Analysis of Copper & Copper Alloy Material for Metal Stamping Parts

Dongguan Changdong Metal Stamping Parts Co., LTD., founded in 2012, located in Dalang Town, Dongguan City, is one of China professional metal stamping parts manufacturer, specialized in various size of metal stamping parts production.

The materials commonly used in hardware stamping parts are copper and its alloys. Dongguan Changdong Metal Stamping Parts Co., Ltd. has a detailed analysis of copper materials as follows:

1. Definition:

Copper is a metal element, with the chemical symbol Cu, and English Copper. Pure copper is a soft metal. The surface is red-orange with a metallic luster when it is just cut, and the single substance is purple-red. It has good ductility, high thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity, so it is the most commonly used material in cables and electrical and electronic components. It can also be used as a building material and can form many kinds of alloys. Copper alloys have excellent mechanical properties and very low resistivity, among which bronze and brass are the most important. In addition, copper is also a durable metal that can be recycled many times without damaging its mechanical properties.

2. Classification:

1) Pure copper is also called red copper, red copper: has excellent electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, non-magnetic, and plasticity

2) Copper alloys:

A. Brass: good corrosion resistance, the higher the zinc content, the cheaper it is, up to 46%; the more zinc it contains, the easier it is to stress corrosion cracking, and adding Si and As can reduce stress corrosion cracking.

B. Bronze:

a. Tin bronze: bronze with tin as the main alloying element. The tin content is generally between 3% and 14%, and it is mainly used to make elastic components and wear-resistant parts;

b. Aluminum bronze: The aluminum content of aluminum bronze generally does not exceed 11.5%, and sometimes appropriate amounts of iron, nickel, manganese and other elements are added to further improve the performance. Aluminum bronze can be strengthened by heat treatment, and its strength is higher than that of tin bronze, and its resistance to high-temperature oxidation is also better. It is mainly used as screws, nuts, copper sleeves, sealing rings, etc.

c. Beryllium bronze: a tin-free bronze with beryllium as the main alloying element. It contains 1.7-2.5% beryllium and a small amount of nickel, chromium, titanium and other elements. After quenching and aging treatment, the strength limit can reach 1250-1500MPa, which is close to the level of medium-strength steel. It has good plasticity in the quenched state and can be processed into various semi-finished products. Beryllium bronze has high hardness, elastic limit, fatigue limit and wear resistance. It also has good corrosion resistance, thermal conductivity and electrical conductivity. It does not produce sparks when impacted. It is widely used as important elastic components, wear-resistant parts and explosion-proof tools. Common grades include QBe2, QBe2.5, QBe1.7, QBe1.9, etc.

d. Phosphor bronze: It has good electrical conductivity, is not easy to heat up, ensures safety, and has strong fatigue resistance. It is mainly used as wear-resistant parts and elastic components, such as computer connectors, mobile phone connectors, high-tech industry connectors, electronic and electrical springs, switches, slots, buttons, electrical connectors, lead frames, vibrating plates and terminals for electronic products.

e. Silicon bronze: A special type of bronze with silicon as the main alloying element. In addition to silicon, manganese, nickel, zinc and other elements are also added. Silicon bronze has good mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and weldability, is easy to process, is non-magnetic, does not produce sparks when impacted, and does not lose the original properties of the material at low temperatures. It is often used as liquid gas and gasoline storage, elastic components, and wear-resistant parts.

C. Cupronickel:

a. Ordinary cupronickel: Ordinary cupronickel contains only copper and nickel.

b. Special cupronickel: Special cupronickel is made by adding Zn, Mn, Al, Fe, Pb, etc. to ordinary cupronickel, and is called zinc cupronickel, manganese cupronickel, aluminum cupronickel, iron cupronickel, lead cupronickel, etc.