EuroWire March 2018

wire 2018 show

16 th - 20 th April

Continuous development of products and processes is essential: not only reactive development work initiated by new market requests, but also proactive and systematic research and development. The Upcast Cu-OF Upcast line, rst introduced half a century ago, has developed into a simple, reliable process with easy operation using an advanced control system, now o ering low lifecycle cost with increased casting speed, bigger capacities and better production e ectiveness. In addition, more rod diameter sizes are possible and the lines are designed to operate safely and reliably for years. The majority of delivered Upcast lines are for Cu-OF rod, and mainly in a rod diameter of 8mm. Rods with larger diameters are used for manufacturing a variety of nished products such as bus-bars, shaped pro les, trolley wires and electroplating anodes. Upcast Cu-OF rod is suitable for all electrical applications. Upcast customers across the world are casting Cu-OF 8mm rod, which can be further processed to the nest diameters for top quality wires.

has been processed into nished wire that ful ls the requirements of the EN 50149 standard. In addition, 8mm diameter CuMg0.5 cast rod has been successfully produced and further processed into very thin wires suitable for the automotive industry. With a cast diameter of 8mm the process into a nished product is shorter. ZnAl alloy is used in the arc and ame spraying process for corrosion protection. The very ne ZnAl wire is led into the spraying gun where it melts and is then sprayed onto a steel surface to form a protective lm. The technology for casting ZnAl mix into cast rod is new, and o ers notable bene ts. Compared to the traditional production method of ZnAl alloy, the investment cost is less. In addition, with a hot press products are made only in speci c lengths, whereas with Upcast technology the rod can be cast into optimised coils to precisely suit customer needs. For the future, the focus of Upcast research and development is on alloys, as well as the continuous further development of OF and DHP products.

Upward casting technology from Upcast

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In addition to rod and SGTube, other shapes of cast products, including various pro les and at bar, can be cast with the Upcast process. The utilisation of Upcast technology within the copper alloys eld is increasing as new applications for copper alloys are developed. Alloys successfully cast with Upcast lines include CuMg0.5, ZnAl15 and various brass alloys, with many more alloys being tested continuously. CuMg has excellent strength and conductivity characteristics, creating several possibilities for its application including contact wires for high speed trains and harnesses for the automotive industry. Upcast has already cast the biggest diameters of CuMg0.5 and the rod

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March 2018