Since time immemorial, copper has fascinated mankind with its warm golden hue and amazing properties. It served not only as a material for creating tools and jewelry, but also as a symbol of eternity and wealth. Today, when the world of technology is rapidly developing, copper has not lost its relevance. Copper products in the form of rods have found wide application in various industries, and today we will tell you more about them.
Manufacturing nuances and development prospects
The history of production goes back thousands of years. Even in ancient times, people learned to extract copper from ore, making useful items from it. With the development of technology, production methods improved, but the essence remained unchanged: extracting pure copper from ore and its subsequent processing.
Rolling and drawing are two key processes in the production of copper products, allowing you to get blanks of various profiles and sizes:
- Rolling. A copper blank is passed through the rollers of a rolling mill, decreasing in thickness and increasing in length. A distinction is made between hot and cold rolling. The first rolling is used to obtain blanks of large cross-sections, and the second - to obtain thin sheets, tapes and high-precision profiles.
- Drawing. The blank is pulled through holes of increasingly smaller diameters, acquiring the shape of a wire. Drawing can be single or multiple. Diamond dies are used to obtain wire of small diameters.
Cold stamping is a process of forming metal products by applying pressure to the blank at room temperature. Various cold stamping methods are used for copper profiles:
- Drawing - obtaining hollow products by squeezing material out of a hole in a die.
- Bending - changing the shape of products by bending.
- Upsetting - reducing the height of the rolled product while simultaneously increasing its area.
- Cutting - obtaining blanks of a certain shape by cutting them out of a sheet.
Casting is a process of manufacturing products by pouring liquid metal into a mold. Welding is a process of joining metal products by local melting and fusion of the material. When using this technology, argon, laser or gas welding are used. Surface treatment improves the appearance, protects against corrosion and imparts special properties to the surface of copper rods.
Main features
Copper rods are semi-finished products of round cross-section, possessing a unique set of physical and chemical properties, which determine their wide application in various industries:
- High electrical conductivity. The material is one of the best conductors of electric current. This property is due to the presence of one free electron per outer energy level of the alloy atom. That is why such rods are widely used in electrical engineering.
- Good thermal conductivity. Rolled products effectively remove heat, so they are very often used in heat exchangers, radiators and other thermal devices.
- Plasticity. The rods are easily subjected to cold pressure treatment, which makes it possible to produce elements with complex shapes from them.
- Corrosion resistance. The copper profile has excellent rust resistance in most aggressive environments.
- Mechanical properties. The rods have increased strength, hardness and elasticity. Their mechanical characteristics can be changed by alloying and heat treatment.
From an engineer's point of view, copper rods are a universal structural material with a number of advantages. They are easy to machine (cut, drill, mill), weld and solder. Rolled products are easily soldered with other metals, which simplifies the assembly of products. It is an environmentally friendly material and does not have a negative impact on the environment. Rolled products are manufactured using modern technologies and high-quality raw materials. Rods of various diameters and copper grades are offered.
Where rolled metal is used
Manufacturing conductors, windings of electrical machines, buses, contacts is a common use of the material. It is indispensable for the production of machine parts and mechanisms operating in conditions of high temperatures and humidity.
Manufacture of water pipes, roofing materials, decorative elements is also carried out using such rods. With their help, precision parts, contacts, springs are manufactured. Increased precision of processing makes it possible to create parts with minimal tolerances. In all areas, the material is valued for its long service life and economic benefits.