Insulation & Cable Foil

Aluminum foil is a very effective insulating material as it provides a complete barrier to light, moisture and gas, as well as magnetic waves. The metal’s resistance to corrosion and heat, its reflective surface, and noise reduction properties together with its light weight and ease of conversion make it an ideal material for a wide range of insulation uses in building, cable, and transport applications.

Aluminum foil is used in a range of building and roofing applications, notably as insulation in laminated panels and also as incombustible insulating material for pipe work and ducting. The adhesive tape used to fix and secure the laminated insulating material is also based on aluminum foil.

The foil layer acts as a barrier to the oxygen that would help fuel a fire and therefore is a key component in fireproof doors and building panels or in fire walls for vehicles.

As a sheath for cables, aluminum foil helps to give long-term protection against naturally occurring elements found above and below the ground. Aluminum foil also acts as an insulator against the magnetic and radio frequency emissions associated with electrical cables. In fibre-optic cable applications, the electrical conductivity of aluminum foil means that it can be used as a tracer to enable testing of the integrity of cable links.

Novelis manufactures and supplies aluminum foil and plain or coated aluminum strip to a range of specifications for insulating and cable applications.