NEW YORK — Plumbers, HVAC technicians and contractors working out in the field now have a new app designed to make it easier and quicker to obtain information about copper tube, piping, and fittings as well as different joining methods and applications.

The Copper Development Association (CDA) has converted its Copper Tube Handbook into an app that can be downloaded onto an iPad or iPhone and carried onto the jobsite. By searching for “Copper Tube Handbook” in the Apple App store, users now have this 60+ page manual readily available on their mobile device.

The CDA said the app is a resource for anyone working with copper tube and piping systems, or seeking access to technical specifications, data, or installation instructions. Also available through the app are several short, educational how-to videos from the “Do it Proper with Copper series,” which are produced by CDA and demonstrate the various copper joining techniques as well as help distinguish the different sizings and designations for copper tube, pipe, and fittings.

“The Copper Tube Handbook has always been one of our ‘best-selling’ free publications,’” said Andy Kireta Jr., vice president of CDA. “In the past several years, we’ve noticed that a large proportion of the more than 5,000 requested copies are being downloaded from the web instead of being ordered in the printed version. Now, engineers, installers, and inspectors will be able to carry the handbook with them in their pocket ―in one, easy-to-use mobile app.”

The tablet version of the app allows users to skim through the pages like a book, or jump directly to different sections of the manual ― including the how-to videos ― by using the table of contents. The table of contents can also be accessed from a drop down toolbar located on the top right hand corner of the app. Hyperlinks can also help users to navigate to industry websites without having to search for them online instead. Similar navigation features can also be accessed on the iPhone.

The Copper Tube Handbook App is free to download for the first 10,000 customers in the U.S. and Canada, and will be sold at a cost of 99 cents thereafter. The app is now available for download through the Apple App Store and will be available for Android users through Android Google Play later this summer.

Publication date: 8/5/2013

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