Product category:
Metals processing plant and equipment
News Release from: Rautomead International | Subject: Continuous casting NF technology
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 03 July 2007
Continually cast batches of NF bar
'in-house'
A supplier of continuous casting technology provides upward vertical, horizontal or vertical downward casting equipment to produce 'near net shape' brass and bronze bar.
Rautomead is one of very few suppliers of continuous casting technology that can provide upward vertical, horizontal or vertical downward casting equipment to produce near 'net shape' brass and bronze bar in small batches It has allowed many companies to produce the bar at their own sites - particularly in the industrially developing countries
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 3 Dec 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Using 'near net shape' continuously batch-cast bar saves substantial costs involved in converting refined metal into semi-finished products.
* Small-scale producers benefit - continuous casting can be economic on a relatively small scale (50 - 200 tonnes/month).
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It means that those manufacturing areas or countries are now able to introduce non-ferrous (NF) continuous casting machines and use locally produced scrap.
Such scrap would normally be sold for re-use by external producers having existing plant.
* Controlling quality in-house - users of 'in-house' batch working continuous casters will be able to control the quality and costs of the NF products independently of large external NF metals producers.
Rautomead's customer installations for brass and bronze bar production are concentrated around Taiwan, India, Malaysia, Thailand, Latin America, Middle East and China.
The company reported that its recent installations are China and the Middle East.
To illustrate the trend the following examples were quoted by Rautomead.
* Tomghsia Industry Co, Taiwan - Rautomead RX 1400 machine produces solid and hollow bronze bars.
* S V Metals, Thailand - Rautomead RT 650 machine recycles brass scraps and swarf by converting into bars for use in components for liquid petroleum gas (LPG) valves.
* SMI, Saudi Arabia - many Rautomead RT 850 machines produce bronze hollow products to be converted into bearing components used in SMI water pumps (the bronze product was imported before).
* Samco, Iran - Rautomead RT 650 machine produces brass and bronze tubes and a Rautomead RMK 030 machine casts brazing alloy bar.
While the above examples represent usage in the industrially developing countries, Rautomead said that there is still plenty of opportunity for Western and European Union manufacturing areas to make use of continuous NF metals casting to tight tolerances on metals composition.
The Rautomead continuous casters provide the means of responding quickly to customer demand and keep metals stocks inventory levels low.
Examples in the EU include the following.
* Dens Metals, Dundee, Scotland - Rautomead RSL upward casting machines make batches of small diameter bronze solid and hollow bars.
* Copper Alloys, Stoke-on-Trent, England - Rautomead RT horizontal casting produces 'bespoke' alloy and section products to tight tolerances and product sizes.
In general, the advantages of Rautomead continuous casting technology are as follows.
* Independence from traditional mill suppliers.
* Ability to make specialist alloy and sections.
* Near net shape casting minimises subsequent manufacturing processes.
* Offers a means of recycling NF swarf and scraps 'in-house'.
* Maintains internal control over product quality and material composition.
* Reduces manufacturing costs.
* Reduces NF metals stock inventory.
Rautomead has installed over 290 installations globally.
The company claimed to be one of very few suppliers of continuous casting technology that can provide upward vertical, horizontal or vertical downward casting equipment.
At their headquarters, in Dundee, Scotland, Rautomead offers a technically advanced research and development facility, which can provide NF product samples or undertake casting trials.
This service helps users new to the idea of continuously casting NF products 'in-house' to perform feasibility studies and investigate the suitability of Rautomead continuous casting technology.
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