Rods

NGK Berylco offers beryllium copper rods in a range of diameters tailored to your specific needs.
Each Berylco alloy provides a unique combination of properties. The choice of alloy depends on your electrical and mechanical performance requirements, machinability, reliability, durability, miniaturization, and cost-efficiency.
Our experts are available to assist you!

Berylco 14 (UNS C17510) reaches conductivity levels above 45% IACS and tensile strength up to 970 MPa.
This makes it ideal for heat sinks, resistance welding components, and other electrical applications.

Beryllium copper can be machined into complex shapes. Its machinability in the hardened (aged) condition is comparable to many copper alloys and superior to stainless steels.

Its dimensional stability is far better than that of any other copper-based alloy.

Thanks to a protective oxide film, beryllium copper offers excellent wear resistance compared to other copper alloys and many ferrous alloys.
In the hardened state, it can support bearing loads well beyond those of other copper-based alloys and is compatible with the hardest ferrous alloy shafts.

Beryllium copper has corrosion resistance close to that of silver and nickel.
It is not susceptible to hydrogen embrittlement.

Its high fracture toughness and resistance to localized deformation give beryllium copper excellent fatigue resistance.

The non-magnetic nature of beryllium copper alloys makes them ideal for components sensitive to magnetic fields.

Heat treatment is the most important process in this alloy system. While all copper alloys can be hardened by cold working, beryllium copper is unique in that it can also be hardened through a simple low-temperature thermal treatment. This process involves two fundamental steps: the first is called solution annealing, and the second, precipitation or age hardening.

The material is heated to approximately 100°C below the alloy’s melting point. At this stage, the beryllium content is essentially “dissolved” into the copper matrix (alpha phase). A rapid quench to room temperature preserves this solid solution structure.

At this point, the material is highly ductile and can be easily cold-worked by drawing, rolling, or cold heading.

Solution annealing is a process carried out at the mill and is generally not performed by the customer.
Temperature, time at temperature, quenching rate, grain size, and hardness are all critical parameters that are tightly controlled by NGK Berylco.

Age hardening significantly enhances the material’s strength. This reaction is typically carried out at temperatures between 260°C and 540°C, depending on the alloy and the desired properties.

During this cycle, the dissolved beryllium precipitates as a beryllium-rich (gamma) phase within the copper matrix and along grain boundaries.
It is the formation of this precipitate that leads to the substantial increase in strength.

The level of mechanical properties obtained is determined by both the aging temperature and the duration at temperature.

Beryllium copper does not exhibit age-hardening behavior at room temperature.
NGK products are available in either cold-worked or heat-treated condition, depending on customer requirements.