The use of ultra-thin copper strip technology is allowing automotive manufacturers to produce stronger, lighter and less costly vehicle heating systems. Called Compact Core, the technology saves up to 30% of automotive heat exchanger material costs by allowing extremely thin and rigid air fins to be manufactured.

"Chrysler, one of the three major car manufacturers in the USA, is using the air fin design in its passenger car compartment heaters," says Mr.Kurt Svanberg, General Manager of Outokumpu Copper Strip Technical Centre in Finspång, Sweden, which developed Compact Core. "The company has reduced heater weight from 1070 grams to 325 grams, which gives large savings in the 2 million heaters the company produces annually."
The technology uses two 0.025 mm thick copper air fins that are only half the height of a conventional air fin. Two fins are soldered to each side of a 0.04 mm flat centre strip to form a complete heat exchanger air fin. This results in a rigid structure that has high heat transfer efficiency.
A further benefit is the high level of automation that can be achieved during production. The Finspång Technical Centre has developed special high speed manufacturing plant to produce the air fin. Each machine's capacity is 80 metres of fin per minute - which is equivalent to 20 Chrysler heaters per minute.
"Traditional heat exchanger manufacture is very labour intensive," explains Svanberg. "Compact Core was developed to reduce weight and material cost, but has also improved productivity because the heat exchanger air fin can be cut to a precise length, which permits a high level of automation compared with traditional techniques."
So successful is the technology that Chrysler is considering also using this design in automotive radiators, says Svanberg. Modine Europe in the Netherlands is already using Compact Core to produce radiators for the OEM and after sales market.
The air fin strip thickness can be altered depending on the final product specification. Even small changes in thickness can considerably alter the mechanical strength. "We have cases where 0.0036 mm copper strip is being used to create significant material savings," says Svanberg.

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For further information, please contact:
Kurt Svanberg, General Manager
Outokumpu Copper Radiator Strip AB
Technical Center
S-612 81 Finspång, Sweden
Tel: +46 122 833 20
Fax: +46 122 834 70

(Thailand office:)
Outokumpu (SEA) Pte Ltd
22nd Floor Silom Complex Building
191 Silom Road
Silom, Bangrak
BANGKOK, Thailand
Tel: 02-2313657/8 (Int. tel.:+66 2 2313657/8)
Fax: 02-2313659 (Int. fax: +66 2 2313659)

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