Aluminum alloy cable market worth looking forward to

In mid-December 2013, at the second China (Wuhu) Wire & Cable Expo and Product Quality Summit organized by the AQSIQ led by six departments, aluminum alloy cables received attention from all parties and were used in Anhui Pacific Cable Group Co., Ltd. Department manager Cui Haiyang believes that the rare earth aluminum alloy cable solves the inherent defects of the traditional aluminum cable by transforming and absorbing advanced foreign standards and technologies. Compared with the copper cable, the rare earth aluminum alloy cable saves 40% of the cost, and the price is more easily used by customers. Accepted, high market responsiveness.

Only eight days later, the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology and the China Nonferrous Metals Industry Association jointly held a high-level seminar on expanding the application of aluminum in the electric power industry. During this period, Chen Yanhai, head of the raw materials department of the Ministry of Industry and Information Technology, stated that the strategic direction of “aluminum section copper” has been determined. Next, It is hoped that on the basis of technical feasibility, economic feasibility studies can be conducted to achieve a win-win situation between the state and the enterprise.

However, this “attack” of aluminum was met with criticism by the copper promotion and application organization, and the International Copper Association is one of them. Zhou Sheng, president of the International Copper Association China and Southeast Asia, once made it clear that copper cables are irreplaceable. In his opinion, the performance of copper on the cable connection is very safe and reliable, and this point, aluminum alloy cable is difficult to compare with it. In addition, copper cables are also superior to aluminum cables in terms of safety.

Thus, this battle between aluminum and copper has set off further arguments on standards, safety, and performance.

For aluminum alloy cables, the relevant standards and design specifications are not perfect, the integration is not complete, the quality of products is stable, and there are deficiencies in process adaptability. These have become the disadvantages of being attacked. At the same time, over-promotion of aluminum may also bring about new problems. Chen Kun, director of the National Standardization Technical Committee of Wire and Cable, has publicly stated: “In view of the various advantages of aluminum conductors, more and more companies are turning to the research and development of aluminum alloy cables. Production and over-investment will likely trigger irrational disorderly competition and cause hidden dangers in quality and safety."

Therefore, the introduction of an industry standard for aluminum alloy cables is particularly important. In 2013, there were reports that "relevant standards are being reviewed". However, no specific regulations have been issued so far. However, with the gradual improvement of relevant standards, the vigorous development of aluminum alloy cable market is worth the wait.