TPT March 2014

7-11 April 2014

final tube size, the smaller the cast tube size. With respect to coil weight SGTube is very flexible, with an upper limit of around 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. However, the process is not limited to DHP copper, and is also suitable for other copper grades/copper alloys. Oxygen-free copper and copper nickel alloys have been successfully cast.

The solution delivers thin-walled copper tube with a grain structure enabling the cast tube to be directly worked down with tube drawing machines. The tube coming from the process is in cast condition, allowing straight breakdown drawing followed by inductive in-line annealing. To ensure complete softening, a total area reduction of 50 per cent is required before intermediate annealing. As with Upcast rod production lines, SGTube lines are of modular design, and 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 38 to 60mm have been cast, with wall thicknesses of 2mm/3mm respectively. Different tube sizes can be cast simultaneously when the casting machine is equipped with more than one servo-drive system. The smaller the

Upcast two-furnace Hybrid line

SGTube casting machine and coilers to facilitate easy changeover. A hybrid configuration may have two separate furnaces from which the casting takes place. However, at any given time just one will be used for casting purposes, while the other would be in a standby position. Such an arrangement allows two different types of melt to be continuously available, eg oxygen-free copper for rod and DHP copper for tube. Typically just one product type is cast at a time, but the hybrid casting machine allows rod and tube to be cast simultaneously when produced from the same type of melt.

Tube coiler

Upcast-Hybrid technology is based on the concept of using the same equipment for casting both products. This has been achieved by modifying certain product-specific parts of the

Fax: +358 207 577 401 Email: sales@upcast.com Website: www.upcast.com

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