A bimetallic product consists of bonded layers, which is different from a blended mixture of two (or various) metals, such as an alloy or a coated metal. The resulting bi-component material (or bimetal) performs mechanically and electrically as a single unit, but still maintains the attributes of the two parent metals. Fully passivated like an alloy to prevent galvanic corrosion from within the metal, bimetals are characterized by two distinct metallic zones of the parent metals — unlike an alloy. The benefit is the capability to fully utilize the best qualities of each metal within one single product.
Applications for bimetals vary from industry to industry, but a short-list of them range from electrical conductors to conductor reinforcement, to high-performance electrical contacts, to corrosion-resistant conductive plates, to hygienic inlays, to circuit-breaker components, to automotive cables and to a wide range of common data conductors. Such applications are a mere sketch of the potential of what solutions bimetals can bring to industry and society.
