LS Cable & System Develops New Material for Copper Foil 'Cuflake'... "Commercialization Possible as Early as Next Year"

The World's First Case of Using Copper Pieces Instead of Copper Wire as Raw Material for Copper Foil

LS Cable & System has developed a new copper material for copper foil and is promoting its commercialization to expand its eco-friendly materials business.

On the 20th, LS Cable & System announced that it had developed a new copper material for copper foil called 'CuFlakeTM'. This is the world's first case of commercializing copper pieces instead of copper wire as the raw material for copper foil. A company official said, "We recently completed sample testing with copper foil manufacturers," adding, "We expect to start commercialization as early as next year and generate annual sales exceeding 100 billion KRW."

An LS Cable employee is inspecting the new material for copper foil, 'CuFlakeTM'. / Photo by LS Cable

CuFlake reduces manufacturing costs by simplifying the raw material processing steps in the copper foil production process. Copper wire requires 4 to 5 steps of impurity removal and cleaning from scrap (metal debris). In contrast, CuFlake melts the scrap to remove impurities, forms it into pieces, and can be used directly in copper foil manufacturing. Additionally, while copper wire uses only top-grade scrap, CuFlake can use lower-grade scrap, solving the scrap supply issue.

The company stated, "LS Cable & System has researched copper and aluminum, the main raw materials for cables, for over 60 years and possesses world-class metal processing technology," adding, "We plan to expand our eco-friendly materials business, including copper foil materials, rare earth elements, and aluminum parts for EVs."