One of the future development trends of wiring harnesses - the application of small diameter aluminum wires

As automobile safety and comfort continue to improve, the number of automobile system circuits has also increased accordingly, which inevitably leads to an increase in the number of wires. Therefore, the increase in wire harness weight has become a matter of concern.

In order to effectively reduce the weight of the wiring harness, aluminum wire is now increasingly used as a conductor to replace traditional copper wire. Aluminum wire plays an important role in wiring harness manufacturing due to its low specific gravity. In addition, the use of aluminum wire also helps to reduce costs, especially in the current context of rising raw material prices. The price of copper wire has also risen, and aluminum wire has become a more economical choice.

With many advantages of aluminum wire, its application prospects are expected to continue to expand. However, we must note that traditional aluminum wire has certain shortcomings in conductor strength. Especially in small-sized wires such as 0.35mm² or 0.5mm², aluminum wire is difficult to reach the performance level of traditional copper wire. At the same time, the use of aluminum wire also faces certain challenges for engine compartments that are subject to strong vibrations. Therefore, although the use of aluminum wire helps to reduce the weight of the wiring harness, the degree of this reduction is subject to certain limitations. In practical applications, we need to comprehensively consider the performance and applicable scenarios of aluminum wire to achieve the best weight reduction effect.

01 Development of high-strength aluminum alloys The development goal of small-diameter aluminum wires is to achieve a minimum size of 0.35mm2 aluminum wire, which is the size of traditional copper wire. For automotive applications, wires need to have both high strength (tensile strength) and good electrical conductivity.