Vital to the efficient operation of a vehicle’s power plant and to the comfort of the driver and passengers, aluminium-finned heat exchangers provide both cooling and heating as required. Because of its light weight and due to technical developments in alloys and joining techniques, aluminium has become the primary choice.
Automotive
Its unique combination of properties makes alufoil an indispensable material in vehicle components - for ducting, energy absorption, noise attenuation, heat exchange, insulation and decorative trims.
An outstanding success recently is the total replacement of copper by aluminium foil in heat exchange components, such as engine coolers (orradiators) and vehicle air conditioning units*.
Used in hoses and tubes, alufoil helps to protect cables and electrical circuits from heat and contamination, to deliver warm or cool ventilation and reduce noise levels. In ‘honeycomb’ and composite tube forms, aluminiumfoil plays an important role in vehicle safety.
As part of internal linings and vehicle ‘fire walls’ alufoil is used in insulation composites, adding only minimally to weight. It is also present in ‘sandwich construction’ under body heat shields on most cars and trucks as well as the engine bay environment, especially adjacent to exhausts, catalysts and DPF systems.
The metallic sheen of alufoil is commonly used in decorative trim for cars, buses and caravans. Changing designs and regulations have meant that this use has fluctuated over the years, but new embossing and laminating techniques are now prompting renewed interest.
Automotive
Heat exchangers
Impact protection
Heat protection tubes
Ducting
Linings and firewalls
Decorative trim
Alufoil and thin strip specifications