Copper

Copper Sheets and Plates

Copper sheet and plate, is widely known for its architectural applications, while the familiar green patina appearance is achieved when exposed to the weather elements. Copper sheet and plate has excellent hot or cold formability and is formable when heated. Copper sheets and plates are also characterized by their high electrical and thermal conductivity and good corrosion resistance.

Copper Tubes

Copper tubes are most commonly used for heating systems and as refrigerant lines in heating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) systems. There are two basic types of copper tubes, soft copper and rigid copper. Copper tubes are joined by means of flare connections, press connections, press fittings or soldering. Copper offers a high degree of corrosion resistance.

Copper Mesh

Woven copper mesh is widely used because of its amazing properties, including its resistance to corrosion and sparks, its non-magnetisation and its thermal and electrical conductivity. These soft, malleable properties make it an ideal material for wire cloth applications. In addition, copper mesh is increasingly used in the fishing industry.

Copper Flat, Round and Square Bars

Copper bars, are known for their electrical applications due to their high electrical and thermal conductivity. Copper bars are also ideal for artistic and architectural applications, as they are corrosion resistant and have a green patina when exposed to the weather.

The advantages of copper

Air quality

Due to its unique properties, copper has a long history of critical heat transfer components used in air conditioning systems, including high thermal conductivity, mouldability, corrosion resistance, ease of joining and infinite recyclability.

Pure copper and copper alloys have antimicrobial properties that kill microorganisms on contact and prevent the growth of bacteria and fungi.

Electrical safety

An estimated 90 percent of households worldwide have unsafe electrical installations, and nearly 70 percent of building fires are caused by overheating of electrical wiring. Overloading, short circuits and faulty insulation cause billions of dollars worth of damage or loss every year. A simple solution is to install copper power lines in a house.

A house is safer because of copper wiring. Copper wiring in the house is not only easy to install, but also serves as a better conductor and lasts longer than any other material. Copper cabling delivers:

Reliability: Copper power conductors increase the safety and quality of the system, improve the performance of the construction and in turn increase the value of the property.

Efficiency: Copper conductors reduce energy losses, resulting in lower CO2 emissions and lower electricity bills.

Quality: Copper is easy to install, offers excellent performance and has a market value that makes it economically attractive to recycle at the end of its life.

Although there are other electrical conductors on the market, all of them have lower conductivity, which reduces system safety and durability and increases electricity costs for the end user.

Energy efficieny

Energy efficiency offers a three-step value proposition:

• Greater energy efficiency helps society to spend less on new electricity generation capacity and limit the burden on the networks.
• Greater energy efficiency lowers utility bills, increases individual purchasing power and offers companies greater competitiveness.
• Energy-efficient products release less CO2 and thus offer a way to quickly and meaningfully influence global climate protection goals.

Energy efficiency provides a competitive advantage. Copper is the best non-precious metal heat and power conductor, which is essential for efficient power generation and supply to households and businesses. In addition, copper helps to ensure that the products containing it operate with the highest efficiency. The use of inferior conductors reduces efficiency, resulting in wasted energy, higher electricity bills and increased greenhouse gas emissions.

Food supply

The world population continues to grow rapidly, which has increased the demand for protein (especially fish). However, 75 percent of the world’s fisheries are already fully exploited.

Aquaculture nets with copper-alloyed meshes improve the hygienic conditions, productivity and sustainability of fish farmers who farm salmon, trout, sea bream, sea bass, cod, cobia, yellowtail and other species. Copper alloy nets help to improve fish harvesting and increase the world’s food supply. Copper nets improve the harvest by collecting healthier fish in larger quantities at lower cost.

The benefits of copper nets include:

• Improves fish health and production
• Excludes predatory fish and prevents the escape of fish
• Reduces maintenance
• Recyclable

Green building

Sustainable, green building is a necessity today. Building homes and offices with materials that use less electricity and water is becoming more of a necessity than an option.

Copper is one of the best material choices for structural reinforcements, cladding, roofing, window frames, plumbing, heating systems and many other applications. Copper can be found both in historic buildings and in new, modern architecture. Copper contributes to sustainable construction through architectural design, building wire systems, renewable energy conversion and better use of energy efficient systems.

Copper is one of the few materials that can be recycled without loss of strength, making it a logical choice in the age of global environmental sustainability.

Types of copper alloys

The performance of copper can be enhanced for many industrial applications and high-tech products. This is achieved by the alloying process: to produce a solid material from two or more different metals. By combining copper with other metals, a range of copper alloys can be produced which are suitable for almost any application.

Brass

Brass is the generic term for a range of copper-zinc alloys with different combinations of properties, including strength, machinability, ductility, wear resistance, hardness, colour, electrical and thermal conductivity and corrosion resistance.

Bronzes

Bronze alloys are made of copper and tin and were first developed about four thousand years ago. They were so important that they led to a period known as the Bronze Age.

Copper-Nickel

Copper-nickel alloys have excellent resistance to marine corrosion. The addition of nickel to copper improves strength and corrosion resistance, but good ductility is maintained.

Nickel-Silver alloys

Nickel-silver alloys are made of copper, nickel and zinc and can be considered as special brass. They have an attractive silvery appearance rather than the typical brass colour.

Gunmetals

Gunmetal is an alloy of copper with tin, zinc and lead and has been used for at least 2000 years for its easy castability and good strength and corrosion resistance.

Copper-Beryllium alloys

Copper beryllium is the hardest and strongest of all copper alloys when fully heat treated and cold worked. It has similar mechanical properties to many high strength alloy steels, but compared to steels it has better corrosion resistance.

Typical uses of Copper alloys

 Uses of C11000 – Copper

Architectural

• building fronts, downspouts, flashing, gutters, roofing, screening

Automotive

• gaskets, radiators

Electrical

• bus bars, conductivity wire, contacts, radio parts, switches, terminals

Hardware

• ball floats, butts, cotter pins, nails, rivets, soldering copper, tacks

Miscellaneous

• anodes, chemical process equipment, kettles, pans, printing rolls, rotating
  band, road bed expansion plates, vats

Uses of C26000 – Cartridge Brass

Architectural

• grillwork

Automotive

• radiator and heater cores and tanks

Electrical

• flashlight shells, lamp fixtures, switches, reflectors, screw shells, socket shells

Hardware

• eyelets, fasteners, grommets, finish hardware articles (kick plates, lock sets, push plates, etc.)

Munitions

• ammunition components

Plumbing

• plumbing accessories, plumbing brass goods

Wire

• fasteners, pins, rivets, screws, springs