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Aluminium outpacing copper on technological innovations- 2016 China(Guangzhou)Non-Ferrous Metals Exhibition
3/17/2016 non-ferrous metals expo |
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Reuters reported that manufacturers are abandoning copper for its lighter and cheaper rival aluminum after a decade of technological innovation that is saving some companies hundreds of millions of dollars. Japanese auto giant Toyota and Saudi''s power company are among those making the switch while Sapa, a supplier of aluminum components, said it has seen a pickup in demand.
Some sectors including shipbuilding, building construction and electric circuitry will still need copper''s high conductivity, flexibility and durability. But developments in aluminum wiring that compensate for lower conductivity and less flexibility, new ways to stop corrosion and more efficient conductors, mean there is more scope to replace copper in power grid cables, auto wiring, air conditioning and refrigeration systems.
The biggest potential for switching from copper is in the power sector, where aluminum is already widely used in overhead high-voltage cables from power stations but is now attractive for wiring branching off from substations. Saudi Electricity Co. said it has already saved 2.4 billion riyals ($640.09 million) by shifting from copper to aluminum in its medium voltage distribution network. Japan''s Kansai Electric Power last year began replacing 50-year-old copper distribution cabling in Osaka prefecture with aluminum. A spokesman said its plans to replace some 140,000 km of copper cabling over 30 years would save tens of billions of yen. Their new aluminum wires compensated for the downside of being thicker with a dimpled design that reduces wind pressure and helps repel snow meaning they can use existing electric poles and lower the risk of cables snapping
The automotive sector also has benefited from innovations, boosting the potential for further use of lightweight aluminum to help the industry cut vehicle weight to help meet stricter emission standards. Japan''s Furukawa Automotive Systems, a unit of Furukawa Electric Co, has developed new corrosion-proof terminals for aluminum wires in a harness, the backbone of a car''s electrical system, a spokesman said. Furukawa has been supplying aluminum wire harness systems to Honda¡¯s light vehicles and Toyota¡¯s luxury vehicles. Germany''s Leoni started supplying aluminum cables for luxury cars about five years ago and is expecting to expand to mass-market autos. A car can be about 1 kg lighter if aluminum cables are used instead of copper and this difference is expected to climb to 4 kg within five years, he said.
Air conditioning and refrigeration is another area of competition for the two metals. Sapa supplies aluminum components to air conditioner makers and said in a presentation it expects sales growth after improvements in aluminum tubing made them more competitive as a replacement for copper tubes.
- 2016 China(Guangzhou)Non-Ferrous Metals Exhibition
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