OFHC copper-cable flexible thermal links used to passively conduct heat between spacecraft and cryogenic components, offered in 127 standard models plus fully custom designs.
Copper Cable Thermal Straps (CuTS)
OFHC copper-cable flexible thermal links used to passively conduct heat between spacecraft and cryogenic components, offered in 127 standard models plus fully custom designs.
Description
Copper Thermal Straps made with OFHC copper cabling or braid (CuTS), also called "heat straps," "thermal braids," or "flexible thermal links," offer flexibility, durability, vibration isolation, and efficient heat transfer at an affordable price. They are most commonly used in cryogenic applications (cryostats, cryocoolers, cold boxes, cryomodules, dilution refrigerators) due to superior thermal performance below 77K, but are also used for passive heat transfer from 100K to 600K in aerospace, defense, semiconductor, imaging, and photonics equipment.
CuTS are designed, manufactured, and tested in-house at TAI using a solderless, heat-free swaging process built around TAI's exclusive OFHC UltraFlex I (2.5mm) and UltraFlex II (5mm) copper cabling, which maximizes flexibility and vibration isolation versus welded/outsourced shunts. Straps are available in custom configurations and 127 standard models, with optional nickel or gold plating, and aluminum 6061 end fittings (Hybrid CuTS) for a 70% mass reduction versus copper fittings. CuTS products are NASA TRL 9 with extensive flight heritage, including NASA's OSIRIS-REx, GOES-R/S/T/U, GRACE-FO, the Deep Space Atomic Clock, ESA's Solar Orbiter and JUICE, and NASA's Europa Clipper (Hybrid Cu-Al fittings) and ESA's Proba-3. Production programs have included SLAC's LCLS-II and LCLS-II-HE cryomodules, Fermilab's PIP-II SSR1/HB650 cryomodules, and Argonne's APS-U, with over 7,000 flight and proto-flight units delivered between 2016-2024.
Specifications
| Material | 99.99 - 99.998% pure OFHC copper (Cu-101) |
|---|---|
| Cabling | TAI exclusive OFHC UltraFlex I (0.10 in / 2.5 mm) and UltraFlex II (0.20 in / 5 mm) copper cable |
| Standard models | 127 standard models, plus Cryocooler Series (72 sub-models) |
| Thermal conductivity | 397 - 2,500 W/(m-K) depending on temperature (4K - 300K) |
| Residual Resistivity Ratio (RRR) | 30 - 100 (typical 50-75, measured by Fermi, Argonne, and Brookhaven National Labs) |
| Vacuum-annealed conductivity | Up to 2,300 W/(m-K) at 4K after vacuum annealing (per Brookhaven Nat'l Lab testing) |
| Flex axis flexibility (X, compression) | >65% flexibility vs. commercially available braided straps |
| Flex axis flexibility (Y/Z) | >25% flexibility vs. commercially available braided straps |
| Life cycle testing | Passed up to 1,000,000 flex cycles on the compression axis |
| Plating options | Electroless nickel; 99.7% pure "Lab Grade" gold (ASTM B-488 Type I/III, Code C/D options) |
| End fitting materials | OFHC copper (standard) or Aluminum 6061 (Hybrid CuTS, ~70% lighter) |
| Operating temperature range | 2K - 900K (performance projections available) |
| Flight heritage / TRL | NASA TRL 9 |
| Typical lead time | 4 - 6 weeks (standard models) |
| Warranty | 1 year |
