Copper welding

Copper welding

Copper is the most widely used non-ferrous metal in metallurgy after aluminum because of its many excellent properties. Let's look at its characteristics and the copper welding process in Minifaber.

Table of Contents:

• The copper welding that Minifaber performs

• Why choose Minifaber

• The advantages of copper

Copper welding in Minifaber

Copper welding is preferably done using the direct current TIG process. An inert gas such as argon with a high degree of purity must be used.

The weld seam should always be under a gaseous shield to reduce any form of oxidation, which would embrittle the weld seam. 

The high conductivity of copper makes welding difficult. Preheating it and cooling slowly in an oven improve the weld seam and characteristics by helping to reduce cracking and porosity.  

Thanks to the experience gained over fifty years in the sector, we at Minifaber exploit a range of copper welding techniques:

• Laser welding is one of the most precise copper welding techniques, and can make joints with a good welding speed

• TIG welding (Tungsten Inert Gas) is best done without filler metal

• MIG/MAG welding is only used with copper when it is very thick

One welding type will be chosen over another, depending on the final copper sheet application.

Why rely on Minifaber

Why should you rely on Minifaber for copper welding? Simple, for four key reasons:

• Minifaber does not just undertake fabrication based on past projects, but also design, offering support from the initial stages.

• Minifaber is capable of mass fabrication in both large and small quantities.

• Thanks to the state-of-the-art technology of its machines, Minifaber is capable of extremely complex fabrication.

• Minifaber can make both finished and semi-finished products, depending on the customer's needs.

Copper, a metal with multiple advantages 

Used by man since the dawn of time, large quantities can still found in all our homes today. From plumbing to the wires of home appliances and high-tech devices, copper is an integral part of our daily lives. But to what does it owe its importance? No doubt, to its physical and mechanical properties, which make it

• ideal for making alloys. In many industrial applications, copper alone is not enough, which is why its performance needs to be enhanced by adding different metals to it. Its great ability to amalgamate with other metals makes it ideal for creating alloys. The best-known copper alloys are brass (copper + zinc), bronze (copper + tin) and cupronickel (copper+ nickel) 

• Antibacterial: copper has antimicrobial properties that make it particularly useful in applications where germ control is critical, such as the health care and food sectors. Pathogens do not survive on copper surfaces, thus reducing the risk of propagation through contact.

• Easy to work: being ductile and malleable, copper can be worked very easily, so it lends itself to being shaped into any desired form, even complex ones.

• Color: no other metal offers such a wide range of colors as copper and its alloys.

• Conductive of both heat and electricity. After silver, copper is the metal with the best electrical conductivity. That is why it is essential in electrical and electromechanical applications. Similarly, its excellent thermal conductivity makes it the best material as a diffuser or heat sink.

• Resistant and hard: copper alloyed with beryllium gives rise to materials that combine the benefits of copper, such as electrical and thermal conductivity, with hardness and abrasion resistance, making it ideal for electromechanical equipment and machinery in general.

• Weldable. Last but not least, copper can be welded or braze-welded to make more complex products.