Abstract: A method for manufacturing a bonding wire includes: putting a surface layer metal of a bonding wire in a crucible having a die cooler provided at the lower part thereof and melting the same; putting a main component metal core of the bonding wire in a core guide located at the upper part of the die cooler of the crucible and heating the core guide to the melting point or below of the metal core; transferring the metal core toward the die cooler so as to allow the molten surface layer metal to be injected to the surface of the metal core; and manufacturing a 50 ?m to 350 ?m bonding wire from the cast wire precursor by using a drawing die.

Abstract: The continuous casting device according to the present invention enables at least some of a plurality of hearths (3) to be converted between being hearths (13) used for titanium, which are used during the continuous casting of titanium ingots, and being hearths (23) used for titanium alloy, which are used during the continuous casting of titanium alloy ingots. The number of hearths (23) used for titanium alloy is greater than the number of hearths (13) used for titanium. Also, the total capacity of the hearths (23) used for titanium alloy is greater than the total capacity of the hearths (13) used for titanium. Thus, titanium ingots and titanium alloy ingots can each be continuously cast by means of a single piece of equipment.

Abstract: A method and a device for producing steel strips by belt casting, wherein a molten metal is output from a feed vessel onto a circulating casting belt of a horizontal belt casting system under protective gas by a gutter and a siphon-like outlet area designed as a casting nozzle. At least one plasma jet, which renders the area of action inert and heats the area of action, influences the outlet-side area of the casting nozzle and the molten metal exiting therefrom at least during the casting process. For this purpose, at least one plasma torch, which produces a plasma jet and is directed at the outlet area of the casting nozzle in a direction opposite the casting direction, is provided.

Abstract: The invention relates to a method and a device for producing steel strips by means of belt casting, wherein a molten metal is output from a feed vessel onto a circulating casting belt of a horizontal belt casting system under protective gas by means of a gutter and a siphon-like outlet area designed as a casting nozzle. According to the method, at least one plasma jet, which renders the area of action inert and heats the area of action, influences the outlet-side area of the casting nozzle and the molten metal exiting therefrom at least during the casting process. For this purpose, at least one plasma torch, which produces a plasma jet and is directed at the outlet area of the casting nozzle in a direction opposite the casting direction, is provided according to the device.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method, and apparatus for the recovery of precious metals. Accordingly, it provides a continuous process for obtaining a precious metal composition from a feedstock material, the process comprising the steps of: (i) heating a feedstock material in a plasma furnace to form an upper slag layer and a lower molten metal layer; (ii) removing the slag layer; (iii) removing the molten metal layer; (iv) allowing the removed molten metal layer to solidify; (v) fragmenting the solidified metal layer to form fragments; and (vi) recovering a precious metal composition from the fragments; wherein the feedstock material comprises a precious metal containing material and a collector metal, said collector metal being a metal or an alloy that is capable of forming a solid solution, an alloy or an intermetallic compound with one or more precious metals. This allows for high recovery yields of precious metals.

Abstract: The present invention relates to a method of continuous hardening press and an apparatus thereof. The process of continuous press hardening, includes: slab casting that makes a slab by continuous-casting molten steel refined by an electric furnace or a blast furnace, and then reheats and hot-rolls the slab into a hot-rolled steel sheet; blanking that conveys the hot-rolled steel sheet to a blank through a sealed oven and blanks the hot-rolled steel sheet, after the slab casting; and press hardening that conveys the hot-rolled steel sheet to a press die and presses the hot-rolled steel sheet, after the blanking. According to the embodiments of the present invention, since a high-temperature steel sheet formed by hot rolling is directly put into press hardening, reheating is not required such that the entire process is simplified and reduction of manufacturing cost can be expected.

Abstract: Continuous casting machine for forming a lead alloy strip of large thickness; which comprises a cooled rotating drum (4) having an annular seat (8) formed on the periphery thereof and a vat (10) for containing a molten lead bath, which is sealingly engaged on the peripheral surface (7) of the rotating drum (4). The machine (1) also comprises a fixed shoe (11) extending, from the vat (10), along an arc (25) around the rotating drum (4) and having an arc shape suitable for sealing engagement, in a sliding relationship, on the shoulders (90) of the annular seat (8). Heating means (26) are provided, these consisting of a plurality of torches acting on the shoe (11) along at least an initial section thereof (25) which extends from the vat (10), for heating to a temperature higher than the melting temperature of the lead alloy the free surface of the lead inside the annular seat (8).

Abstract: An apparatus for supplying molten steel and a continuous casting method therewith are described. The apparatus is equipped with a tundish 1 having an upper nozzle 2 at the bottom, a flow control mechanism 3 disposed below the upper nozzle 2, an immersion nozzle 4 formed by a refractory material having a good electrical conductivity, one electrode 5 disposed in the inner space of the tundish 1, the other electrode 6 disposed in the immersion nozzle 4, and a power supply 7 connected to the electrodes 5 and 6. In the method, the molten steel is supplied into a mold in the state of supplying an electric current between the inner surface of the immersion nozzle 4 and the molten steel 8 passing through the inside thereof by utilizing the apparatus for supplying molten steel. The deposition of the Al oxide or the like in the molten steel onto the inner surface of the immersion nozzle and others can be prevented, and thereby the generation of the surface defects in the products can also be prevented.

Abstract: In the representative embodiment described in the specification, continuous casting of fine-grain ingots is effected by supplying molten metal to a mold in which the metal is solidified and an ingot is withdrawn downwardly and controlling the temperature in the central region of the molten metal above the ingot at a level at which small crystallites of metal are formed, but large quantities of solid material are not formed. The desired temperature level may be maintained by visual observation of the surface of the metal or pyrometric detection of the temperature of the surface and control of a directional energy input device such as an electron beam gun or a plasma torch to supply sufficient energy to maintain the desired temperature level.

Abstract: A process for controlling continuous casting conditions in steel tapped from a furnace, which proceeds from a ladle into a tundish, and then via a submerged nozzle to a continuous casting mold. In either the ladle or the tundish, the liquid steel is subjected to radiation heating and convection heating from an electric heating device by which an electric current is made to pass through the liquid steel from this heating device to a return located downstream of the device, for example in the continuous casting mold. Preferably, the heating device is a transferred arc plasma torch. In addition, the nozzle between the tundish and the continuous casting mold is subjected not only to the passage of current but also to a direct magnetic field perpendicular to the steel stream.