Fabrication of Nickel-Silver Rods and Plate through a Small Cross Section Continuous Casting Process

The environmentally friendly manufacturing process, continuous casting process with small cross sections, is the near net-shaped manufacturing technology used to fabricate copper alloy wires and plates with the required final tolerance and sound quality. Furthermore, the process consumes less energy and discharges less environmental loads because the process can eliminate the need for hot extrusion, hot rolling and heat treatment for production copper alloy wires and plate. In the present study, the effects of a continuous casting speed on the mechanical properties and the microstructure of the nickel-silver (Cu-Ni-Zn) alloy were studied and energy requirements, atmospheric CO2 emission and yield for the production of the Cu-Ni-Zn alloy was investigated quantitatively with respect to continuous casting with small cross sections and conventional material processing including casting, extrusion and heat treatment. The yield for production of Cu-Ni-Zn alloy can be improved above 30% with the application of continuous casting with small cross sections when the productivity is similar. Twice the amount of energy required and CO2 were consumed and emitted in the conventional manufacturing process when the yield of the processes was considered.