Sodium fluoroaluminate has traditionally been used as a flux in the aluminum electrolysis industry, and is also a molten component in the electrolytic reduction of alumina to produce metallic aluminum, used to lower the melting point and increase the conductivity of the electrolyte. Sodium fluoroaluminate is also used as a wear-resistant additive in grinding products, a flux for ferroalloys and rimmed steel, a flux for non-ferrous metals, a deoxidizer in casting, a catalyst for olefin polymerization, and as an emulsifier in glass anti-reflective coatings, enamels, and welding materials. Naturally occurring cryolite is relatively rare; industrially produced cryolite is usually synthesized artificially.
