Copper Spacers

At Phoenix Specialty Manufacturing, we have been providing customers with the highest-quality parts and products for over 100 years. We use only the best state-of-the-art technology and machines to produce our great products. Our team members are all highly trained and qualified experts in their fields. And our calibration and inspection equipment is second to none.

The parts we sell find homes in some of the most important industries throughout the world. Our products are widely used by professionals in the aerospace, automotive, agricultural, electrical, and pumping industries. From NASA to NASCAR, our spacers and shims end up in more places than you might realize.

But for all the products we provide and all the manufacturing we do, few products are as unique, useful, and interesting as our copper spacers. Copper is a very unique metal in the manufacturing world, and spacers play some of the most important roles in every industry. Here are five things you never knew about copper spacers.

1: Copper’s Softness Provides an Advantage

A spacer or shim is, in its most basic form, a thin piece of material that is designed to fill a gap between two or more objects. The idea behind a spacer is that it will reduce wear between the objects, provide a cushion or support, decrease movement, and prevent leaks or corrosion through a system that contains liquids or gasses.

Because copper is one of the softest metals we work with, it makes some of the best spacers available. Because the metal is quite ductile and flexible, it is perfect for applications where constant movement would shatter or destroy a harder metal.

2: Copper Is Highly Conductive

Copper is one of the most highly conductive metals we work with. Because of its conductivity, copper is one of the few metals that can be used for a variety of purposes in a given application. Copper spacers can be used to prevent movement and wear in an electrical system, while copper seals, gaskets, and washers maintain energy flow throughout the rest of the system.

3: Copper Resists Corrosion

You have probably seen pictures of the Statue of Liberty and noticed that it is almost entirely green. The exterior of the Statue of Liberty is actually made primarily out of copper. Copper is naturally a brownish-tan color, so why is the Statue of Liberty green?

Copper will slowly react to the oxygen in the atmosphere and form a layer of brow-black copper oxide or verdigris (copper carbonate). These coverings are not like rust on iron or other metals. Rust will slowly dissolve and devour iron, weakening it in the process. The copper oxide or copper carbonate actually provides a barrier between the elements and the copper itself, further insulating it from corrosion. Because copper is naturally resistant to corrosion and can form its own layers of protection, it is incredibly useful as a spacer in applications where corrosion would ruin another metal or alloy.

4: Copper Can Be Shaped Precisely

As previously mentioned, copper is one of the softest metals we work with. While you might not want to build an airplane wing or a car’s engine block out of the soft metal, there are advantages when it comes to manufacturing spacers and other products.

When you need a custom order for copper spacers, we can provide you with a wide range of sizes and shapes. Because of coppers unique properties and our excellent machines, we can create spacers between 6″ and .04″ in diameter. When you need an extremely thin spacer, copper should be your metal of choice. We can provide you with spacers as thin as .0005″ if necessary.

5: Beryllium Copper Resists Sparks

Whether it’s in a spacecraft or a tractor, accidental sparks can cause fires, explosions, and a variety of other problems. Most metals easily produce sparks. While you don’t need to worry about your computer tower sparking while sitting underneath your desk, spacers and shims are two products that are constantly under pressure and in situations where they can produce sparks. Beryllium copper is highly resistant to sparks, making it the perfect material choice for individuals in the aerospace industry or other applications where friction could potentially lead to sparks.

When You Need Custom Copper Spacers

Copper spacers are among the most interesting products we produce. If you need spacers for your project or job, send us your blueprint and we’ll have a free quote worked up for you within 48 hours. We have one of the industry’s fastest manufacturing and delivery times and can produce your parts fast.