Brass rod continuously cast at lower cost

Continuous casting of 8mm diameter brass rod eliminates several intermediate processes can be eliminated thus achieving a significant reduction in both the capital cost.

Scottish continuous casting technology specialists, Rautomead, of Dundee, UK, have recently supplied three upwards vertical machines for production of 8mm diameter brass wire rod to customers in Western Europe, Taiwan and Japan.

Although brass wire rod is conventionally cast at around 20mm diameter and reduced to 8mm by a series of rolling and annealing stages before being drawn to final size, by casting at 8mm several intermediate processes can be eliminated thus achieving a significant reduction in both the capital cost and operating cost associated with brass wire production.

* Accurate composition - the Rautomead process starts from a separate coreless or channel induction melting furnace in which the metals are melted and the alloy is prepared to accurate composition.

The melting furnace is arranged to pour batches of molten brass to the casting machine each 30 to 40 min.

* Up to 800kg/hour production - the upwards-vertical casting machine can be either an eight-strand unit producing 800kg/ hour, or a smaller four-strand machine producing 400kg/h.

The rods are taken over the machine and fed down into rod coilers, capable of holding up to 4 tonnes each.

After casting, the 8mm brass wire rod is drawn down to approximately 2mm and in-line annealed.

The wire is then further drawn to the final gauge required.

Brass wire has a host of uses in everyday life in wire mesh screens, in filters, in hoses, electrical, electronic, telecommunications, mechanical, music, medical, jewellery and as EDM (electro discharge machining) wire.

Many different brass alloys are used, but among the more commonly found are the binary brasses CuZn35 and CuZn40.

Back to top