Benefits of Copper: Copper is a preferred metal for the electrical and electronics industries due to its ability to efficiently conduct electricity better than other metals. It is also prominent in the heating, ventilation, air conditioning and plumbing industries due to its corrosion resistance and low maintenance. Copper is often used in a pure form but due to its high malleability is sometimes alloyed with metals such as Zinc to create Brass or with Tin to create Bronze. If it is used to form a part that is transferring fluids, this material is a great candidate for soldering and brazing. Because copper is more
costly (approximately eight times that of low carbon steel) the avoidance of waste becomes even more crucial to the operation.
Benefits of Deep Drawing Copper: The best way to efficiently avoid scrap is through the process of deep drawing. When compared to machining, deep drawing only uses the net amount of material necessary to form a part, whereas machining will use more, at a higher cost, to achieve the same end result.
Project Overview: This particular part is an electrode for an electrical applications company. This part has a length of 9.75” and diameter of 1.905” with a tolerance of +/- .004 inches. Originally designed as a spun part required a flat at the nose, which was not an issue to transfer to a deep drawn production
process. The initial investment in tooling for this project was substantial to make such a deep draw out of sheet, but the end result is a flawless copper electrode. The savings in deep drawing comes in the process of manufacturing and being able to quickly undertake production runs saving time and money
over the life of a project.
