Copper is a ductile, soft, ductile metal which is highly conductive and a strong conductor of electricity and heat. It was the first material to be processed by humans and has since then been used for a variety of applications in manufacturing and architecture. It is also used in electrical wiring for communications and heating systems in industry, whereas tin is more commonly used for electrical insulation.
The term ‘Copper’ is derived from the Greek word kerinos, which means ‘to flow together’, and has the atomic number 13. It has an important place in the modern world as it forms a major component in the electronics industry with its use in electrical wiring and tin cans. Many types of metal are known as conductors, however only copper and tin are in common use for the entire range of applications involving conductivity. Another rare metal which is similar to copper in chemical composition but is less mobile and has a different ionic structure is tin (which is usually tin zinc combination). In order to use copper in products Euromac Bending Machines like the ones from Cotswold Machinery Sales may be used to shape the metal.
Tin (also known as Zinc) shares many characteristics with copper with a milder chemical makeup and a similar molecular structure. Although tin is much less conductive than copper, it does have electrical properties that are similar to copper. It can however also be tinned to provide a non-metallic solution to many corrosion problems, although this is only suitable for use in very low-potential environments and in applications where protection against electrochemical shock is essential.
