Teach you how to identify copper clad aluminum

Introduction: Nowadays, it is an era of relying on strength to win, and excellent product quality can bring intangible assets to enterprises. However, in the Chinese transformer and voltage regulator market, there are generally inferior products that are sold off as good.

Reflection on the phenomenon of copper clad aluminum: With the continuous increase in transformer usage in China and the increasing shortage of domestic copper resources, due to the huge difference in copper and aluminum prices, copper clad aluminum wires and counterfeit products using impure copper have emerged in the transformer market.

1、 Interest driven

"The phenomenon of copper clad aluminum is worthy of vigilance," industry insiders revealed that the "copper clad aluminum phenomenon" is just the "tip of the iceberg" among the many problems caused by the rise in raw material prices. Although copper clad aluminum wire has advantages, it combines the best characteristics of two metals, is lightweight, and inexpensive. But most copper clad aluminum wires are applied from the perspective of "replacing copper". It is widely believed that transformers made of copper wire winding have high costs and can be sold at much higher prices than aluminum wire transformers. Therefore, copper is used to "replace" the surface areas seen by customers (usually copper accounts for 10% of the wire cross-section), which is not the same concept as "saving copper". Nowadays, copper prices are too high, aluminum prices are cheap, and the threshold is low. Some manufacturers are driven by interests and have a dangerous tendency to blindly and excessively develop copper clad aluminum products. Some companies even actively reduce the amount of copper they use, replacing copper with miscellaneous copper and copper clad aluminum, and selling copper wire transformers at low prices with high profits, which is unacceptable behavior. It is an unfair competition and a heavy blow to legitimate and compliant enterprises

2、 Low price

It is worth mentioning that some users not only want to buy copper wire transformers, but also focus on the price of transformers, and identify suppliers based on product prices. This has created loopholes for some unscrupulous suppliers to pass inferior products off as good ones. Cheap prices are certainly an advantage, but blindly using cheap products can lead to certain loopholes in the procurement process, resulting in an irreversible situation。

3、 Unable to identify the genuine product

Many users do not understand how to identify copper and copper clad aluminum products, and are unable to make correct judgments, resulting in purchasing errors. Poor quality copper clad aluminum products may not even be as good as high-quality aluminum wire products, which not only affects engineering quality, but substitutes can also have a substantial impact on copper consumption.

What is copper: Copper is a chemical element, its chemical symbol is Cu (Latin: Cuprum), its atomic number is 29, and it is a transition metal. Copper is a metal with a purple red luster, with a density of 8.92 grams per cubic centimeter. Melting point 1083.4 ± 0.2 ℃, boiling point 2567 ℃. Common valences are+1 and+2. Ionization energy is 7.726 electron volts. Copper is one of the earliest discovered metals by humans and also one of the best pure metals. It is slightly hard, extremely tough, and wear-resistant. It also has good scalability. Good thermal and electrical conductivity. Copper and some of its alloys have good corrosion resistance and are stable in dry air. But in humid air, a layer of green basic copper carbonate Cu2 (OH) 2CO3 can be generated on its surface, which is called copper green. Soluble in nitric acid and hot concentrated sulfuric acid, slightly soluble in hydrochloric acid. Easy to be corroded by alkali.

Distinguishing Copper from Copper Clad Aluminum: When purchasing transformers, do not listen to what the merchant says. It is wisest to identify them yourself. We can use the following three methods to identify the wires: 1. Look at the cross-section. Because if thicker wires are made of copper coated aluminum, it is easy to see. So generally copper clad aluminum is a flexible wire, consisting of many small filaments and multiple strands. But as long as you cut open the section and see the whitening (aluminum color), you can identify what material it is. 2. Fire burning method. Just use a lighter to burn, observe the phenomenon of combustion and the results after combustion. Copper coated aluminum and copper coated aluminum magnesium wires, when the flame comes into contact with the wire, the conductor will sag in a straight line and is not easy to burn. After combustion, the conductor color will be gray or even black; Because the melting point of aluminum is lower than that of copper. Difference: After burning copper clad aluminum, the conductor will break when twisted with a finger, which is relatively brittle and can break into multiple sections. If oxygen free bare copper wire is burned and forms a spherical object, it is called copper wire. The thickness of the copper wire varies, and the result after burning is also different. The fine wire melts and the coarse wire remains the same. 3. Scrape with tools. After scraping with tin plated copper wire, it turns yellow and is copper. After wiping with oxygen free bare copper wire, it remains the original color and copper. Copper clad aluminum wire and copper clad aluminum magnesium aluminum show snowflake white spots. Alternatively, placing the silk on a cement floor for friction can also achieve the same effect. Copper clad steel wire can also be identified using this method or with a magnet. The above three methods are used in combination before and after, and I believe you will also identify the copper wire to purchase and sell cost-effective and high-quality cables. The last thing to talk about is copper clad copper. What is copper clad copper? It's oxygen free copper clad brass: Hehe, this is a secret, because many users may have heard of it for the first time: copper cables also do this! But this product already exists and is also available for sale in the market, it's just that everyone doesn't know.The most coaxial lines and cables are represented by Yangzhou and Lin'an; After all, it's a cable industry that has been in production for decades. The advantage is obvious and understandable. Of course, large enterprises do not mix brass. And our engineers and sellers know that they want copper, which is cheap and affordable, but few people know its inherent material. Anyway, our company does not produce copper-clad aluminum wire and copper-clad copper wire transformers. It's okay to say so. It's better for everyone to have a clear understanding when speaking out than to be deceived. Oxygen free copper - pure copper that does not contain oxygen or any residual deoxidizers. But in reality, it still contains very trace amounts of oxygen and some impurities. According to standard regulations, the oxygen content shall not exceed 0.03%, the total impurity content shall not exceed 0.05%, and the purity of copper shall be greater than 99.95%. Copper metal with a purity of 99.995% is generally used in electrical and electronic applications such as audio equipment, vacuum electronic devices, and cables, Oxygen free copper has no hydrogen embrittlement, high conductivity, good processing and welding performance, corrosion resistance, and low temperature performance; But it's more significant and the price is higher. Brass - an alloy composed of copper and zinc. Copper content ranges from 62% to 68%, with a specific gravity between 8.2 and 8.4. Brass composed solely of copper and zinc is called ordinary brass. A variety of alloys composed of two or more elements are called special brass; The seamless copper pipe drawn is soft in texture and has strong wear resistance. Suitable for manufacturing sheet materials, bars, pipes, cast parts, etc., with strong plasticity, manufacturing pressure resistant equipment, etc; But it is brittle, with low tensile strength, light weight, and cheap price. The third method is most effective in identifying whether copper wire is copper-clad aluminum. After scraping the oxygen free copper on the surface and the inner brass with a blade, the droplets can be distinguished with the naked eye.

Conclusion: The phenomenon of copper clad aluminum is a social issue in cracking down on counterfeits, and it is also a matter of government functional departments. If the public's social moral level rises to a certain level, counterfeit and inferior products will also lose their soil of existence. At the same time, the country also needs to develop a circular economy, protect the ecological environment, reduce the consumption of copper energy, resist blind fluctuations in copper prices, and thus curb the substantial impact of counterfeit products on copper.