Copper plate, foil, tape: production, characteristics, application

Work with metals has been conducted by people for a very long time. Mankind uses a wide variety of metals to produce functional and decorative objects, creates various alloys that have characteristics other than the original material.

In this article we will talk about one of the most common metal materials to date - copper. You will find out what this material represents, and also get acquainted with what is now most often made of it. Most likely, you have already heard of such a thing as a copper plate, and its uniqueness lies in the fact that it can be used in medicine, in production, and also for making jewelry. Naturally, this is not the only form-factor - the rest will also be discussed in this article. So if you are wondering how a copper plate is made and used, as well as other items made of copper, then this material is for you. You will find here all the basic information about the production and use of objects from this metal, as well as their characteristics.

What is copper?

So, before you start to study what a copper plate is, as well as tape and foil, you need to figure out if you know all that is necessary about copper. Many people do not think about such simple details, suggesting that they do not need a lot of information on this or that topic. The same is with copper - most people can say that there are copper pipes, and also that in ancient times there was a copper age, but they will not be able to name any details about the metal itself. That's why you need to pay more attention to the metal itself before taking on the study of the products made from it.

Where should I start? You should understand that copper is pure metal, not an alloy, so it can be found in nature. And it is due to the fact that it is not so difficult to find it, in principle, there was a copper age, which in ancient times replaced the stone one. The fact is that tools made of copper were much more effective than stone analogs, and in combination with a large amount of copper ore and its low melting point, a very effective production was obtained.

Of course, even then the main problems were noticeable, namely the softness of this material. If not for this, then perhaps humanity would never have entered the Iron Age. But iron replaced copper because it was much harder than copper.

However, in the modern world, copper is used very widely, it is one of the most popular metals in production. But it is very important that the material is clean, without the impurities of other metals, since even a hundredth percent of the content of other materials in copper greatly reduces its heat and electrical conductivity, for which all are so much praised and because of which it is So popular.

Well, now you know the basic data concerning the metal itself. It's time to move on to more specific issues, namely the products that are made from it. Naturally, absolutely all kinds of copper products will not be described here - there are a lot of them. Therefore, it should be noted at once that attention in this article will be concentrated on plates, tapes and foil. And the first thing to be considered in detail is the copper plate.

Manufacture of copper plate

When copper is produced from copper ore , it needs to be given a concrete shape that is necessary for the further use of the material. And most often this metal is rolled into a copper sheet, from which a plate of the desired shape is already created. The size and thickness of the copper plate depends on what elements will be used for, which are created from it. Very often one can find plates one millimeter thick, most likely, they are the most common of all. As you already understood, copper plates are produced with the help of a special machine that is able to roll the metal to the desired thickness. This is a high-tech machine, so in private use it can be found rarely. More often such machines are located in factories and factories working with non-ferrous metals. So, you got a copper sheet. What can be done with it? What are its characteristics?

Characteristics of a copper plate

Can you imagine what a 1 mm thick copper plate looks like? This is a fairly thin object, and therefore, first of all, we can safely talk about the flexibility of this material as a leading characteristic. In combination with high strength, the flexibility of the copper plate provides it with a wide range of applications, but this will be discussed further.

Now it is worth noting that the copper plate has other very important properties that also attract people using this material for their own purposes. It turns out that copper is one of the best conductors of electricity and heat among metals - by these parameters the material is second only to silver. However, it is immediately worth noting that the cost of copper is significantly lower than the cost of silver, which is classified as a precious metal, so the choice for industry and production is obvious.

In addition, more than one study has confirmed that copper is a kind of drug, so the characteristics of this metal as a whole are striking. After all, this material can be used not only as a copper rolled product in production, but also as a medicinal product in the home. Well, it's time to take a closer look at the areas of application of copper plates.

Application of a copper plate

The size, weight of the copper plate (it can easily be calculated by the formula: length (cm) × width (cm) × thickness (cm) × 8.93 (specific gravity of copper, g / cm ³ )), as well as some other physical and technical Factors can influence the extent to which the material is manufactured.

First of all, it is worth paying attention to the production, especially to the non-ferrous metals sector, because it is there where these materials are most often produced and used. There is welding of copper plates, changing their shape, cutting out the right sizes and shapes and so on. As everyone knows, copper plates have been used for a long time to create a variety of pipelines. However, in addition to this example of the useful use of copper, there are also other areas that many people do not think about.

For example, copper plates are widely used for making various decorative ornaments. The fact is that the flexibility of copper is used to depict various pictures on it, even the most detailed ones. So decorations are obtained in order to be hung on the wall in the house, or for wearing on your own body.

By the way, if we are talking about the body, we should not forget that small copper plates are made in order to use them for medicinal purposes. Copper has medicinal properties, so if you use such plates, you can not just feel better, but even be cured of certain diseases.

Copper plates for chips are also used, which are then used in high-tech products, such as, for example, computers. Here, the high electrical conductivity of a given metal, as well as the possibility of giving it any shape at the minimum thickness, is very useful. You can often find such elements on motherboards, video cards and so on. It should also be remembered that a copper plate is used for grounding, again because of its ability to conduct electricity. But enough talk about the plate - it's time to pay attention to other elements.

Manufacture of copper tape

In principle, a copper tape is produced in much the same way as a plate, but it is worth noting that even more sophisticated equipment is required here to achieve increased accuracy. Unlike a conventional plate, which can be created using hot-rolled technology, it is cold-rolled technology that is needed to produce the tape - it is through its use that the required thickness of the product can be achieved. And what exactly thickness should be a copper tape? You will now find out about this. You should pay attention to the fact that both production and characteristics of different types of copper products may be the same or very similar, but the spheres of their application may already be extremely different.

Characteristics of copper tape

The copper tape, also known as the copper strip, differs from the plate mainly in its thickness. If a thickness of one millimeter is practically minimal for a plate (in general, plates are much thicker, especially when the final product must be strong, that is, used in the case, and not for decoration), then for a tape this thickness is already practically a permissible maximum. The fact is that the thickness of the tape is usually about one-tenth of a millimeter, sometimes it can even go up to five hundredths of a millimeter. That is why the copper tape is not supplied in sheets, like plates, but in rolls, as it folds. As for the other parameters, the thermal conductivity and the electrical conductivity do not change with the thickness of the material.

Application of copper tape

One of the main areas of use of copper tape is the production of a variety of heat exchangers, just because all the necessary properties of the metal are preserved, regardless of its size and thickness. Also, copper tape can be found in a variety of power capacitors, transformer elements and even in building materials. But again, these are all practical ways of using it, and in fact in recent years more and more began to appear various decorative works, in the creation of which copper tapes are used.

Manufacture of copper foil

The last considered material is copper foil - it is the thinnest copper that is used in industry. However, do not rush to say that you saw and know it, and also use it constantly. The fact is that food foils, so popular in the household, are most often made of aluminum or steel, but not of copper. As for copper foil, it can be produced in two ways - as a result either katana or electrodeposited foil is obtained. In the second case, the material turns out to be grainy, so it is not possible to use it dynamically-such a foil is used only for static purposes. As for the katana, this foil is much more even, so its dynamic use does not threaten the appearance of cracks.

Characteristics of copper foil

Copper foil, as already mentioned above, has all the same properties and characteristics as the previous versions of materials, but it differs in its incredibly small thickness. If you thought that the copper tape is very thin, then you were mistaken - in fact, the most thin is the foil. With certain methods of processing it can achieve an amazing thickness - only 18 micrometers, and in some cases the result is even more impressive. But how can you use such a thin material?

Application of copper foil

Naturally, due to its electrical conductivity and incredibly low thickness, copper foil is very often used in electrical engineering. It can be found in various electronic boards, even in the tiniest. Also very often you can see how copper foil is used to shield cables - for this task it fits much better than any other material that is available in the same price category. As already mentioned, in the food industry, copper foil is not used, since it has much more suitable alternatives of aluminum and steel. You can also find copper foil in the construction industry - most often there it is used for thermal insulation. And of course, very often not only copper, but also any other foil is used in printing industry in order to produce embossing.

Naturally, these are not all areas in which one can find application to such a remarkable product as copper foil. Many thousands of years ago, when there was a copper age on Earth, people did not know how to handle other metals, so they used simple and common material - copper. He, with all his shortcomings, was much better at making and using tools than the stone that was used earlier.

Now humanity has access to a wide variety of materials. However, people still use copper, which proves the fact that its incredible qualities and qualities were valued, valued and valued at all times.