Applications of Copper

Copper is among the most widely used metals. Its use can be traced to hundreds of years ago in almost similar but advanced applications that it has today. Industrial machineries and electrical wires are among the equipment and materials with copper as a main structuring metal. It is also used to make roofing and plumbing materials. Modern agriculture likewise uses copper, in its non-metal form, as a main ingredient to compound for the production of nutritional supplement and fungicides.

The electronics industry benefits much from the use of copper in major products, such as wires and semiconductors. Although comparable to aluminum in conducting electricity, copper is preferred by most experts and manufacturers because of its high thermal expansion coefficient. Aluminum, the most abundant metallic element on Earth, has caused various fire incidents when exploited as electrical wires, whereas copper can efficiently hold heat and conduct electricity.

Today, as in the ancient world, copper is used as a primary structural component. This metal is developed into roofing materials that are known for durability and strength. Although quite expensive, many architects prefer copper because it can last for over a hundred years and even performs better and better overtime as the surface reacts with oxidation.

Copper is also used as the main material in lightning rods to divert the high-voltage electricity to the ground instead of destroying the structure. A lightning copper rod is highly resistant to heat that it doesn’t melt easily under high voltage, like instances of lightning strikes, although it is easy to solder and braze. When hardness is required, the unnaturally hard copper is alloyed with other metals to get that property.

Processed raw copper produced for machining are classed into various forms such as copper plate, copper rod and copper bar. Each product can be modified according to the required needs. Copper plates and bars, for example, can be driven to form plumbing tubes and pipes. Others are made into intricate parts of machineries.

Whether formed as copper plate or copper rod, this metal possesses properties that are unique for specific functions. Its ability to keep the surface of ships uninhabitable by mussels and other marine organisms is the best example of its uniqueness. It can either be galvanized or alloyed to another metal to serve as biostatic surface when exploited as machine parts to be submerged in water.