour, shiny, looks very much like aluminium. Unlike aluminium though, the material has thin, black horizontal stripes in it. These are the interwoven carbon layers.

Physical & Chemical Properties

Metal. Hard, often cold-ish, shiny. Extremely tough, can even resist a medium-strength blow with a Hardened plasma blade. Somewhat heat-conductive, not very electricity-conductive. Similar to steel, or most other metals, but lighter. High melting point.

Geology & Geography

Utilising aluminium, carbon, and some other common metals like iron, the material's raw components are not hard to come across. Look for any planet, asteroid, or travelling rock for a good chance to find the components.

Life & Expiration

Stable. Unless something akin to carbon-14 is used (which, well, why would you do that?), every component is stable and fine.

History & Usage

Discovery

Sometime in the 2390s, quickly became the most sought after material for spaceship construction. While many ships, even today, are built from less advanced materials, this is the most common.

Everyday use

Anything that needs to be durable. Most common in military use, although heavy industry does also make use of it. Armour plating, for both vehicles and personal suits, blades, drill tips, blast chambers, crucibles, structure supports, and the like.

Refinement

The raw components, aluminium and a few other metals, are first made into an alloy, excluding the carbon. Then, a complex method is used to make a net, in a way, of carbon fiber and nanotubes. This net is then interwoven into the molten alloy in centimeter-apart layers, and then, left to cool.

Manufacturing & Products

All variety of vehicles, structures, weapons, and many more. Due to it being so goddamn strong and durable, it is used for armour plating and all kinds of reinforced structures meant to withstand strain, damage, and the like.

Hazards

Due to involving molten metal and whatnot, manufacturing is not without risk. Even still, most manufacture is conducted by semi-autonomous machines, only overseen by a sapient being.

Reusability & Recycling

Most of the time, even a severely mangled piece of the alloy can be melted and the interwoven carbon net layers recovered. From here, the molten metal can be cast again, and the nets interwoven again.

Distribution

Trade & Market

Many factories manufacture this. These factories are usually either independent businesses or state-owned. Due to the utility and usefulness of the material, trade is frequent. A notable manufacturer is the Ak'Thakran Commonwealth, which uses the neverending sunshine and heat of the planet to make the material with less cost.

Storage

Any location will do. The material is entirely inert, and so is perfectly safe to, i.e put in a box.

Law & Regulation

Easily accessible by the common man, while not cheap per se, not particularily expensive.

Type

Metal

Value

Not cheap, but still affordable.

Rarity

Common

Taste

Metallic

Color

Dim silver-ish

Melting / Freezing Point

Nearly 4000 degrees C

Density

~5.2g/cm^3

Common State

Solid