Resistance wire

The primary function of resistance alloys is to convert electrical into thermal energy. Applications are varied, as are the related temperature ranges, mechanical requirements, diameter ranges and much more.

This variety of applications and requirements makes it difficult to recommend an optimal material that can be used across all applications.

With bercotherm, bedra provides technically and economically optimal solutions, tailor-made to their customers’ specific needs.

Here are some examples of what we can offer:

Optimizing costs by selecting intelligent alloys

Cu-Ni alloys are often used as resistance wires. These alloys show their advantages best in the high temperature area. For applications at lower temperatures (eg electric blankets), the use of expensive Cu-Ni alloys is not necessarily required. In this case, we offer alternative materials in nickel-free quality, with overall prices being well below those of the traditional Cu-Ni materials. By alloying with light elements, the density of many bercotherm alloys is considerably reduced below the values of pure copper or Cu-Ni alloys. Owing to their low weight per meter, our materials provide a substantial cost benefit to our customers.

Optimizing costs using higher conductivity

Within the wide range of bercotherm alloys, you will find alternative materials with a better conductivity as compared to currently used wires. A slight increase in conductivity has as result that a thinner wire diameter is sufficient to achieve the specified resistance per meter. Provided that the requirements such as mechanical load, use of existing tools etc. are also met by using a thinner diameter, this approach has the advantage that thinner bercotherm wires have lower weight per meter, thus allowing more meters of cable to be produced from one kilogram of wire. Even if the price per kg for the thinner wire may be higher, the price per meter is often more favorable.

Optimizing costs using higher mechanical strength

There are applications where the mechanical load of the cable is the limiting factor in dimensioning resistance wires. For such cases, the range of bercotherm alloys provides materials, some of them with significantly higher levels of strength than those of the conventional Cu-Ni alloys. For these applications, the high strength bercotherm alloys make it possible to produce smaller sizes, which, in turn, may benefit the price per meter of wire.