The "copper and aluminum dispute" of air conditioning has re-emerged
The "copper and aluminum dispute" of air conditioning has re-emerged
The "copper and aluminum dispute" of air conditioning has re-emerged
COLMO air conditioner disassembly
The air conditioning industry has been very "lively" recently. Recently, copper prices have soared again, and "replacing copper with aluminum" has risen again. For more than ten years, whenever copper prices soar, the air conditioning industry will explore the feasibility of replacing copper with aluminum. For manufacturers, "copper or aluminum" is a test of cost and operation. For the majority of consumers, the premise of whether to accept "aluminum instead of copper" is to ensure that the cooling and heating performance and product quality of air conditioners are not affected. This material game is bound to require more long-term and broad thinking for the entire air conditioning industry.
More than ten years of competition between copper and aluminum
The history of copper and aluminum in the air conditioning industry can be traced back more than ten years.
At that time, copper has been the material of choice for many key components of air conditioners, such as complete machine pipes and heat exchangers, due to its excellent thermal conductivity and long service life. However, as a scarce resource, the price of copper is greatly affected by global supply and demand, and the volatility of copper prices begins to emerge over time. When copper prices rise sharply, cost pressures increase significantly for the air conditioning manufacturing industry, which relies on copper as a raw material, and it becomes even more important to find alternative materials with lower costs. Among the many materials, aluminum has the highest demand due to cost advantages.
According to statistics, in late May 2024, copper prices reached a historical peak after months of rise, approaching 90,000 yuan/ton. Although the copper price has fallen to 72,000 yuan/ton, it is far more than the aluminum price of 19,000 yuan/ton. Under the same conditions, the cost difference between aluminum and copper is more than 3 times. This undoubtedly provides manufacturers with huge profit margins, especially at a time when raw material prices fluctuate frequently.
The industry has made a rough calculation of the effect of aluminum instead of copper in the upstream and downstream of the air-conditioning industry: the amount of copper used in general air-conditioning products is about 4~10 kg, accounting for about 20% of the total weight of air-conditioners. According to the National Bureau of Statistics, in 2023, the cumulative output of air conditioners in the country will be 244.87 million units. If a single air conditioner uses a minimum of 4 kilograms of copper as an example, it consumes up to one million tons of copper in just one year. That is to say, in the manufacturing cost of air conditioners, the annual copper cost is at least more than 70 billion yuan. Even if half of the copper is replaced by aluminum, the cost control effect of the air conditioning industry is also considerable.
The "copper and aluminum dispute" of air conditioning has re-emerged
Casarte air conditioning
In addition to the cost advantage, the reason why aluminum is the preferred alternative to copper is inseparable from its own characteristics.
Zhao Jie, vice president of the China Household Appliance Service and Maintenance Association, pointed out in an interview with a reporter from China Electronics News that the air conditioning industry has long been exploring the possibility of replacing copper with aluminum. As a lightweight metal, aluminum has a density of about 1/3 of copper, which is more suitable for lightweight design, which significantly reduces the weight of household appliances and reduces the energy consumption required by refrigeration equipment such as air conditioners and refrigerators during operation, thereby reducing the user's electricity cost. In addition, during the operation of air conditioners, they often encounter the erosion of a variety of chemicals, such as oxygen and moisture in the air. Due to its good corrosion resistance, aluminum can effectively reduce the occurrence of such situations and improve the reliability and stability of products.
Why are you hesitant about aluminum?
It is reported that in order to make aluminum better replace copper, the industry has tried a number of research and development work (such as alumina layer removal, coating protective layer, alloy addition, etc.). With the advancement of technology, the application range and performance of aluminum materials are gradually expanding and improving. However, in the field of air conditioning, these advantages have not been able to support the great strides of aluminum in the air conditioning industry, and its application and promotion are still subject to multiple resistances.
According to Zhao Jie's analysis, the feasibility of aluminum instead of copper largely depends on the technical maturity of aluminum materials in air conditioning applications, including but not limited to thermal conductivity (the thermal conductivity of aluminum is not as good as copper, affecting heat dissipation efficiency), durability (aluminum has low hardness, although it is easy to process, it is also easy to deform). Moreover, the melting point of aluminum is relatively low, and the processing operation needs to be carried out at a lower temperature, which means that manufacturers need to make corresponding adjustments and improvements in equipment, process and technology when carrying out the transformation of aluminum instead of copper, so as to adapt to the processing characteristics of aluminum materials, which not only increases the production cost, but also improves the processing difficulty, and puts forward higher requirements for the stability of production efficiency and product quality. In addition, aluminum materials are prone to defects such as porosity and cracks during the welding process, which limits the application of traditional welding methods on aluminum materials. In order to meet the connection needs after aluminum instead of copper, the industry also needs to explore new connection methods, such as riveting, threaded connection, etc.
In fact, the important reasons why the air conditioning industry is hesitant to apply aluminum are technical difficulties and route games, but these are not the most critical factors. The most critical factor is that consumers are skeptical about aluminum and copper substitution technology.
Yang Chao, deputy general manager of the air conditioning department of the major appliances division of AVC, told the reporter of China Electronics News that air conditioning is a household product that improves the quality of life. However, due to the differences between aluminum materials and copper materials in terms of physical and chemical properties, consumers have certain doubts about the performance and reliability of aluminum copper substitute products, and worry that they cannot be comparable with traditional copper products. For example, some consumers believe that aluminum products are not as strong and durable as copper products, or are concerned that aluminum products will produce harmful substances during use, etc.
The "copper and aluminum dispute" of air conditioning has re-emerged
Dismantling of Haier's external machine: double-row all-copper evaporator
From the perspective of market acceptance, it is a long-term accumulation and cultivation process to eliminate consumers' doubts about aluminum and copper products and improve their acceptance. Therefore, this game about materials will continue for a long time now.
In this case, Zhao Jie pointed out that air conditioning manufacturers can first try to replace the material of some components. For example, the replacement of the connecting pipe and the evaporator section can be prioritized, but the replacement of the motor section with a more resilient condenser and stronger conductivity is not recommended for a short period of time.
According to industry insiders, at present, some manufacturers have tried to apply aluminum copper technology and bring products to the market, but the maturity of the technology still needs to be further investigated and verified.
In this regard, Lu Jianguo, deputy chief engineer of China Household Electrical Appliances Research Institute, said in an interview with a reporter from China Electronics News that manufacturers are trying to promote the process of aluminum instead of copper, on the one hand, it is necessary to reflect the reduced cost in the price of terminal products, reduce the selling price, and benefit consumers; On the other hand, it is also necessary to indicate the product life and maintenance method after replacing aluminum parts in a conspicuous place, so that consumers can judge and weigh whether to buy.
In the first half of the year, the industrial economy in various regions performed well
Really going to sell? The last LCD production line of a Korean company
