Tinsel Wire
Copper Alloy Tinsel Wire
Alloy foil raises the mechanical ceiling over pure copper at the same construction.
View specifications
Tinsel Wire
Tin-Plated Alloy Tinsel Wire
Alloy foil strength combined with a tin-plated, oxidation-protected surface.
Overview
What Tin-Plated Alloy Tinsel Wire Is For
This is the combination specification: alloy foil for mechanical strength, tin plating for a surface that stores and solders predictably. It exists because a lot of real cable designs are constrained at both ends at once, needing a breaking load and swing life that pure copper foil will not reach, and an assembly process that cannot tolerate variable solder wetting. Taking the alloy from the foil and the surface behaviour from the plating lets both requirements be met without compromising either.
Value
Why Engineers Choose This Construction
Key benefits
- Alloy foil strength combined with a tin-plated, oxidation-protected surface.
- Predictable solder wetting on a mechanically demanding conductor.
- Plating thickness customizable from 0.3 um to 2 um.
- Suited to conductors that are stocked before assembly.
Problems it solves
- A solid conductor of the same gauge fatigues at the flex point; foil over a fiber core does not.
- Resistance and outer diameter can be met together instead of traded against each other.
- Oxidation resistance and weldability stay workable at very fine gauges.
Fit
Where It Is Used
Application scenarios
- Automotive circuit electronic cable
- Charging pile cable
- Drag chain cable assemblies
- Volume-assembled flexing cable
Who it is for
- Automotive cable suppliers
- Assemblers stocking conductor before use
- Designers constrained on both strength and solderability
Engineering
Construction And Materials
Technical features
- Foil-over-fiber construction: tin-plated copper alloy foil on the surface, a soft textile fiber core inside.
- Single-layer or multi-layer copper foil structure.
- Can be twisted into strands or mixed with copper wires to raise bending strength.
- Low specific gravity, high bending strength and high tensile strength for the size.
- Tin plating over an alloy foil: the strength comes from the base material and the termination behaviour from the coating.
Materials
- Metal foil: tin-plated copper alloy foil
- Fiber core: nylon, polyester, aramid, liquid crystal fiber, heat-resistant cotton yarn and glass fiber
Specifications
Tin-Plated Alloy Tinsel Wire Technical Data
Values that depend on your application are set against your targets rather than fixed here.
| Construction | Metal foil wound over soft textile fiber core |
|---|---|
| Surface Material | tin-plated copper alloy foil |
| Single Wire Outer Diameter | 0.04 mm - 0.40 mm |
| Foil Structure | Single-layer or multi-layer |
| Fiber Core Options | nylon, polyester, aramid, liquid crystal fiber, heat-resistant cotton yarn and glass fiber |
| Stranding | Single, twisted into tinsel strands, or mixed with copper wires |
| Foil Alloy | Tin-copper, iron-copper or silver-copper |
| Plating | Tin, 0.3 um - 2 um customizable |
| Conductor Resistance | Customized to your target |
| Minimum Order For Samples | None |
Production
How It Is Made And Checked
Manufacturing process
- Select the metal foil material and the fiber core for the electrical and thermal requirement.
- Draw and roll the copper to extremely fine foil.
- Apply plating where specified, at a coating thickness between 0.3 um and 2 um.
- Wind the foil around the soft textile fiber core, single layer or multi-layer.
- Twist into tinsel wire strands, or mix with copper wires, where extra bending strength is needed.
- Test resistance, tensile strength and elongation, then pack with a loading report.
Quality control
- DC resistance measured on a resistance tester to confirm the conductor lands on the agreed value.
- Tensile testing for tensile strength, yield strength, elongation and elongation after fracture.
- Elongation rate measured during stretching to evaluate mechanical properties and mechanical strength.
- Salt spray testing where the finished cable will face a corrosive environment.
- A comprehensive loading report issued with every shipment.
Customization
What You Can Change
Customization options
- Conductor resistance set to your target value.
- Outer diameter held to your ceiling.
- Tensile strength and breaking load specified to the application.
- High swing performance tuned to the flex life the cable has to reach.
- Solderability matched to your termination process.
Certifications
No third-party certification is published for this product line. Test data from our own resistance, tensile, elongation and salt spray equipment is supplied with samples and with every shipment loading report.
Related
Other Conductors To Compare
Tinsel Wire
Tin-Plated Tinsel Wire
Tin layer protects the copper foil surface from oxidation through storage and handling.
View specifications
Tinsel Wire
Silver-Plated Alloy Tinsel Wire
Silver-copper alloy foil with silver plating: strength and surface both at the top of the range.
View specifications
Reference
Background Reading
technical guide
What Tinsel Wire Is, And Why It Outlasts Solid Wire Where Cables Bend
The construction, the materials and the reason a foil-over-fiber conductor beats a solid wire of the same size on flex life.
Read the guide
material guide
Choosing The Fiber Core: Aramid, Liquid Crystal Polymer And The Alternatives
What each fiber core actually gives a tinsel wire, and which service conditions should point you at which one.
Read the guide
Questions
Tin-Plated Alloy Tinsel Wire: Frequently Asked Questions
Why plate an alloy that already contains tin?
A tin-copper alloy foil and a tin plating layer do different jobs. The alloy sets the mechanical properties of the conductor, while the plating protects the surface from oxidation so the conductor still solders cleanly after storage.
Is this harder to terminate than plain tin-plated tinsel wire?
The terminating surface is the same tin coating, applied uniform and continuous with strong adhesion. What changes underneath is the alloy foil, which is a mechanical property rather than a soldering one.
Can the alloy and plating be specified separately?
Yes. The alloy is chosen against your tensile and swing targets and the plating thickness against your termination and storage conditions.
Quote Tin-Plated Alloy Tinsel Wire
Tell us the resistance, outer diameter and flex life you need. Samples on conventional and customized products carry no minimum order quantity.