The connection of copper and aluminum tubes is inevitable in industrial production processes.
Especially in refrigeration and air conditioning systems, the connection of copper and aluminum tubes is a frequent challenge.
Because the welding temperature and physical properties of copper and aluminum tubes are different.
Therefore, copper and aluminum tubes should not be directly connected to each other.
If directly connected, once encountered with high temperature and other impurities will quickly form electrolytes, which will easily cause corrosion to the aluminum tube, thus affecting the quality of the copper and aluminum tube connection.
Therefore, you need to learn more about how to connect copper and aluminum tubes.
Here are three common ways to connect copper and aluminum tubes.
1. Solder Connection Method
The welding of copper and aluminum pipes is also divided into direct welding and transition welding.
Direct welding is usually done using a special welding rod that separates the copper tube from the aluminum tube.
This method is mostly used for aftermarket repair purposes, but it is very prone to leaks.
Transitional copper and aluminum tube welding is to add a new copper and aluminum transition joint at the joint of two lines.
At the same time, the copper to copper part and the aluminum to aluminum part are connected using the argon arc welding method.
But this creates two solder joints in a short distance.
This inevitably increases the number of solder joints, so there is potential leakage throughout the system.
2. Bonding Connection Method
The bonding connection method is the simplest connection method available.
It is directly using the way of glue bonding to bond two pipelines together.
The advantage of this connection method is that it is cheap and easy to install, but the reliability is not high and it is easy to produce leakage.
In addition, the application of the bonding connection method is limited and can only be applied to low-pressure systems, such as drainage pipes.
In fact, each connection method has its own advantages and disadvantages, which should be determined according to the actual user needs.
3. Solderless Connection Method
The solderless connection method adopts an extrusion connection method.
There is no electrochemical corrosion problem, no copper-aluminum solder joints, or other high-temperature melting points.
Using this method only requires to deburr the pipe end, and you can directly install the copper-aluminum pipe.
The welding-free connection of copper and aluminum pipes has the advantages of low cost, easy installation, easy maintenance, high reliability, and comprehensive specifications.
Solder-free connections are widely used in refrigerator repairs, air-conditioning manufacturing, and air-conditioning installations between copper and aluminum pipes.
Solderless vs Solder
The welding between copper and aluminum pipes often uses resistance welding.
When resistance welding is welded, the copper and aluminum pipes need to be wrapped with heat-shrinkable tubing.
This is very troublesome when connecting copper and aluminum pipes.
If heat is not used It is easy to perforate copper and aluminum pipes when the shrinking tube is sleeved.
In addition, the welding of copper and aluminum pipes requires special storage of gas cylinders.
This results in high storage costs.
Separate storage space is not required if the copper-aluminum pipes are joined using solderless technology.
It only needs a set of Miracle tools to operate.
Therefore, the fire-free connection technology is more suitable for the connection of copper and aluminum pipes.
Miracle lokring fittings have not leaked after long-term use by customers, and the leakage rate is lower than ordinary copper-aluminum pipe welding.
The life of Miracle propress fitting is the same as that of copper pipes, which fundamentally eliminates the risk of leakage.
Other aspects
Solderless lokring fittings leakage rate is lower than ordinary copper-aluminum pipe welding.
The life of Miracle propress fitting is the same as that of copper pipes, which fundamentally eliminates the risk of leakage.
You can read more: Blasting test.
What is Miracle Solderless Lokring?
Miracle solderless lokring is also called propress fitting, copper press-fitting.
It is made of brass and steel as raw materials.
This connection method is based on the principle of material mechanics to ensure the sealing, it is a “cold” pipe connection process,
So, Miracle ring can reliably connect copper and aluminum pipes without generating high temperature and other pollution impurities.
Besides, Miracle propress fitting will not generate high temperature to the copper and aluminum pipes.
More importantly, it can connect pipes of different materials such as copper and aluminum, and the operation is very convenient and safe, unlike welding which requires a special job certificate.
Note: When using Miracle ring, it needs to be used with manual crimping tools, sealing fluid, and lokring fitting.
How to Connect Copper Pipe to Aluminum Pipe Without Soldering
From here on, we will show you the application of Miracle ring in the field of refrigeration and air conditioning.\
So if you are not in the refrigeration and air conditioning industry, you can end this article now.
As we all know, the pipeline of the refrigeration system is the blood vessel of the refrigeration system, and the cleanness and reliability of the refrigeration system pipeline directly affect the performance of the refrigeration system.
Miracle provides you with a complete solution with various types of no welding products, including single ring, copper press fitting, lokring fitting, and so on.
Solderless Method for Refrigeration Lines
For different usage environments, we propose different solutions.
Miracle single ring was mainly developed to solve the problem of connecting copper and aluminum pipes in refrigerator/freezer production lines.
This method has the advantage of low production cost and high connection efficiency.
The Miracle single ring is very simple to operate and the procedure is as follows.
First, insert the connecting inner tube into the flaring part of the outer tube.
Then, drip seal liquid.
Finally, crimping with a crimping tool.
After the solderless connection is completed, the single ring structure can withstand a working pressure of 50bar-70bar, a temperature range of -50 degrees Celsius to +150 degrees Celsius.
Read more: Propress for refrigeration lines.
Propress for refrigeration for AC Line
Copper and aluminum connection is also widely used on air conditioner lines.
Propress for refrigeration for AC line is used in the same way as Propress for refrigeration line.
There is a small difference between the single ring used in the air conditioning pipeline and the single ring used in the refrigerator pipeline: the diameter of the air-conditioning pipe is relatively large.
So the diameter of the single ring used in the pipe of the air-conditioning system is relatively large.
No matter the propress for refrigeration line or propress for AC line.
When used in production lines, hydraulic equipment is the best choice.
Because it has the highest efficiency and the most uniform force to ensure the best connection performance.
What is the Applications of Miracle Ring?
Miracle ring uses the principle of material mechanics and can connect various metal round pipes of the same or different materials without heating.
The lokring fitting can be well adapted to non-mass production occasions (such as the maintenance department of various refrigerators and air conditioners, or places that do not allow hot fire, etc.)
With the widespread use of refrigerants such as R600a, R32, and R290, the number of after-sales services for these systems is increasing day by day.
These refrigerants are flammable and explosive, so Miracle ring can be widely used for R600a, R32, R290, and other refrigerant systems.
In addition, Miracle ring can be used to connect between copper and titanium pipes, such as aquarium chillers, seafood chillers, swimming pool machines, etc.
How to use Miracle Ring?
We wrote an article before to explain all the procedures for copper pipe joining methods with pictures and videos in detail.
You can open that links in advance, and after checking the following applications of copper-aluminum propress fittings, go to that page for learning how to join copper pipe there.
Related Products
Miracle provides you with a complete set of HVAC parts and HVAC tools, including bearing-type pipe cutters, multi-function pipe benders, CE-certified vacuum pumps, high-quality reamers, and various types of refrigeration valves.
If you have any purchasing questions or want to know more product details, please contact us directly. We will provide you with professional and fast solutions! Call to action now!