WCA September 2016

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22 Wire & Cable ASIA – September/October 2016
Industrynews
Greener casting from Upcast
UTILISING recycled copper in the
process of casting OF-Cu rod is the
target for many manufacturers. The
reason is simple and obvious: cost
efficiency.
Upcast already has a solution in
meeting the requirements for using 100
per cent recycled material – or scrap,
as many operators call it – in the
OF-Cu rod process, all based on the
original Upcast continuous casting
technology and machinery.
Using recycled material in the Cu rod
casting process has been very
challenging with regard to both quality
control and the mechanical processing
of the material. The casting process
itself does not remove the possible
metallurgical impurities of the raw
material. Therefore, it was
recommended to charge only small
quantities of recycled material together
with the pure copper cathodes. This
required extra manual work from
operators, increasing the need for
workforce.
With consistent development work
and understanding the importance for
the customers, Upcast was able to
change the situation. The first OF-Cu
rod continuous casting line utilising
100 per cent recycled material from
the other internal processes was
successfully delivered some years
ago.
The automatic charging technology of
the line is designed specifically for
recycled material. The final product
determines the criteria and limit values
for the raw material. Thus, the purity
of the recycled material is crucial for
the process. When using scrap from
other processes of the same
manufacturer the customer can be
certain that the material is exactly the
kind needed for the casting process.
The material feeding and melting
process of recycled material also for
smaller pieces is well taken care of by
pre-handling of the material and
assured by a hydraulic press forcing all
the pieces into the melt.
The automated processes together
with the advanced control system have
added to the production efficiency
remarkably. For example, the
automatic transfer of the melt results in
less manual work, and this way the
probability of human error is
minimised.
The remote access system allows for a
very quick fault detection followed by
fast repair actions. This is extremely
important in order to avoid any longer
disturbances or breaks in the process.
Furthermore, the system allows the
customers to have all the possible
process data, enabling them to make
adjustments in order to improve the
efficiency.
Upcast OY – Finland
Website:
❍ The OF-Cu rod process from Upcast