Rautomead offer a range of machines designed to cast Copper Magnesium and other conductor alloys for Railway Contact and Messenger Wires and Automotive wiring Harness. Rautomead Limited are UK-based specialists in continuous casting of non-ferrous metals and construction of continuous casting equipment for copper, copper alloys, gold and silver, dental alloys and feed rod for Conform machines. For a period of over 30 years Rautomead Limited has specialised in the design, manufacture and sale of continuous casting equipment for non-ferrous metals and alloys. There are now more than 300 Rautomead machines in operation in over 45 different countries around the world. Rautomead promote Advanced Metals Technology Collaboration for research and development of new processing technology for non ferrous metals www.rautomead.co.uk sales@rautomead.co.uk

1. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Technology
for
CuMg Railway
and
Automotive Wire
Rautomead Limited
PO Box 100
Dundee DD1 9QY
Scotland
t. (44) 1382 622341
f. (44) 1382 622941
Registered Office: Nobel Road
Wester Gourdie Industrial Estate
Dundee DD2 4UH, Scotland
Incorporated in Scotland No. 152367
www.rautomead.com
VAT Reg. No. GB 658 2549 03
Continuous Casting Technology
Advanced Metals Technology

2. Rautomead Limited
Introduction to
Rautomead

3. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Limited
Dundee Scotland
Founded 1978
Sir Michael Nairn
Chairman
Brian Frame MD
appointed 2008
Employees = 50
No Machines Sold = 346
First 1978
Of these :No Vertical Upwards = 76
First 1995 (Patent expired 1990)

4. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead – Nobel Road Factory

5. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead – Nobel Road Factory

6. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead – Unit 7A Nobel Road Factory

7. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead – Unit 7A Nobel Road Factory

8. Rautomead Limited
RS3000 – 8mm Cu-OF Redraw Rod

9. Rautomead Limited
RS3000/Mg – 30mm CuMg for HS Railway Contact Wire

10. Rautomead Limited
RS2500 – 8mm 65:356 Redraw Rod for EDM Wire

11. Rautomead Limited
RS1000 – Brass for Cold Heading

12. Rautomead Limited
RT850 – Hollow Bronze Billet for Pump Bearings

13. Rautomead Limited
RX1100 – 70mm Zinc Billet for Extrusion (Wheel Weights)

14. Rautomead Limited
RMJ/H025
MT200
RMJ/V005
RVSIII Tilt

15. Rautomead Limited
5000 – 10000
Tonnes/Year

16. Rautomead Limited
Serial
346
345
Year
2012
2012
Customer
Tecnofil
Peru
Anon
Brazil
Model
RS 3000/6-22
RS 2200/5
344
2012
Industrial Company Vtoraluminproduct LLC,
Russia
RT 650
343
342
341
2012
2012
2012
Lucas-Milhaupt Inc.
U.S.A.
Mitsubishi Materials Corp. Metals Co.
Japan
Solar Chemical Applied Materials Technology
(Kunshan) Co. Ltd, Taiwan
RMT 200
RS 080
RVS III/V
340
339
338
2012
2012
2012
Cetusan Abadi Sdn Bhd
Malaysia
Sodick EMD Wire Supply Division
Japan
Shandong Zhaojin Precious Metals Co. Ltd,
China
RVS III
RS 2500/8
RMJ/H 025

17. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Furnace Technology
for
Continuous Casting

18. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Furnace Technology
Rautomead Technology for
Continuous Casting is unique
because it uses GRAPHITE for :•Casting (Dies and Packers)
•Heating (Low Voltage resistance
heating elements).

19. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Furnace Technology
Rautomead Technology for
Continuous Casting is unique
because it uses GRAPHITE for :•Containment (Crucible & Valve)
•Casting (Dies and Packers)
•Heating (Low Voltage resistance
heating elements).

20. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Furnace Technology
Rautomead Technology for
Continuous Casting is unique
because it uses GRAPHITE for :•Containment (Crucible & Valve)
•Casting (Dies and Packers)
•Heating (Low Voltage resistance
heating elements).

21. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Furnace Technology
Rautomead Technology for
Continuous Casting is unique
because it uses GRAPHITE for :•Containment (Crucible & Valve)
•Casting (Dies and Packers)
•Heating (Low Voltage resistance
heating elements).

22. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Graphite Furnace Technology
for
Continuous Casting CuMg wire rod

23. Rautomead Limited
Experience with copper Magnesium Production
Continuous cast rod
to
Contact & Catenary wires

24. Rautomead Limited
Copper Magnesium (0.14%) Production
Continuous cast rod
to
Small diameter Cable

25. Rautomead Limited
Contact Wires for High Speed Train Systems
- Requirements: Copper Magnesium (0.57%)
• High Conductivity:
reduce losses
• High Tensile strength
up to 490 N/mm2
minimises “lift” of contact wire
maximises design speed. Up to 450km/hr
• Wear resistant
maximises operating life
• Resistant to “arc” formation
minimises erosion

26. Rautomead Limited
Catenary and Contact Wire Tonnage Requirement
• Single Track:
• 120mm2 CuMg Contact wire:
approx 1 tonne /km
• Total wire: catenary & contact:
approx 4 – 5 tonnes/km
New Double track line
constructions:
• Wire requirement:
•
8 – 10 tonnes / km

27. Rautomead Limited
Possible explanation for present shortage of and high price for CuMg rod
Chinese Expansion of high speed rail network
12,000 km by 2020

28. Rautomead Limited
PDL High speed train lines in China under construction
Contact wire material: CuMg 0.5
tensile 490 N/mm 2
Wuhan to Guangzhou
970 km
target running speed (max)
catenary/contact wire design speed
Shanghai to Beijing
1320 km
target running speed (max)
catenary/contact wire design speed
Existing Tianjin-Beijing
Uses Siemens CH3
High speed trains
350 km/hr
450 km/hr
380 km/hr
450 km/hr

29. Rautomead Limited
Customer Reference List for CuMg Contact Wire production: 0.57%
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Fujikura Hengtong Aerial Cable
Shandong Tian Yuan Copper
Xian XD
Xian XD
CRCEB
NKT Changzhou
NKT Changzhou
NKT Changzhou
Nanjing Daqo NKT
Lamifil
LaFarga LaCambra
Transkat
Lamifil
HFB Hettstedt
HFB Hettstedt
HFB Hettstedt
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
China
Belgium
Spain
Russia
Belgium
Germany
Germany
Germany
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Vertical
Horizontal
Horizontal
Horizontal

30. Rautomead Limited
Copper Magnesium (0.14%) Production
Continuous cast rod
to
Small diameter Cable

31. Rautomead Limited
Copper magnesium alloy wires
• Higher strength
• Reduce diameter without
sacrificing mechanical
performance
• Reduce weight of harness

32. Rautomead Limited
Copper magnesium alloy 0.14% experience to date
• Sample production on Rautomead “in house” RS 080 single strand
upward casting machine.
• RS Upward casting 19mm dia
• 1.0 – 2.0 tonne coils
• Elongation of “as cast” 28 – 30%
•
•
•
•
•
Test Drawing sequence
19 – 8.0mm anneal
8.0 – 1.2
1.2 – 0.156
(0.156
70 - 75 kg/hr/str
(480mm/min)
(for purpose of tests, drawing speed approx 50% of pure copper)
765 N/mm2
1094 ohm/km )
within specification
(no material related breaks during drawing)
7 strand finished wire (OD 0.456mm)
(780 N/mm2 159.28 ohms/km)
within spec.

33. Rautomead Limited
Copper magnesium alloy 0.14% experience to date
• Magnesium addition:
a. pure magnesium chips
b. 50:50 master alloy
c. cored wire automated feed
(available with full production automated cathode
feed)
• Magnesium “losses” during production, 0.09% (for either pure Mg or master)
• Composition Control:

34. Rautomead Limited
High quality feedstock
• Electrorefined copper cathode
– LME Grade A
• 50:50 copper magnesium
master alloy
• Pure magnesium pieces
wrapped in copper foil

35. Rautomead Limited
Advantages of Upward Vertical Casting for Wire Rod Production
•
•
•
•
Minimal “downtime” when changing dies
Controlled and consistent metal pressure in the casting die
Concentric cooling of the cast wire rod
Automated feeding and casting system

36. Rautomead Limited
Horizontal casting of CuMg
installed 1991 pre Upward technology

37. Rautomead Limited
CuMg cast rod, grain structure
Horizontally Cast
(Cu-Mg)
Vertically Cast
(Cu-Mg)

38. Rautomead Limited
RS 080
single strand upward casting

39. Rautomead Limited
Manufacture of CuMg Trolley Wire
• Continuous Casting
• Profile Drawing
• RS 3000

40. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Continuous Casting Technology for CuMg Rod
• Graphite Crucible
removes oxygen from copper
• Electric resistance heating
no inductor
• Single furnace, melting and casting
no metal transfer
• Advanced Cooler design
high quality rod
• Accurate control of parameters
consistent quality

41. Rautomead Limited
RS 3000 Graphite Crucible

42. Rautomead Limited
Oxygen Reduction
60
Oxygen
ppm
50
40
30
20
10
2 ppm
X
0
1
2
Time - Hours
(Retention time in Graphite)
3

43. 31/08/2002
17/08/2002
03/08/2002
20/07/2002
06/07/2002
22/06/2002
08/06/2002
25/05/2002
11/05/2002
27/04/2002
13/04/2002
30/03/2002
16/03/2002
02/03/2002
16/02/2002
02/02/2002
19/01/2002
05/01/2002
22/12/2001
08/12/2001
24/11/2001
10/11/2001
27/10/2001
13/10/2001
29/09/2001
15/09/2001
01/09/2001
Oxygen (ppm)
Rautomead Limited
Oxygen Reduction – O2 Level Over 12 Month Period
10
9
8
7
6
5
4
3
2
1
0

44. Rautomead Limited
Heating System - Graphite Heating Element Assembly

45. Rautomead Limited
Heating System - Graphite Crucible & Heating Elements

46. Rautomead Limited
Heating Elements & Sight Glass – cold
Heating Elements – heated & glowing

47. Rautomead Limited
Properties of Graphite
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
•
Increasing strength at higher temperatures
High thermal conductivity
High thermal shock resistance
Good electrical conductor
Non-wetting
Easily machined
Relatively soft
High lubricity

48. Rautomead Limited
Automatic Cathode Feed

49. Rautomead Limited
Automatic Cored wire feed

50. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Cooler Technology

51. Rautomead Limited
Rautomead Withdrawal Casting Technology

52. Rautomead Limited
Rod Coiling
Up to 4.0 tonne coil weight

53. Rautomead Limited
PLC System Control

54. Rautomead Limited
Plant Monitoring:
remote observation
data storage

55. Rautomead Limited
Thank You
www.rautomead.com
Rautomead Limited
PO Box 100, Dundee DD1 9QY
Scotland U.K.