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innovation
In response to the demands created by new materials
and combinations of materials operating at extremely high
temperatures, companies like the 2.8 billion Euro Londonbased
metal engineering company Luvata are developing new
ranges of products.
The Luvata products include strips, wires, spot welding
electrodes, connectors, wire wound components, tubes
and e-cooling profiles for heat exchangers. The company
manufactures these components in both copper and copper
alloys. “We look at other materials like aluminum to be able to
fully support the total automotive sector and utilize our skills,
applications and engineering expertise,” says Jerker Adeberg,
executive vice president of Luvata.
As a recent example, a Japanese OEM
approached Luvata to find a means to
increase productivity through improved
manufacturing efficiencies. Luvata
Keeping joints
sealed By:
Steve Barclay
Ever tougher emission regulations and rising gas prices are among the factors putting
pressure on the many joints that keep modern vehicles on the road.
Casting copper in a
Luvata factory.
developed spot welding electrodes
and alloys that consistently deliver
high weld standards throughout the life
of the electrode – minimizing downtime,
reject welds, and waste. Luvata welding
products are marketed under the brand names of
Nitrode, Z-Trode, A-Trode, Cupal, and Nitrode Composite.
These products are used by leading car manufacturers around
the globe.
Automotive Industries (AI) asked Adeberg to briefly run
through the company’s product portfolio:
Adeberg: In addition to welding electrodes, Luvata is the
leading supplier, with regards to both quality and production
volume, of copper and brass strips for engine cooling. Our strip
products are used globally both on OEM and AM and sold to
about 80 countries.
AI: How much of your business comes from engine
cooling?
Adeberg: About 25 to 30% of the sales of our Rolled
AI: What about your heat transfer solutions?
Adeberg: We produce materials and develop solutions both
to the traditional soft soldering heat exchanger market and to
the brazing market, called CuproBraze – North America being
the highest volume market. Our materials are used in radiators,
heaters, charge air coolers, oil coolers and more.
We have been able to develop new cost saving concepts for
the soft soldering process. CuproBraze materials go mainly to the
premium type of heavy duty segments where durability, corrosion
resistance, reparability, high temperature and pressure resistance
are valued. Those segments include HD trucks, mining applications,
locomotives, generator sets, construction equipment etc. One of
our recent developments are copper Multiport tubes which
create new opportunities, for instance in oil coolers
and in mobile air conditioning, taking into account
the odor retarding antimicrobial properties of
copper alloys.
AI: Are you looking at expanding your
engine cooling markets in emerging
economies?
Adeberg: The roads can be bad,
climate can be cold or hot with humidity
and presence of salts, sulfuric pollutants
and sand erosion, and the maintenance
practice of coolant is not that elaborated.
These kinds of tough conditions favor
copper alloys, especially CuproBraze,
over aluminum. CuproBraze has gained
a wide acceptance for instance in Russia,
where salting of roads to melt ice exposes
automotive heat exchangers for corrosion
attacks and the limited availability of spare parts
in remote areas can lead to expensive heavy duty
vehicles standing still unless damaged parts can be repaired
on site. India is also developing great interest in CuproBraze.
AI: What are some of the new technologies Luvata is
working on?
Adeberg: The development of environmental regulations
for vehicles results in up to 50% higher heat loads to the cooling
systems and the charge air cooler’s inlet temperatures are
approaching 300°C. Our CuproBraze materials withstand
generally higher temperatures and pressures than alternatives. Our
new anticorrosion concept raises the level of exhaust gas resistance
and our copper alloy based solutions are useful in heat exchanger
applications, where stainless steel is used today. That would mean
smaller and lighter units with high thermal performance. The vehicle
industry is gradually moving towards renewable energy sources.
CuproBraze technology is fully compliant.
Products Division come from the engine cooling segment. AI
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