The Substitution Of Aluminum For Copper Is Accelerating, And in The Recent Period, There Have Been Two Breakthroughs in New Aluminum Alloy Wire Technology And Its Application.

Recently, the aluminum alloy wire sector in the metal industry has witnessed multiple breakthroughs. Technological innovation has been continuously implemented, industrial applications have been continuously expanded, and combined with policy guidance and market demand stimulation, the industry is accelerating its transformation towards high performance, greenness, and scale, becoming an important growth pole for the high-quality development of the aluminum processing industry. The related news updates have attracted much attention from the industry.
In terms of technological research and development, domestic research teams and enterprise teams have collaborated to achieve significant breakthroughs in multiple new aluminum alloy wire technologies. The high-strength, high-conductivity, heat-resistant aluminum alloy wire developed by Kunming University of Science and Technology in collaboration with multiple institutions, through innovative processes such as continuous casting and continuous rolling with fine grain strengthening, has increased the wire strength to 195 ± 2 megapascals and maintained a conductivity of 61.1%, solving the constraints of material strength and conductivity, and can meet the requirements of ultra-high voltage and long-distance power transmission. The related achievements have been published in professional core journals. At the same time, a new aluminum alloy wire for metal braiding shielding in mobile soft cables has been successfully developed. By adding specific alloy elements and graphene, it achieves a balance of high strength, high conductivity, and flexibility, and can be drawn into fine wires with diameters of 0.20mm - 0.25mm, breaking through the processing and performance shortcomings of existing products.
In the industrial application fields, the large-scale substitution and scenario expansion of the new aluminum alloy wires have achieved remarkable results. In the automotive sector, the high-end 5356 aluminum alloy welding wire developed by the leading lightweighting research team of Chalco has successfully enabled large-scale application in automotive component manufacturing. The weld seams are aesthetically pleasing and the joint performance is stable, providing a domestic welding solution for automotive lightweighting. In the power sector, with the acceleration of the aluminum substitution for copper, the proportion of aluminum cables in newly built transmission lines has exceeded 90%, and the proportion of high-strength and heat-resistant aluminum wires in the ultra-high voltage power grid has exceeded 42%, effectively reducing energy loss and construction costs. Additionally, in fields such as low-voltage wiring for new energy vehicles, energy storage charging piles, and household heat exchangers, the penetration rate of the new aluminum alloy wires has also continued to increase.
In terms of market and industry landscape, in the recent period, there has been a favorable trend of both rising quantity and price, as well as optimized production capacity. Enterprises such as Shandong Jilishi Welding have resumed production during the Spring Festival at full capacity, with sufficient orders for aluminum alloy welding wires and other products. Foreign trade orders have been scheduled up to April and May. Daily sales revenue has remained stable at the level of tens of millions of yuan. The products are exported to 70+ countries and regions around the world. Data shows that in 2024, the domestic production of aluminum alloy wires will reach 1.867 million tons, an increase of 9.3% year-on-year. The export volume will be 486,000 tons, with an export growth of 21.7% to "Belt and Road" countries. It is expected that the market size will exceed 2.3 million tons in 2026.