New no-flux brazing method of assembly. Copper is used throughout this booklet to include the primary metal and its alloys. The Metal for Radiators Today and Tomorrow References Regaining Market with New Technologies Throughout automotive history, copper has been the metal of choice for car and truck radiators. Moreover, with the application of several new technologies to the manufacture of advanced copper radiators, the metal may soon regain shares of the OE market lost to aluminum since the 1970s. In addition, they will be easy to produce because they can be made with the same operations and equipment used for brazed aluminum, thereby eliminating the need for large investments by manufacturers.
Copper has very low energy consumption in manufacture and refining.
The automotive industry, in particular, wants the most environmentally compatible materials and processes for the next generation of cars and trucks. Companies such as Daimler-Benz, for example, are teaming up with suppliers to develop the concept of total metallurgical recycling. Both as primary metal and scrap for and from radiators, copper is a natural fit. Advantage as Primary Metal Copper s inherent superiority in thermal conductivity, corrosion resistance and strength has made it a preferred primary metal for radiators since the dawn of cars and trucks. Now, with new technologies, it can be used to make smaller, lighter and stronger copper radiators.