EuroWire January 2018

Corporate News

CONTINUUS-Properzi has two new plants, capable of recovering 100 per cent scrap with a copper content ≥ 96 per cent, and will start production of fire refined high conductivity (FRHC) rod in early 2018. One 80 ton per day refining furnace – for annual production of 24,000 tons – is being installed at TLMZ LLC in the region of Tolyatti, Russia, to feed one new Properzi CCR line (11 tph). The second refining furnace, making use of a recent and patented design with charging door on the top and an automated conveyor belt for loading the scrap into the furnace, will begin operation at Gil Rod Shomal Co in Rasht, Iran. More FRHC copper rod in 2018 Expansion with Ebner International Steels Ltd placed an order with Ebner to increase the throughput capacity of its existing HICON/H2® bell annealer facility. The order comprises the supply of eight HICON/H2® workbases, three heating bells and five cooling bells, plus the now necessary pressure reducing station for hydrogen and nitrogen.

The furnace facility accommodates low carbon steel strip coils with an outside diameter of up to 2,000mm and a stack height of 5,300mm. This expansion phase brings the number of available HICON/H2® workbases to 20, each with a maximum net charge weight of 113 tonnes. International Steels Ltd has been relying on Ebner’s HICON/H2® annealing technology since 2008. The unique design of the metallically encapsulated workload space together with the quality and reliability of the facilities and customer service were key in the decision to invest in Ebner HICON/H2® technology again. Ebner Industrieofenbau GmbH – Austria Website : www.ebner.cc

Expected production is around 30,000 tpy of 8mm FRHC copper rod by a Properzi System already successfully working with cathodes (to make ETP rod) at 12.5 tph.

Copper rod from 100 per cent scrap can fulfil the large majority of total tonnage required by the market as it can be drawn down to 0.25mm wires and even smaller.

FRHC rod was recently standardised by ASTM B4-15a as C11025.

Fifty years ago Continuus-Properzi was the pioneer and promoter of continuously cast and rolled copper rod.

The company has sold almost 60 CCR lines; about half of these plants can produce FRHC or a combination of ETP and FRHC rod.

Continuus-Properzi SpA – Italy Website : www.properzi.com

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January 2018