Creating Change With Manufacturing

Posted on: 4 February 2020

Press fittings fit over the ends of cables, wires, and/or pipes, depending on the categorical type of fitting you are using. Then they are pinched closed around the cable, wire, or pipe. Using copper press fittings over other metal fittings (e.g., aluminum, nickel, etc.) has its benefits, as you will see below. 

Conduct Electricity Well

Copper conducts electrical current well. You should also know that a press fitting on the end of an electrical wire makes for the perfect conduit between the wire an the insertion of that end of the wire into a fuse box or electrical outlet connector. The electricity can pass through the copper press fitting without arcing to other wires and still conduct enough electrical flow to make it a useful electrical wire in whatever you are building or assembling. 

Rust-Proof

While it is true that copper corrodes, it does so in a non-destructive way. It will gradually lose its coppery tones and replace them with a green patina. The green patina associated with copper does not affect the metal's many abilities in the capacities in which it is used. Furthermore, copper will never rust, which is important to press fitting use around pipes carrying water and other liquids that would normally rust ferrous-based fittings rather quickly. 

Copper Is a Softer Metal and Easier to Press

Copper is much softer than most other metals. When compared to nickel, for example, copper is more easily bent, pressed, and squashed flat. Its "pliability" in metal terms is what makes it such an ideal metal for press fittings, and copper can even be pressed with tools that are not typically used for squeezing these press fittings shut. Some of the smallest copper press fittings can even be squeezed shut with your fingers first, and then with needle nose or standard blunt nose pliers!

Multiple Fittings Available

From a diameter of a few millimeters to a diameter of feet/inches, you can purchase copper fittings in dozens of sizes. Each of these is used for different industrial and manufacturing purposes, too. They will be cross-categorical, allowing you to select fittings that will work for both electrical and plumbing, electrical, and communications, etc.. If you are unsure of which fittings you should purchase, consult with a company representative to determine what the right copper press fitting is for the job at hand. Purchase a few, or purchase the fittings by the gross.