EuroWire September 2016

Corporatenews

▲ ▲ The OF-Cu rod process from Upcast

Greener casting with 100 per cent recycled copper

of recycled material also for smaller pieces is well taken care of by pre-handling of the material and assured by a hydraulic press forcing all the pieces into the melt. The automated processes together with the advanced control system have added to the production efficiency remarkably. For example, the automatic transfer of the melt results in less manual work, and this way the probability of human error is minimised. The remote access system allows for a very quick fault detection followed by fast repair actions. This is extremely important in order to avoid any longer disturbances or breaks in the process. Furthermore, the system allows the customers to have all the possible process data, enabling them to make adjustments in order to improve the efficiency. Upcast OY – Finland Website : www.upcast.com

operators, increasing the need for workforce. With consistent development work and understanding the importance for the customers, Upcast was able to change the situation. The first OF-Cu rod continuous casting line utilising 100 per cent recycled material from the other internal processes was successfully delivered some years ago. The automatic charging technology of the line is designed specifically for recycled material. The final product determines the criteria and limit values for the raw material. Thus, the purity of the recycled material is crucial for the process. When using scrap from other processes of the same manufacturer the customer can be certain that the material is exactly the kind needed for the casting process.

Utilising recycled copper in the process of casting OF-Cu rod is the target for many manufacturers. The reason is simple and obvious: cost efficiency. Upcast already has a solution in meeting the requirements for using 100 per cent recycled material – or scrap, as many operators call it – in the OF-Cu rod process, all based on the original Upcast continuous casting technology and machinery. Using recycled material in the Cu rod casting process has been very challenging with regard to both quality control and the mechanical processing of the material. The casting process itself does not remove the possible metallurgical impurities of the raw material. Therefore, it was recommended to charge only small quantities of recycled material together with the pure copper cathodes. This required extra manual work from

The material feeding and melting process

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September 2016