FEATURE NEWS:
Development in continuous casting increases copper rod quality
Drawability and surface quality of the copper rod are important factors when considering the overall efficiency of a wire and cable plant. Producing rod with the aim of minimising or even totally removing all material-related wire breaks in the wire drawing process is the ultimate goal of all quality-conscious rod producers. The redesigning project of the UPCAST® casting machine die coolers and updating, as well as modification of the software controlling the casting machine movement, are big steps towards this ambitious target. These recent developments in the UPCAST® continuous casting system have shown to significantly increase both rod drawability and even surface quality. This has allowed producers using 8mm Ø rod from the UPCAST® process a more efficient utilisation of their multi-wire and fine-wire drawing machines.
The new die coolers and casting programme have been developed by Outokumpu, Finland, and industrial scale “approval tests” have been conducted at the facilities of different UPCAST® users during the year 2003 and early 2004. For example, according to Eletrocal, a cable manufacturer in Brazil, the results indicate an almost 100% increase in the casting machine graphite die-life compared to the nominal specified value, and removal of all material-related wire breaks in their wire and cable plant. Also Eletrocal achieves an absolute zero-level in any disturbances to the casting process instead of the occasional casting interruptions due to die wear experienced earlier. After installing its UPCAST® system in 2000, the decrease of down-time in wire drawing due to less wire breaks and the consistent running of the casting plant has helped Eletrocal to really improve its competitiveness. This is attributed to the considerable economical benefits of in-house rod production versus buying rod from outside and to the better rod performance in wire drawing. The UPCAST® unit was originally a one-furnace system, which was expanded in 2003 into a two-furnace system for higher capacity.
The results have met or exceeded expectations in other facilites as well. The Turkish wire producer AL-CO, which installed its 16,000 tonnes/year UPCAST® facility in 2001, reported an increase in drawability of “two and a half times more tonnes per break” in the drawing of 0.1mm Ø wire, while all the other operation parameters remained same. Also the other companies (in Europe and Brazil) participating in the testing campaign have noticed the same benefits and have chosen to change over to using exclusively the latest design die coolers and casting software. These new developments are now included as standard to all new UPCAST® deliveries, and are also available to all existing UPCAST® plants.
Outokumpu UPCAST® is the original upward continuous casting system for oxygen-free copper and copper alloy wire rods. The technology, which was invented and developed more than three decades ago to serve Outokumpu’s own production needs, is the world market leader with over 140 units delivered world-wide.
photo: The unit has been designed for the production of oxygen-free copper and copper alloy wire rods ranging from 8 to 30mm Ø with capacities of 2,000 to 30,000 tonnes per year
Company: |
Outokumpu Castform Oy |
Country: |
Finland |
Fax: |
+358 9 421 4200 |
Email: |
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Website: |
www.outokumpu.com/castform |