Drawn Copper Bars

High-purity copper with min. 56 M/S electrical conductivity is used to produce drawn copper bars.

Copper Italia produces a wide range of shapes and sections, either standard or to customer drawing.

Our drawn copper bars are suitable for industrial applications requiring specific properties of material, such as high conductivity and low tolerances.

All drawn products are available in bars of variable length as required by the customer.

DATA SHEET – CHARACTERISTICS OF OFHC COPPER

OFHC copper is the only one to be produced following a completely oxygen-free process. It meets ASTM B 170 standards and was initially developed to meet the particular needs of modern industrialisation.

The production of OFHC copper (see  Table) starts with the selection of copper cathodes of a high level of quality and purity, which are melted in an induction oxygen-free atmosphere where any oxygen residual traces on the cathodes are eliminated.

The molten copper obtained is then poured in a holding furnace via a duct in a completely oxygen-free atmosphere, thanks to the gaseous components that prevent contamination. This process also prevents the inclusion of any potentially harmful components in the holding furnace from where the wire rod is then extracted.

COARSE GRAIN STRUCTURE HELPS PREVENT ROUGHNESS AND ENSURE EVEN COATING

In copper, like in other metals, oxidation and other impurities can be revealed by analysing the grain texture. The impurities are subject to etching by plating solutions. Small particles of undissolved impurities can cause roughness, whereas the purity and texture of OFHC copper ensures a compact texture with an impurity-free smooth surface.

THE ABSENCE OF ADDITIVES MAKES   GALVANIC BATHS MORE EFFICIENT

Since no de-oxidising agents or additives are used in the production of OFHC copper, there are no residual contaminants.

In electroplating terms, this means a virtually total elimination of insoluble particles in the bath.

LESS RESIDUE MEANS LESS NEED FOR CLEANING THE PLATING VATS

The use of OFHC copper results in less residue in the plating vats. The absence of oxides (not detectable by ASTM microscopic tests) combined with the extremely low level of impurities contribute to minimize the amount of residue present in the bath.

 

CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF OFHC COPPER:

Electrical conductivity

a 20oC / 68 F – soft annealed

00.0-101.5 % IACS

58.0-58.9 m/ohm mm2

a 20oC / 68 F – fully cold worked

97.0-97.7 % IACS

56.3-56.6 m/ohm mm2

Thermal conductivity

a 20oC / 68 F

395 W/Km

0.094 cal, cm/cm2soC

Coefficient of thermal expansion

da 25 a 100oC / da 77 a 212 F

0.0000168 per oC

0.00000933 per F

da 20 a 300oC / da 68 a 572 F

0.0000177 per oC

0.00000983 per F

Resistance to external agents

Resistance to hydrogen embrittlement

good

Corrosion resistance

good

Cu-OF versus Cu-ETP

ELECTROLYTIC COPPER
(ETP)

OXYGEN-FREE COPPER
(OFHC)

Silver

.0013

.0012

Sulphur

.0015

.0012

Arsenic

.0006

.0002

Lead

.0010

.0005

Antimony

.0010

.0005

Bismuth

.0001

.00003

Selenium

.0003

.0001

Tellurium

.0001

.00005

Tin

.0004

.0001

Nickel

.0014

.0005

Zinc

.0004

.00005

Oxygen

.0340

.0003

Conductivity(IACS)

100.7%

101.5%

 

Comparison of electrical properties

Copper UNI
5649/1

Max.resistivity
(mass)(Omega*g)/m

Max. resistivity
(volume) (Omega*mm2)/m

 Min Conductivity m/(Omega*mm)

Min ConductivityIACS IACS % min

CU-ETP

0,155 96

0,0175 44

57

98,28

CU-OF

0,153 28

0,017 241

58

100

 

DATA SHEET – CHEMICAL AND PHYSICAL PROPERTIES OF DRAWN COPPER BARS

The main features are shown in the table below.

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES (UNI 3310):    
Grade Nomenclature Symbol Max cross-section – S
mm2
Unit load – R
Kgf/mm2
Elongation – A
Min %
Hardness (Brinell) – HB
Kgf/mm2
OFHC ANNEALED R ALL 20 – 25 40 40 – 60
HARDENED 10 H10 1200 25 – 29 10 60 – 75
HARDENED 20 H20 200 30 – 37 5 75 – 90

 

 

MECHANICAL PROPERTIES (UNI 3310):    

% Cu

>/= 99.95

 

CONDUCTIVITY (UNI 5649):    

Stato fisico del rame

Conducibilità elettrica

Raw

>/= 56 M/S

Annealed

>/= 57 M/S

DATA SHEET – DRAWN COPPER BAR SECTIONS

The following drawn copper bars are available.

 

Other shapes are available on customer request.

DATA SHEET – RANGE OF BARS

Below is the range of copper bar sections available.

barre-estruse-grafico1

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DATA SHEET – PACKAGING OF BARS

barre-estruse-ofhc-imballo

Copper bars are supplied in the following packaging:

Standard

Strapped bundle covered with crepe paper at minimum three points, at both ends and in the centre.

barre-estruse-ofhc-standard

With support

  • Bundle wrapped with plastic film
  • Bundle strapped and protected with crepe paper at minimum three points, at both ends and in the centre
  • Wooden base, min. 50 mm thick, fixed to the pack according to the following schemes:
    – 4 bases for bundles up to 4.2 m in length
  • – 6 bases for bundles of 4.2-5 m in length
    – 6 bases for bundles of 5-6 m in length

barre-estruse-ofhc-supporto

Crates

  • Bundle wrapped with plastic film in a crate
  • Bundle with straps at least every approx. 500 mm
  • Wooden base, min. 50 mm thick

barre-estruse-ofhc-casse

Cages

  • Bundle wrapped with plastic film in a crate
  • Wooden base, min. 50 mm thick

barre-estruse-ofhc-gabbie

Boards

  • Bundle wrapped with plastic film
  • Bundle placed on wooden boards (an additional wooden board is placed on top of packs weighing over 1000 kg)
  • Bundle strapped and protected with crepe paper at minimum three points, at both ends and in the centre
  • Wooden base, min. 50 mm thick, fixed to the pack according to the following schemes:
  • –4 bases for bundles up to 4.2 m in length
  • –6 bases for bundles of 2-5 m in length
  • –6 bases for bundles of 5-6 m in length

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Coils

barre-estruse-ofhc-rotoli