EuroWire January 2025

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A history in continuous casting Rautomead Ltd, based in Dundee, has been manufacturing and supplying specialist continuous casting technology for non-ferrous metal applications since the late 1970s. Its involvement with the wire industry started at the Wire Exhibition in Basel in 1984 and has continued with participation at each wire Düsseldorf event since then. Since the 1980s, Rautomead has maintained an R&D facility with both horizontal and vertical casting machines used for the development of casting new alloys and shapes, for testing new equipment designs and for making pre sale samples of product for evaluation by prospective clients.

The Rautomead RS range of graphite furnace continuous casting machines is used for the manufacture of extra low oxygen content CuOF rod and for the production of conductor alloy rods such as CuMg, CuSn and CuAg for signal data transmission wires and for railway contact and catenary wire applications. The patented pulse motion control offers users the ability to alter and adjust the casting sequence and speed according to the alloy and rod diameter being produced. Optimal settings can be stored in the PLC memory to ensure consistent production parameters from cast to cast. The Rautomead (patented) RSL sealed lid continuous casting technology has been designed for processing progressive alloy rods such as copper chrome zirconium, for subsequent manufacture of welding tips and small diameter drawn wires. The fully enclosed furnace features multiple independently controlled feed mechanisms that deliver cored wire and CuOF rod to the furnace to match the melting casting output rate while maintaining precise alloy composition. Rautomead Ltd www.rautomead.com

Significant milestones have included combining high speed 8mm rod casting with a graphite furnace to obtain ultra-low oxygen content CuOF rods; the development, during the 1990s, of the technology and techniques to enable the continuous casting of copper magnesium alloy rods; and sealed lid continuous casting technology to facilitate the production of copper chrome zirconium alloy rods at near net shape, avoiding the need for conventional billet casting and extrusion. In 2024, the company introduced the RIC 400 model break-ring continuous casting technology, which was developed to process cobalt alloy, nickel alloy and iron alloy wire rods from 2.5 to 50mm diameter.

Under chairman Sir Michael Nairn, Rautomead has remained committed to developing continuous casting technology, applying it to multiple alloys, applications and industry sectors, then marketing and selling the equipment worldwide. The company now has nearly 500 reference installations in more than 45 countries.

RIC 400 break ring casting machine

Family Run Business – Celebrating 50 Years

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January 2025