Aluminum alloy 7075 (IMAGE) DOE/Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Caption Images of aluminum alloy 7075 taken with a scanning electron microscope before (A), during (B), and after (C) going through the ShAPE machine show how the microstructure of the alloy changes dramatically during extrusion. The shearing effect of the ShAPE machine breaks up particles, which are akin to lumps in cake batter, into much smaller pieces to create a more uniform microstructure. Credit Image by Joshua Silverstein | Pacific Northwest National Laboratory Usage Restrictions None License Original content Disclaimer: AAAS and EurekAlert! are not responsible for the accuracy of news releases posted to EurekAlert! by contributing institutions or for the use of any information through the EurekAlert system.