Our specialized Pfinodal® C72900 material is a Spinodal copper based alloy with nickel and tin additions. It competes with Beryllium Copper alloy C17200 for
electrical connectors and
bearing materials where high strength and excellent formability without dimensional instability are required.
Safe Alternative to Beryllium Copper (UNS C17500)
Our Pfinodal® C72900 material offers a non-sparking and non-magnetic alternative to Beryllium Copper (BeCu) C17500 with similar mechanical properties but without the harmful exposure risks.
Advantages
- No carcinogenic elements - only copper/nickel/tin
- High strength and excellent formability without dimensional instability
- Excellent high-temperature stress relaxation resistance
- Lack of distortion during aging
- Highly resistant to shrinkage and warpage – up to 10x more than BeCu
- Excellent solderability and resistance to intermetallic formation at high temperature
- Excellent corrosion resistance and ease of cleaning
Read our
Pfinodal® Strip brochure to learn more about the benefits in comparison to C17500 Beryllium Copper.
Applications
Pfinodal® Strip is engineered for applications in the electronics, mining and drilling, and medical markets. Critical applications include:
No Distortion for Spring clips and Electronic Contacts
Pfinodal® parts can be age hardened with a simple heat treatment and no distortion of parts will occur. No fixturing is required. Age hardenable Pfinodal® is recommended for part geometries requiring the highest strength with excellent formability such as spring clips and electronic contacts.
Other age hardenable alloys, such as Beryllium Copper, can severely distort during the hardening heat treatment. This distortion, caused by differential shrinkage, can result in parts with poor dimensional accuracy. Fixture heat treating of beryllium-copper parts can be used in some cases to restrain this distortion but at significantly higher processing costs.
AM 388™ (UNS C72650), our other patented Spinodal alloy, delivers higher conductivity than Pfinodal® for outstanding performance in electronic connectors, sockets and switches.
Age-Hardenable for Deep Hole Penetration Applications
Pfinodal® strip can be age hardened with a heat treatment to ensure the high hardness required for deep hole penetration applications. The heat treatment produces superior mechanical properties up to 195 ksi ultimate tensile strength (1344 MPa) and 410 Hardness (VHN). Critical applications include parabolic cone shaped charges for the
perforation of oil and gas well liners.
Chemical Composition
| Pfinodal® (C72900) Chemical Composition |
| Nickel |
14.5 - 15.5% |
| Tin |
7.5 - 8.5% |
| Copper |
Balance |
| Copper and named elements |
99.90% |
| Other elements |
0.10% Maximum |
C72900 is CDA-UNS designation for Cu-15 Ni-8 Sn alloy.
ASTM B-740 standard specification for Copper-Nickel-Tin Spinodal alloy strip.
Physical Properties
| Pfinodal® (C72900) Physical Properties |
| Electrical Conductivity at 68°F (20°C) |
7.8 |
% IACS |
| Electrical Conductivity at 392°F (200°C) |
7.3 |
% IACS |
| Thermal Capacity (Specific Heat) |
0.09
(30 x 103) |
BTU / lb° at 68°
(J/Kg K) |
| Thermal Conductivity |
17
29 |
BTU/ ft • HR • °F at 68°
w/m°K at 20°C |
| Coefficient of Thermal Expansion |
9.1 x 10-6 |
In/In/°F
68°F - 572°F |
| 16.4 x 10-6 |
Per °C,
20°C - 200°C |
| Modulus of Elasticity (Tension) |
18.5 x 106
(127 x 103) |
Psi
(MPa) |
| Modulus of Rigidity |
7.5 x 106
(52 x 103) |
Psi
(MPa) |
| Density |
0.323
(8.95) |
Ib/in3
(gm/cc) |