Aluminum Electroplating for Copper Alloys

High Purity Aluminum Improves the Surface Properties of Copper Alloys

AlumiPlate® Aluminum can be plated onto pure copper and copper alloys, bronze, brass, copper-nickel, leaded copper and specialty alloys such as Beryllium Copper.

• Electroplated aluminum protects pure copper and alloys from service, environmental and galvanic corrosion.
• High purity aluminum can be applied onto pure copper grades such as Copper C-100 or UNS C11000 Copper.
• Aluminum plating can be deposited onto Beryllium Copper UNS C17000.
• Aluminum plating can be coated onto bronzes and brasses, including leaded copper and brasses such as UNS C33000.
• Aluminum plating can be applied onto copper nickel alloys (Cupronickel and copper aluminum alloys), such as Copper 90-10/UNS C70600/CuNi10Fe, Copper 70-30/UNS C71500/CuNi30Fe, and Copper 66-30-2-2/UNS C71640.
• Pure aluminum can protect copper heat sinks from attack with hot, corrosive thermal fluids.
• Electroplated aluminum can be anodized and converted to alumina providing a protective, hard and electrically insulating coating with good thermal conductivity properties.

Copper alloys benefit from a pure aluminum coating

Copper possesses a unique combination of high electrical and thermal conductivity and good corrosion resistance. Electrical wiring, roofing, plumbing and electrical machinery utilize pure copper, brass (copper zinc alloys), bronzes (copper tin alloys).

Copper is also an important material for engineered components: heat sinks, heat exchangers, electromagnets, magnetrons and microwave radiation waveguides are made from copper. Integrated circuits and printed circuit boards increasingly utilize copper because of its superior electrical conductivity.

Copper and its alloys show generally good corrosion due to the protective dark-brown oxide formed when exposed to oxygen. Architectural and decorative grades of copper alloys can form attractive green, gold or dark blue patinas.

Although impervious to water and passivated when exposed to oxygen, copper alloys are prone to corrosion from sulfides. Additionally, copper is susceptible to galvanic corrosion when in contact with aluminum alloys in harsh service environments.

Copper components improved with a typically higher than 99.99% pure aluminum coating

High purity aluminum plating for copper alloys is an ideal protective coating to be used in harsh environments. It can withstand severe attack from SO₂, with an unsurpassed 500+ performance in G-85 SO₂ testing.

Copper components can be protected from environmental or service corrosion with the use of electroplated aluminum. The plating has excellent compatibility with corrosive thermal fluids.

For improved wear resistance and dielectric strength, electroplated aluminum can be anodized providing a protective surface of hard alumina with excellent corrosion properties and good thermal conductivity.

Contact us to discuss how electroplating can improve the surface properties of your copper components.