Production of Rolled Metal, Wire and Targets

The major part of tantalum rolled meta products is consumed by the capacitor production industry in the form of tantalum wire for anode terminals, foil for wet electrolytic capacitors and strips for capacitor casing as well as for equipping capacitor anode baking furnaces (screens, heaters, trays). A further part of this production is used in chemical machinery as pipes for heat exchangers and sheets for the covering of reactors working in a corrosive environment. A more minor part is used in medicine (implants, clips, approximating magazines, cores), for production of nuclear materials and artificial diamonds (melting pots) and kinetic energy weapons (armour piercer cores).

An important and rapid-growing segment of this type of manufacture is tantalum in the form of ingots, plates and disks for spray tragets. This segment consumes the purest tantalum, with strict requirements as to material microstructure.

The main increase in the production volumes of tantalum products first occurred through increased tantalum ingot and wire production volume and a considerable gain in tantalum rolled metal.

Modernized capacities for drawing of wire up to 0,15mm in diameter were launched at the tantalum production section of the Ulba Metallurgical Plant, where the technology for production of small diameter wire, with a high quality surface and perfect metal microstructure, was developed.

A new ЕМО-800 electron-beam tube furnace for fusion of tantalum ingots with high qualification purity 4N-5N, and 250 mm ,in diameter was installed and launched.

A modernized ЕМО -1600 furnace was put into operation and the technology for fusion of ingots 250 (300) mm in diameter, with an homogeneous microstructure of metal, was also developed. The launching of new furnaces, for fusion of tantalum ingots with a high purity, will allow for an increase in the production share of materials for targets on the world market.

The technology for diversification of rolled metal products (large weighing rods, plates, disks with homogeneous microstructure for spray targets) and wares (trays, screens, pipe shells, melting pots for synthetic diamonds) has also been developed.