ICA Press Releases on CuproBraze
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
The CuproBraze® Story
(NEW YORK, NY) – The International Copper Association, in cooperation with manufacturers worldwide, spent considerable research time to engineer an entirely new generation of heat exchangers for all vehicle applications for the impending transportation needs of tomorrow. An international consortium of scientists and engineers came together to examine the basic requirements for vehicle heat exchangers expanded on and enhanced those necessities, then designed a product to fill that need. That process to produce products to fill those needs was CuproBraze.
With the ever-changing emissions standards for cars, trucks, and off-road vehicles, this new technology will undoubtedly make the copper-brass radiator the preferred choice of vehicle manufacturers worldwide. The product incorporates the inherent superiority of copper over aluminum in thermal conductivity, internal corrosion resistance, durability, and ease of fabrication, and simpler joining techniques, making CuproBraze heat exchangers an exciting new breakthrough. CuproBraze brazing has greatly improved manufacturing time, lowered costs, energy, and waste, and produces superior products.
The process is cost-effective, fast, and easy to adopt. Existing equipment can be adjusted and retooled to implement the new technology without a major initial investment. But the major production breakthrough of the CuproBraze process is its manufacturing speed. One hundred percent faster than comparable aluminum production lines, the CuproBraze line can braze twice as many radiators in the same amount of time as the aluminum process. This increased productivity decreases the unit costs of energy, nitrogen, investment and labor.
The CuproBraze heat exchangers produced are second to none. In laboratory performance tests, CuproBraze prototypes have lasted 8,000 hours without failure, or more than 800,000 km of service. In comparison, soldered copper-brass radiators in the U.S. average 120,000 km – 130,000 km. In recent in-vehicle road testing of Cuprobraze radiators, vehicles have gone over 140,000 miles with no reported failures.
Several companies have already adopted Cuprobraze to manufacture radiators, heaters, oil coolers, charge air coolers, A/C condensers, and A/C evaporators for both the OEM and aftermarket markets. Currently there are over 80 projects in place with many more expected to follow.
The revolutionary CuproBraze was developed by the International Copper Association and is licensed without cost to qualified manufacturers.
The International Copper Association, Ltd. is the leading organization for the promotion of the use of copper worldwide. The Association’s twenty-nine members represent about 80 percent of the world’s refined copper output, and its six associate members are among the world’s largest copper and copper-alloy fabricators. ICA is responsible for guiding policy, strategy and funding of international initiatives and promotional activities. With headquarters in New York City, ICA operates in 28 worldwide locations through a network of regional offices and copper development associations.