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Special Brass Instruments
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Oil tanker
Naval
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Concept Métal, your supplier of specialty copper products
The special brass instruments are high-performance copper alloys that combine the electrical and thermal conductivity of copper with significantly enhanced mechanical strength. Where standard copper reaches its limits, these alloys meet the severe demands of connectors, resistance welding, and tooling.
What is special copper?
A special copper is a metal alloy in which copper is the base element, enriched with additives such as beryllium, chromium, zirconium, nickel, or silicon. These elements, often activated through heat treatment for hardening, allow the alloy to maintain high conductivity while significantly increasing its hardness and mechanical strength.
The nuances of special brass have the following characteristics:
- high electrical and thermal conductivity
- enhanced mechanical strength and hardness
- good mechanical strength at high temperatures
- greater durability against wear and friction
Depending on the selected variant: CuBe2 (copper-beryllium), CuCr1Zr (copper-chromium-zirconium), or CuCoNiBe, special copper emphasizes either hardness or conductivity, depending on the application.
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The Properties of Special Brass Alloys
Electrical and Thermal Conductivity
The special copper alloys retain excellent conductivity, which is essential for transmitting current with minimal losses. It is this property that makes them indispensable in connectors and conductive components, where pure copper would lack the necessary mechanical strength.
Mechanical Strength and Hardness
Thanks to precipitation hardening, certain alloys—such as CuBe2—achieve mechanical properties similar to those of steel, while remaining conductive. They are suitable for parts subjected to high stresses or repeated contact.
Keep Warm
Several special brass alloys retain their properties at high temperatures, a quality sought after for resistance welding electrodes and mold inserts, where heat and pressure combine.
What are the industrial applications for specialty copper alloys?
Because of their rare combination of conductivity and strength, special copper alloys are used in many industries for the manufacture of:
- Contacts and Connectors for Industrial Connectivity
- resistance welding electrodes
- Inserts and molds for plastic injection molding
- highly stressed conductive components
- parts for the automotive, oil, and marine industries
Applications
- Automotive
- Oil tanker
- Naval
Available Sizes
- Round bars
- Hexagonal bars
- Flat-bottomed
- Plates
- Custom-made: blanks, blocks, discs, parts made to specifications
Gallery
Is your shade not listed?
Our teams can source specific grades or those that are hard to find on the market. Contact us with your designation or standard.