In certain parts of an aircraft, such as the wings and engines and for certain sensors, the copper wire must meet the highest requirements. For these applications, high performance copper conductors are used, made out of high Chrome copper alloys as CuCrZr, CuCdCr and CuCrAgSi. Currently 10% of all copper cables in modern aircrafts are high performance conductors.
Lamifil has developed and perfected a continuous casting process to deliver pre-material for high performance conductors, meeting AS22759, AS29606, NEMA WC 67, MIL-DTL-25038 and CW106C standards. Typically, high performance conductors require high flexlife (9 times higher than Cu-ETP), 92% IACS conductivity, high tensile strength in soft condition (Rm=414 Mpa), 6% elongation and high thermal stability.
While high performance conductors were originally developed for aviation, they have found their way to other markets such as medical applications, robotics, defense and electronics, where similar properties are demanded. In fact, everywhere ‘indestructible’ flexible cables are needed, a high performance conductor is preferred. Most of the wire for high performance conductors is plated with nickel, silver and tin. Our process is designed to give the pre-material a perfect plating condition.
