(01/27/2016) Paranapanema, Brazil’s largest copper producer, ends this month the installation of new industrial line of straight tubes of his Eluma brand in Utinga plant in Santo André (SP). The company invested R $ 56 million in the transfer of equipment from the old Capuava unit and modernization of the line, which will double capacity of 500 tons / month to 1000 tons / month of straight tubes – adding to other types of pipes produced in plant with the Cast & Roll technology, the company reaches a capacity of 3000 tons / month of St. Andrew in tubes.

With the new equipment, in operation since February, Paranapanema will replenish its portfolio of smooth straight tubes, going from 4.76 to 108 millimeters, as well as finned tubes. This type of pipe is used in water systems, gas and fire fighting in the manufacture of heat exchangers, cooling cabinets, refrigerators, solar heaters, sugar mills and automotive radiators.

“The completion of the new line of straight tubes is the final step in return to offer our customers a complete range, with high quality Eluma, competitive prices and large volumes,” said the president of Paranapanema, Christophe Malik Akli.

The inauguration of the new plant is part of the company’s strategy to expand the use of its installed capacity and reduce fixed costs. “It also allows us to increase the volume of higher value-added products for sale both domestically and in the export”, explains Akli. The Eluma straight tubes have been gaining ground in several countries in Latin America.

Optimization and process automation are the main characteristics of the line. One example is that the raw material needed to be weighed before the process begins. Now, the weight is measured during the casting, since there is a built-in balance in the furnace, which has higher power and capacity, allowing more rapid melting of the raw material. Among the new equipment purchased, imported from China and Spain are three ovens, a hydraulic extrusion press and two banks drawing.

All Eluma copper pipes are seamless, exclusive, which confers greater resistance in high pressure applications, for example. Products are manufactured using metallic copper plates produced by Paranapanema in his own unit Dias D’Avila, Bahia, a process that guarantees 99.99% metal purity and self-sufficiency in the use of raw materials.

To finance the investment in Santo André unit, Paranapanema has a line of credit from Finep (Financier of Studies and Projects) of R $ 22.7 million, with a term of eight years, grace period of two years and interest based the TJLP plus 3% per year.

The 100 employees transferred from the old Capuava unit for Utinga will be responsible for operation of the new plant.

The company’s YouTube channel, you can check out a video of the new plant and its pipe production process: http://www.youtube.com/c/Paranapanema

UNDERSTAND THE PROCESS PIPES STRAIGHT ELUMA PRODUCTION

To produce the Eluma straight tubes, Paranapanema working with metallic copper and the process occurs according to the following steps:

1 – Casting
The first step of the production process is to fuse the copper metal plates (cathodes produced by itself Paranapanema) in a smelting furnace, which operates at high temperatures, about 1200 ° C. At this stage they are associated with the elements of composition of alloys, depending on the type of product application. A sample of the liquid metal is withdrawn at each feedstock and passes through laboratory testing where there is their chemical composition.

The molten metal is poured into the caster, a device in which liquid copper is poured into forms and cooled to obtain the billet (cylindrical piece of solid copper).

2 – Extrusion
Once produced, the billet is transferred to the extrusion area. In this section, the billets are heated in an electric oven at 900 ° C and compressed by an extrusion press, which lengthens until reaching 20 meters, against a tool that holds the internal perforation.

3 – Wire Drawing
The tubes produced in the extrusion process are transferred to the bank drawing, equipment which perform the elongation of the tubes and the consequent reduction in diameter and wall thickness until they reach the parameters required for the type of final application. After the drawing process, the tubes are cut in suitable lengths, washed and packaged.