Cost

With demand for copper expected to continue to be high its status as a precious metal grows. In this environment, the cost of copper continues to be less stable and it is becoming increasingly important to buy when the price is low to get the best deal. Unfortunately, buying at that time is not always the best timing for your project.

With only a fraction of the combined metal consisting of copper in CommScope’s GroundSmart CCS product, it doesn’t have the copper content to reflect the pricing variability of copper pricing, providing a much superior value over solid copper.

Durability And Reliability

There are many applications for this product where added strength compared to solid copper is required, and where the corrosion resistance of copper is also preferred. Industries that benefit from using bimetallic wire include telecommunications, automotive, military, utilities and geophysical to name a few.

No Scrap Value

The combining of the two metals in the cladding process makes it virtually impossible to separate them later, making the resulting material worthless to someone looking to sell a bimetallic product to a scrap dealer.

Corrosion Resistance

As this is a cladded and not a pure solid material, there have been questions that nicking or scratching the copper surface and exposing the steel will result in compromising the integrity of the product. Actually, the opposite is true as CCS is quite resilient against corrosion. While nicking the copper and exposing the steel will cause it to rust, the rust will form a ‘scab’ (oxidation self arresting barrier) over the exposed steel which will protect it from further deterioration. In fact, the ‘scab’ will extend past the steel and onto the copper cladding effectively sealing off the area and preventing any additional oxidation, corrosion to take place. A study done by the U.S. Navy in the 1970’s confirms the corrosion resistance of CCS and attests to its ability to withstand corrosion in harsh environments.


A copy of this study is available on request.