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eZeebrass - the new standard

eZeebrass - the new standard eZeebrass - the new standard

eZeebrass – the new standard.
On the way to THE lead-free future!      

eZeebrass – the innovative lead-free standard brass sets new standards and meets tomorrow´s
regulatory requirements today!

Thanks to its optimized composition, eZeebrass meets the most stringent demands in terms of machinability and processing, even with its low copper content.

And it’s lead-free, too.

Contact

Diehl Metall
Diehl Brass Solutions
Dr. Volker Bräutigam
Head of Business Development
Heinrich-Diehl-Straße 9
90552 Röthenbach a.d. Pegnitz
Germany
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MATERIAL AND PROPERTIES

When developing the new material, the key premise was to transfer the proven properties of the existing brass alloys (e.g., CW614N and CW617N) to the lead-free world – both in terms of application-oriented material parameters as well as production-related processing properties. The result of these efforts is eZeebrass, the new standard for lead-free brass alloys. The alloy consists of around 58% copper, 41% zinc, and approx. 0.4% magnesium. 

What’s NEW with eZeebrass?
The innovation here is the addition of magnesium, which although small in amount nevertheless has a great metallurgical impact, achieving the chip-breaking effect previously performed by lead in standard brasses. This combination of magnesium and copper produces a short-breaking chip even at the highest cutting speeds.

With a microstructure that corresponds to known (lead-containing) standard brasses, eZeebrass therefore represents the new standard for all common, fully automated machining processes.

Further information can be found in the eZeebrass-brochure.

eZeebrass - the new standard eZeebrass - the new standard
Typical microstructure of alpha and beta solid solution and homogeneously distributed Cu2Mg precipitates
 

PROPERTY PROFILE

As is customary for standard brass materials, the mechanical properties of eZeebrass are adjusted by the cold forming process of drawing. Compared to the CW614N / CW617N material group, eZeebrass demonstrates slightly higher strength and hardness.

However, both parameters can be adjusted to the specific application by adapting the degree of cold forming during the production of the semi-finished product and by means of suitable heat treatment within the range of the usual standard specifications.

Magnesium is a very light element. In addition, eZeebrass also requires no lead. This results in the density advantage of eZeebrass over CW614N. This density advantage means that components with the same geometry weigh less when produced from eZeebrass. In addition, more components can be produced per ton of semi-finished product, resulting in greater material efficiency.

Also in terms of corrosion properties, eZeebrass is comparable to the CW614N / CW617N material group. eZeebrass is non-dezincification resistant according to ISO 6509; the stress corrosion cracking test according to ISO 6957 is passed if the material hardness is set accordingly.

  • Hot forming

    Hot forming Hot forming

    Another advantage of eZeebrass, in addition to its excellent machinability, is its very good hot formability. This means that eZeebrass can also be used in forging applications as a lead-free substitute for the established material CW617N.

    The decisive factors here are the beta-phase content in the microstructure, the very good die-filling properties, and the crack-free forming of flash at moderate forming forces. Depending on the component size and geometric complexity, suitable forging temperatures lie in the range of 700°C - 750°C.

  • Chips

    Chips Chips

    A newly developed chip-breaking mechanism means that eZeebrass produces short chips that can be handled in an automated manner in machining and processing operations. As a result, eZeebrass delivers top quality results, not only ecologically but also economically.

ECOLOGICAL ASPECTS

As a typical copper material, eZeebrass conserves our scarce resources. In addition, eZeebrass can be fully recycled, as an excellent recycling system already exists. Not only does recycling conserve raw materials, but it also helps to save energy. This is because recycling copper eliminates the energy input associated with ore mining, preparation, and transportation to the processing sites.

For example, the energy required to melt down the scrap material is only a fraction of that required to extract the metal from ore. As a result, eZeebrass has a favorable energy balance for copper materials.

Support us! Contribute to the positive energy balance of eZeebrass.

For the sake of the environment!