TPT November 2014

Technology News

A solution for small and medium capacities AS with the UPCAST ® rod production lines, UPCAST ® -SGTube lines are also of modular design. Both single- and double-furnace configurations are possible. With a double-furnace configuration – having separate melting and casting furnaces – it is possible to reach 12,000 tpa output while 9,000 tpa is possible for a single-furnace configuration. If scrap – clean and dry – will form a significant part of the input material then a double-furnace configuration should be the preferred choice.

Sizes of tube with outer diameters from 38mm to 60mm have been cast, with wall thicknesses of 2mm/3mm respectively. Different tube sizes can be cast even simultaneously when the casting machine is equipped with more than one servo-drive system. The smaller the final tube size, the smaller the cast tube size. With respect to coil weight UPCAST ® -SGTube is extremely flexible with an upper limit of about 1.5 tons. The final weight limit is more likely to be determined by the downstream process equipment. The main usage of UPCAST ® - SGTube is in the casting of phosphor deoxidised (DHP) copper tube for the production of sanitary, industrial and ACR tubing. The process is not limited only to DHP copper but is suitable also for other copper grades/copper alloys. Oxygen-free copper as well as copper nickel alloys have all been successfully cast.

Having UPCAST ® -SGTube process as the first step of a tube production line can mean savings to the lifecycle costs. As the cast tube is already close to final product sizes the UPCAST ® -SGTube process gets there in just one step compared with existing tube mills requiring several shorter but costly steps. Further savings can be gained through the smaller space requirement of the line, being just a fraction of the floor area required by the conventional equipment, which can be replaced by the UPCAST ® -SGTube line. UPCAST OY and Asmag GmbH have joined forces to supply customers with a more complete solution – a process delivering semi-finished C&D copper tubes for applications such as sanitary and certain ACR tubing. By combining their respective know-howand expertise the two partners can offer proven cost the

savings for copper tube producers. This compact process requires a much smaller space and has lower energy consumption than a conventional copper tube manufacturing process. UPCAST ® -Hybrid technology is based on using the same equipment for casting both rod and tube products. This was achieved by modifying certain product-specific parts of the UPCAST ® - SGTube casting machine and coilers to facilitate easy changeover. The flexibility of the product mix makes the hybrid system a cost- effective solution for companies with a diverse product portfolio who have a certain capacity requirement for both rod and tube – no need to have two separate lines and in worst case neither one being fully utilised all the year round. With the UPCAST ® -Hybrid line one can optimise the full capacity between both products or sometimes for only the other product. UPCAST ® R&D work is carried out by experts at the company’s own pilot plant. The company is determined to stay on top of the development in its field and is continuously looking for improvements, new products and applications to meet the changing requirements of the customers and markets. UPCAST ® continuous casting lines are reliably and fully operating every day of the week. This would not be possible without a fast, reliable and continuous UPCAST ® customer service and support for consumables, spare parts and technical support – online and on-site.

UPCAST OY – Finland Website: www.upcast.com

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N ovember 2014