Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow

PROPERZI
ETP Rod and Copper Wires

The dancing satyr, copper

Statue, in Sicily,
300 B.C. ca.
 Author & Content:
Giulio Properzi

Realization:
Operation Butterfly - Germany

Printed by: BP Graph - Italy

Second Edition April 2020

Realization: Operation Butterfly – Germany

Printed in April 2020
Note: Photo at page 4 (on the right)
© Alessandro Nassiri Tabibzadeh

2
A Company Lasting
Three Generations

What makes things unique are the bonds they share, and what makes
bonds unique are their quality and strength. The more continuous
these bonds are, the more this strength becomes tenacity, power and
finally, passion.

In my opinion, this is perfectly embodied in more than 70 years of the

success and continuity enjoyed by our Italian company. Founded and
based just outside Milan, the company has grown and flourished,
gaining worldwide renown for its revolutionary technological processes
for non-ferrous metals.

These 70+ years of birth, growth, battles, successes, technological inventions, victories,
failures, new patents, sweat and so much drive make up our story; not just one of a
family, but of all the people who have believed in us and played a part in this, of all
those who see our business as the perfect measure of outstanding innovation, tech-
nology, commitment and loyalty.

This is us: we who strive for the best technological solution to make the systems and
machines we produce simpler and more user-friendly, tailoring them to meet the
re-quirements of our many clients worldwide.

We who help them remotely or come to their aid on site with our technicians,
taking care of their every need and request, and working to ensure that each
and every project is a success.

We who want all our systems to run like clockwork.

This means we always put you, our clients, first, you who were the first to believe in
our endeavour, and you who have had faith in us for more than 70 years, fully aware
that our passion for our job is our constant driver for continuous growth and
techno-logical innovation.

Our family and the company-bonds that I mentioned before do the rest, and
I am confident that they will allow us to work in the same way, and better, for
many years to come.

Continuus-Properzi... A family passion!

By Chiara Properzi

3
From Innovation
to Innovation
Yesterday, today and tomorrow

“It’s no secret that copper wire and cable makers dentare

We of the inventiveness
equally confidentand strong
of the leadership
inventiveness
are chasing around to come up with cost-cut- shown
and by Giulio
strong Properzi,
leadership ourby
shown President, and in
Giulio Properzi,
ting method that would give them an edge in the President,
our commitment and and
in thecapabilities
commitment ofand
the capa-
entire
the highly competitive fields… It’s a tool that will Continuus-Properzi
bilities team.
of the entire Continuus-Properzi team.
provide a a means
meansto toaamanufacturer
manufacturer toto operate
operate in Step by step, our company, despite some unfair
in
thethe black
black in in a highly
a highly competitive
competitive market”.
market”. It a
It is is competition
Step by step,andour baseless
Company,gossip, has
despite developed
some un-fair
a very
very banal
banal andand uninteresting
uninteresting incipit
incipit describing
talking about into a true EPC
competition andsupplier that has accumulated
fake gossip, developed intothe a
Continuous Casting
Casting ofof Redraw
RedrawCopper!
Copper! longest
real EPCworldwide experience
supplier that and relevant
has accumulated know-
the longest
how regarding
worldwide completeand
experience ETPrelevant
or FRHC know-how
Lines, from
But it changes color and significance if you know
But it changes color and signifcance if you know furnaces tocomplete
regarding coiler, for the
ETPcopper rod and
or FRHC wire
Lines, in-
from
that it is from Mr. Ilario Properzi’s interview with
that it is from Mr. Ilario Properzi’s interview in dustry. to coiler, for the copper rod and wire industry.
furnaces
American Metal Market on May 16, 1963, just one
American Metal Market on May 16, 1963, just one
month before the first ever continuous copper Our commitment is to continue and surpass the 70
month before the first ever continuous copper rod Our commitment is to continue and surpass the 70
rod was produced by a brand new Properzi Sys- plus years of success of our company based on the
was produced by a brand new Properzi System in plus years of success of our company based on the
tem in the USA. It was the beginning of a new continuous attentiveness to our customers and to
the USA. It was the beginning of a new era thanks continuous attentiveness to our Customers and to
era thanks to Ilario Properzi and his ingenuity! the future requirements of the global market.
to Ilario Properzi and his ingenuity! the future requirements of the global market.
Since then, dozens of prominent individuals and Our latest innovations include the Microrolling®
companies
Since then, havedozenscontributed to the
of prominent develop-
people and Our
Mill latest
process innovations include the
for self-annealed Microrolling®
copper wire, a
ment and optimization
companies of ETP
have contributed copper
to the rod pro-
development Mill process
promising for self-annealed
revolutionination copper
of the wire,
drawing shopa
duction plants up to
and optimization of the
ETPcurrent
copperastonishing pro-
rod production promising
and the new revolutionination
Vert-Ref processof to
therecycle
drawing shop
Copper
duction
plants up rates (40 current
to the tph andastonishing
more) and drawability
production and
scrapthe new
into FRHCVertRef process to recycle Copper
products.
(down to diameters
rates (40 of 0.10
tph and more) – 0.05
and mm diameters
drawability (0.10 – scrap into FRHC products.
and
0.05 smaller processed
mm diameters andbysmaller
high speed multiwire
processed by As a true engineering company we feel con-
drawing
high speed machines!).
multiwire drawing machines!). fident
As inengineering
a true providing full packages
company from
we feel finished
confident in
foundation
providing fullto plant in operation.
packages from finished foundation to
We are proud of our founder, the inventor of
We are proud of our founder, the inventor of the plant in operation.
the CCR process for nonferrous rod, we added Always looking forward and always a step ahead
CCR process for non-ferrous rod, we added his
his name to Continuus, renaming the company is our mantra as we march toward our centenary
name to Continuus, now Continuus-Properzi Co. Always looking forward and always a step ahead
Continuus-Properzi Co. We are equally confi- anniversary!
is our mantra as we march toward our centenary
anniversary!

The Wire Association

International, Inc. (WAI) honored
father and son with Mordica
Awards (Ilario Properzi in 1973
and Giulio Properzi 30 years later
in 2003), for their contribute to
the wire industry’s base through
research, development, innovation
and other technical pursuits.

Father and son, Ilario

and Giulio, along seven
decades linked by the
same passions:
Industry, invention,
people and awards

4
Quality First
Quality is our goal and safety is first
Continuous Casting & Rolling Copper Rod Line.
It is commonly known that the increasing
and increasing quality of the rod from continuous
casting & rolling Lines allows multiwire drawing
down to very fine diameters of 0.10 mm – 0.05 mm
at speed near 30 meters per second. But what is
possible is not automatically reached!
Under such operating conditions, it is not only
necessary for rod producers to provide high qual-
ity wire rod but, far more importantly, the quality
of the ETP rod must be easily measureable and
consistently repeatable.
The efficiency of a Plant, in terms of rod quality
and transformation costs, is the critical point for
a rod producer in any part of the world! For new
installation the following “factors of success” are
mandatory:
• The first class Properzi Line from furnaces to
coiler
• The applicable package of modern GMPs
(Good Manufacturing Practices)
• On-site assistance, as well as support from our
Technical Office, based on know-how and ex-
pertise collected over the last 50 years
• A skilled, well-trained and motivated Opera-
tional Team
To repair the obsolescence of those Systems
(Plant + GMP + Team) commissioned years ago,
when the rod requirements were far less severe,
our Excellency Group can provide all the support
necessary to attain the quality standards that are
a “must” today with a reasonable and justifiable
investment.
In parallel, “while posing no danger to the Own-
er’s balance sheet”, we can supply dedicated
retrofit kits to update those older machines which
have become obsolete. It is not the major things
but the little details which make the difference;
like we always say, “the devil is in the details!”.
Our experts can suggest how to modernize the
Line and also transfer the “Total Quality” and
“Zero Defects” approach following the methods
that the Automotive Industry – the most de-
manding industry – has identified, implement-
5
ed and improved upon year after year. Several
courses are available in our QUALITY ROAD MAP Continuus-Properzi
(QRM), for example: QUALITY ROAD MAP
(QRM)
• Programmed maintenance and better total Programmed
efficiency course maintenance and
• Housekeeping and production parameters better total
efficency course
control course
• Highest percentage of premium quality rod
course

We are making the European Norm for Safety

and Total Quality Policy familiar around the world. Housekeeping Highest
They are known as OHSAS 18001:2007 and ISO and production percentage of
9001: 2008 or ISO 14001:2015, respectively. parameters premium quality
control course rod course

QUALITY IS THE COMBINATION OF GOOD MACHIN-

ERY AND GOOD MANUFACTURING PRACTICES.

Just to give an example, consider the QRM that

we implemented together with an important cus-
tomer located in Asia:

The Properzi ETP Copper Line was commissioned After two visits of our Experts for a total time
in 1995 - output rate was 10 tph. of four weeks the conditions improved to:

QRM was implemented during 2014 and the start-
ing conditions were:
• OEE ≤ 75%
• Average drawability ≥ 0.25 mm
• Rate of rejected rod by the drawing shop 5%
• OEE ≈ 80%
• Average drawability ≥ 0.15 mm
• Rate of rejected rod by the drawing shop 1%
... and the Line continues to operate with a consis-
tent economic return.

Properzi Technical Consultancy:

Now Continuus-Properzi is offering a special Service to all Properzi Users that is delineated in three
different options:

• Written Consultancy - It is a fast “problem solving” approach based on information exchange via

e-mail. The Customer will explain the issue to consultancy@properzi.it describing it in detail, clarify-
ing in which specific cases it occurs and adding any meaningful pictures or additional information.
Properzi will deploy its dedicated and qualified engineering/process team until problem resolution.

• Remote Assistance Service - It is a direct point to point connection between Properzi’s control room and
Customer Line PLC. To be used only when the need PLANarises, it allows CP software and process specialists
to operate on the Customer PLC in order to introduce any required adjustment/modification either to
the software or to the working parameters. To enable the Remote Assistance Service a communication
module (included in all PLCs recently supplied), has to be installed and connected to the Internet.
INPUTS ACT DO OUTPUTS
• Technical Audit at Customer site - This requires dispatching Properzi’s specialist/s to site in order
to assist the customer in resolving the most critical issues, the ones which cannot be addressed by
mail and require Properzi’s physical presence on the Line. The Technical Audit will be quoted on a
CHECK
case by case basis by our Technical Consultancy Manager.

6
Continuous
Customer Service
The concept of responsible business

Continuous Casting Lines for the production of alignment

alignment onon the
the civil
civil works,
works, from
from the
thetraining
trainingof of
non-ferrous commodities are considered large the operators
operators through
through thethe supervision
supervisionof ofthe
theno-
no-
scale durable equipment where the availability load tests,
tests, and
and from
from thethe supervision
supervision of of the
the hot
hot
of efficient
efficient Aftersale
AftersaleService
Serviceisisone
oneofofthe discrim-
the discri- metal
metal tests
tests through
through thethe demonstration
demonstration tests tests of
of
inant factors
minant factorsfor
forextending
extendingthe the technical
technical life
life of the performance
performance parameters.
parameters.
the plant maintaining the maximum level of the
production quality. For the last several decades, From this
this moment
moment through
through the
the entire
entire technical
technical
and due to thethe above
above reasons,
reasons, Properzi’s culture and/or
and/or economic
economic lifelife of
of the
the plant our Aftersale
plant our Aftersale
regarding Aftersale Service includes two main Service is in in close
close contact
contact with
with the
the customer
customerto to
sectors of activities:
activities: provide spare
spare parts,
parts, technical
technical consultancy
consultancy and and
also remote assistance. Spare Spare parts
parts are
are the
thelife-
life-
• The
Theon
onsite
site technical assistance
assistance blood
blood of of the
the plant
plant and
and extending
extending thethe technical
technical
Thespare
• The spareparts
partsservices
services life of the
the plant
plant very
very much
much depends
depends uponupon the the
availability
availability of of spare
spare parts.
parts. Especially
Especially during
duringthe the
Both sectors include technicians and engineers first two-three
two-three yearsyears ofof plant
plant operation
operation we we trytry
with great experience. In particular, the Team of to guide the customer
customer in in scheduling/managing
scheduling/managing
Technical Assistance
Assistance isis composed
composedofof30 30individ-
indivi- their spare
spare parts
parts inventory
inventory as as aa function
function ofof the
the
uals including
duals including electrical/electronic
electrical/electronic engineers/ expected
expected scheduled
scheduledproduction
productionsosoasas totodiminish
dimin-
experts and andmechanical/process
mechanical/process engineers. Most
engineers. the risk risk
ish the of facing urgencies
of facing and/or
urgencies problems.
and/or problems.
are young,
Most they are
are young, theyallare
motivated and well
all motivated and pre-
well
pared, andand
prepared, theythey
must undergo
must undergostrictstrict
training be-
training Yes, supplying a
a new
new plant
plant forfor the
theproduction
productionofof
fore deployment
before deployment in in
thethe
field; Continuus-Properzi
field; Continuus-Prop- non-ferrous commodities
commodities is is not
not only
only Properzi’s
Properzi’s
requires
erzi a minimum
requires a minimumof five
of years experience.
five years experience. core business
business but
but an
an actact of of total
total responsibility
responsibility
and commitment
commitment where
where first first class
class equipment
equipment
During
During the
the phases
phases of
of commissioning
commissioning and
and startup
startup must bebe accompanied
accompanied by by first
first class
class Aftersale
Aftersale
of
of a
a new
new plant
plant our
our service
service spans
spans from
from foundation
foundation Service; in essence
essence itit is
is aa real
real “marriage”
“marriage” with
with
verification
verification through
through the
the supervision
supervision of
of machinery
machinery each customer which lasts for several decades!

Onsite technical assistance. Spare parts the lifeblood of the plant!

7
 The History of a Company i
Properzi «chronological» Pa

CHIARA PROPERZI
nowadays
STEFANO PREVEDINI
nowadays
MEMBER OF THE BOARD
*
MARCO MARCOLUNGO
nowadays
PROCUREMENT DIRECTOR
*
CHIEF ACCOUNTANT
*

SERGIO VALENTI
CHIEF MACHINARY DESIGN
from 1975 to 2015
GIULIO PROPERZI
nowadays
PRESIDENT
*

DENNIS K. PETERS
TECHNOLOGIST
from 1965 to 2000

UMBERTO SCOINO
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR
from 1963 to 2000

ILARIO PROPERZI
FOUNDER
from 1947 to 1976
y is a History of People
al» Parents Tree

ALBERTO ANNONI
nowadays
ENGINEERING SUPERVISOR
*
DIMITRI CORDUBLAS
nowadays
FINANCIAL DIRECTOR
*

DAVIDE IOSA
nowadays
TECHNICAL DIRECTOR

CARLO NERI
TECHNOLOGIST
from 1965 to 2017

ROLF C. REUTER
COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR
ENRICO DONINI from 1980 to 2002
SALES MANAGER
from 1953 to 1971

* BOARD OF DIRECTORS
Our Big Data Deposit
The hidden treasure of the Properzi heritage

One lay-out now storaged in a CD-ROM. Continuus-Properzi Design.

Continuus-Properzi, founded
Continuus-Properzi, foundedinin1947,
1947,isiscelebrating
celebrat- ered during the decade 1965-1975 and more than
the the
ing 70th 70th
anniversary in 2017.
anniversary OverOver
in 2017. the the
years we
years 150 plants
plantswere
werecommissioned
commissionedduring
during
thethe past
past 40
have
we designed,
have designed,manufactured,
manufactured,sold
soldandand com- 40 years.
years.
missioned several hundred machines and com-
the oldest
plete rolling lines. Even for the oldest machinery,
machinery, No one has ever counted how many designs or
placed in operation five, six decades ago, we papers are archived in our facility and how many
have kept the complete technical file for each different mechanisms were used over the years
piece of equipment. This is our way of keeping for the creation and storage of these documents:
Properzi equipment that serves or
alive all the Properzi for example big rolls of manual India ink designs
has served our clients worldwide. scaled 1:1 for an entire rolling mill (4.5 x 1.8 meters!!)
or microfiche or tapes or CD-ROMs as well as the
This philosophy allows us to supply spare parts latest systems and devices from Silicon Valley. A
and/or technical consultancy even for our oldest real mess… but nothing has ever been lost and
Leonardo
machinery. This was the case when the Leonardo these items serve
serve as
as our
our memory
memorydiskdiskforforassist-
assis-
National Museum of Sciences and Tech-
da Vinci National ing
tinghundreds
hundredsof ofclients
clientswith
with all
all details
details relative to
nology, in Milan, decided to dedicate an entire their specific equipment.
Ilario Properzi’s
hall to Ilario Properzi’s invention:
invention: the Continuous
Continuous
Casting and Rolling system for aluminium
aluminium rod.
rod. To complete our archives, all commercial papers
of successful or, unfortunately, unsuccessful in-
wrecked first aluminium rod
The very rusty and wrecked teraction with Customers or potential Customers
line has been totally restored exactly as it was are tidily deposited, like measurements
measurements in a tai-
now permanently
in 1949 and is now permanently exhibited as an lor’s shop,
shop, so
sothat
thatwewetoo
toocan
cantailor ourour
tailor services to
services
example of Italian ingeniousness. You can count Customers’
to Customers’ specific needs.
specific needs.
on one hand the number of casters or rolling mills
commissioned during the periodperiod 1955-1965
1955-1965 that We are ready
ready any
any time!
time!
in operation
are still in operation today. Many lines were deliv-

10
Complete Plants for
ETP Copper Rod
YESTERDAY TODAY AND TOMORROW

The history of Properzi and copper began some- These days

These days almost
almost 60%
60% ofof the
the copper
copper produced
produced
time during the 1950s when Mr. Ilario Ilario Properzi
Properzi worldwide is
worldwide is in
in the
the shape
shape ofof copper
copper rod
rod to
to serve
serve
experimentingwith
started experimenting with
thethe application
application of
of the the cable
the cableindustry
industrywhilewhile the
the balance
balance goes
goes intointo
in-
the continuous
continuous castingcasting and direct
and direct rollingrolling tech-
technology, ingots,
gots, billets
billets andand slabs.
slabs.
nology, already
already successful successful for aluminium
for aluminium rod, for the rod, for
pro-
the production
duction of copper of copper
rod. Therod.
new system was cer- The demand
The demand for for Electrolytic
Electrolytic Tough
Tough Pitch
Pitch (ETP)
(ETP)
The new
tainly ablesystem was certainly
to replace the currentable to replace
state-of-the- copper rod
copper rod is
is growing
growing atat a
a rate
rate of
of 3.5-4.0%
3.5-4.0% y-o-y
y-o-y
the based
art currentonstate-of-the-art
the hot rolling ofbased
wirebars on through
the hot and we
and we can
canalso
alsosay
saythat
thatthe
the quality require-
technical require-
rolling
the of wirebars
so-called through
Belgian theMills;
Looping so-called
it wasBelgian
indeed ments for copper rod are becoming
ments for copper rod are becoming more and more and
aLooping Mills; it wasThe
new technology. indeed a new technology.
Continuous Casting and more severe
more severe year
yearafter
afteryear.
year.
Direct Rolling process solved the problems Anticipating such market needs, Continu-
The Continuous
caused by the old Casting and Direct
technology such as: Rolling pro- Anticipating such market needs, and
Continuus-
cess solved the problems caused by the old te- us-Properzi designs, manufactures servic-
Properzi
es the most advanced plants, from furnacesthe
designs, manufactures and services to
•chnology such as:CapEx
Very consistent most
coileradvanced plants, from
and packaging furnaces
for the to coiler
production of and
ETP
•• Labor
Very consistent CapEx
intensive and dangeous packaging
copper rod.for the production of ETP copper rod.
• Labor intensive
• Tough and dangerous and dangeous
working
• conditions
Tough and dangerous working conditions
•• Weight
Weight ofof coils
coils did
did not
not exceed
exceed 150150 kg kg
•• Low inconsistent quality
Low inconsistent quality
We
We want
want only
only recall
recall that
that the
the first
first two
two plants
plants were
were
sold
sold by Ilario Properzi, one to an American com-
by Ilario Properzi, one to an American com-
pany
pany and
and one
one to
to a
a Russian
Russian company,
company, during
during the
the
very
very early
early 1960s
1960s thus
thus opening
opening thethe route
route to
to the
the
modern
modern era
era for
for the
the production
production ofof copper
copper rod.
rod.

Continuus Properzi 25 tph Copper Rod Plant.

11
FROM SHAFT FURNACE TO COILER WITH COMPLETE
KNOW-HOW AND ENGINEERING

While Continuus-Properzi is constantly improving equip-

While
ment and
ment and machinery, our Excellency Team looks after the
best and most complete training program for the operators
best
so as to reach the lowest possible Operational Expenditure
so
(OpEx), the best Overall Equipment Efficiency (OEE) and the
(OpEx),
widest repeatability
widest repeatability of
of the
the rod quality.

The table below shows

The shows the
thesize
sizeof
ofthe
thestandard
standardplantsplantsavaila-
avail-
ble in in
able Properzi’s production
Properzi’s program,
production however
program, different
however plant
different
sizes are
plant always
sizes available
are always upon request.
available JoiningJoining
upon request. our family
our
provides
family many benefits
provides and we and
many benefits wouldwelike to listlike
would theto
most
list im-
the
portant
most ones: ones:
important

•• Specialized
Specializedengineering
engineeringfor forlay-outs,
lay-outs,foundation
foundationdrawings,
drawin-
gs, etc.,
etc., andand for tailoring
for tailoring special
special technical
technical solutions,
solutions, if re-
if request-
quested
ed
Tailor made
•• Tailor made machinery
machinerydesigned
designedfor forlife
life
Lowest OpEx
•• Lowest OpEx
Highest OEE
•• Highest OEE
First class components (hydraulic, pneumatic,
•• First pneumatic, electrics,
electrics,
etc.) and
etc.) and user-friendly
user-friendlycontrol
controlsystem
system
•• High
High rod
rod quality
qualityand
andrepeatability
repeatabilityofofthe thequality
quality
Flexible machinery
•• Flexible machinery
Unparalleled technical
•• Unparalleled technical assistance
assistanceforfortraining, commis-
training, com-
sioning andand
missioning start-up andand
start-up many otherother
many advantagesthat
advantages
you will
that youexperience uponupon
will experience joining our large
joining familyfamily
our large of Pro-of
perzi CCR
Properzi CCRusers
users

Properzi is
Properzi is available
available to
to supply
supply such
such plants
plants on
on an
an Engineer-
Enginee-
ring,Procurement
ing, ProcurementandandConstruction
Construction(EPC)
(EPC)basis
basis so
so that the … it is our philosophy leaving space for future upgrade…
Buyer is only minimally involved with the installation
Buyer installation of
of the
the
plant.
plant.

Expected Range
Output rate tph
240-300 dpy

6.0 30,000 - 35,000

Small 7.5 36,500 - 42,000

10.0 48,000 - 58,000

12.5 61,000 - 72,000

Medium 16.5 80,000 - 95,000

20.0 98,000 - 115,000

25.0 125,000 - 140,000

Large 32.0 160,000 - 180,000

38.0 185,000 - 220,000

12
A large family from 6 tph
up to 38 tph
ETP Copper Rod Plants

Properzi has worked very hard during the last 50

plus years to be able to supply ETP copper rod
plants that match the best combination of of OEE,
OEE,
CapEx and OpEx. In fact, whatever the size of the
plant, from medium to extra-large, the Properzi
Engineering Team has dedicated extraordinary
attention to the
the major
major details
detailslisted
listedbelow:
below:

•• The cathodes
cathodescharging
chargingmachine
machineis is
designed
designed to
facilitate uniform
to facilitate scattering
uniform scatteringof cathodes
of cathodes so so
as
as enhance
to to enhance the thermal
the thermal efficiency
efficiency of theofverti-
the
vertical
cal melting
melting furnace.
furnace.

•• The use of big-block

big-block refractories
refractories inin the
the melt-
mel-
tingfurnace
ing furnacereduces
reducesthetherefractory
refractory installa-
installation
tion time
time and and increases
increases the the thermal
thermal efficiency
efficiency of
of the
the vertical
vertical melting
melting furnace;
furnace; the the
lower lower the
the gas
gas consumption,
consumption, the better
the better the OpEx.
the OpEx.

•• The burnersofofthe
The burners the vertical
vertical melting
melting furnace
furnace use
use nozzle
nozzle mix burners
mix burners thus enhancing
thus enhancing both
both ther-
thermal
mal efficiency
efficiency andand safety
safety of the
of the furnace;
furnace; in
in large
large andand extra-large
extra-large plants
plants thethe third
third rowrow
of
of burners
burners areare tangential
tangential burners.
burners.

•• Each burner in the vertical

vertical melting
melting furnace
furnace is
is
controlledby
controlled byaaCOCO analyzer;
analyzer; additional
additional CO
CO an-
analyzers
alyzers control
control thethe burners
burners of the
of the holding
holding fur-
furnace
nace andand launders.
launders. This
This allowsrapid
allows rapidanalysis
analy-
sis and
and prompt
prompt feedback.
feedback.

•• Continuous
Continuous detection
detection of the temperature
temperature ofof
copper mould,
copper mould, steel belt and cast bar
bar through
through
dedicated pyrometers
dedicated pyrometers allows immediate
immediate indi-
indi-
cation of
cation of their
their correct
correctworking
workingconditions.
conditions.

•• The OXI-acetylene Sooting System

System provides
provides
precise and
precise and repeatable
repeatablesoot
sootapplication.
application.

Properzi’s unique combination

•• Properzi’s combination of a roughing
roughing
mill with 2-roll rolling stands that provide
provide the the
necessary high reduction rate and a finishing
necessary finishing
monobloc mill with the legendary
monobloc legendary 3-roll
3-roll rolling
rolling
stands, driven
stands, driven by only one motor,
motor, ensures
ensures rodrod
diameter tolerance
diameter tolerance which surpasses the ASTM ASTM
specs.
B49 specs.

Cathodes during charging phase.

13
 View of a typical Properzi Roughing and Finishing Mill in operation.
A Properzi Casting Machine.

All the ingredients listed on page 13, combined

with Properzi’s know-how accumulated since
we pioneered this process, allows our Users to
maximize rod quality in order to reach and sur-
pass magnet wire specifications and drawabil-
ity below 0.10 mm when requested.

Needless to say, Properzi also offers an auto-

matic packaging system for rod coils including
pallets feeding, coil compacting, strapping,
wrapping, etc. Rod can be collected in rosette
type or concentric coils… and the journey con-
tinues!!!

Automatic Packaging Line of a 25 tph Properzi Rod Plant.

Copper coils storaged from one 12 tph Properzi Line.

14
The Astonishing in Line
Self-Annealing Method of
ETP-FRHC Copper Wire
An energy saving policy is a must for every in-
dustry because of two reasons: energy is expen-
sive and potentially harmful to the environment.
A new method that saves about half of the en-
ergy previously required is the latest idea of
Giulio Properzi and his engineering team.
This method has been named Self-Annealing Mi-
crorolling® (SAM) and replaces the conventional
break down drawing machines with in line an-
nealers.
The Microrolling® Mill, a machine that is in ope-
ration at dozens of different users worldwide
for ferrous and non-ferrous wires, has been
slightly modified to achieve, in the end, wire at
a tem-perature high enough to obtain good
annealed characteristics after quenching.
For this special application it is a Monobloc with
8 rolling stands, each one having the typical
Properzi 3 rolls configuration, and one only motor.
The machine is completed by an emulsion mister,
an ext chamber with controlled atmosphere and
a super compact quenching pipe.
It is a sophisticated machine consuming 80-90
kWh/t per ton only getting the desired elonga-
Properzi Microrolling® Mill exhibited during Wire Düsseldorf 2018.
tion of the wire – usually around 30% - for the
subsequent drawing process in Multi-wire Ma-
chines. While in a Drawing Machine the wire must
remain at low temperature, a rolling mill can work
at high temperature.
The rolling power – as theory teaches – is total-
ly transformed in heating energy and a part of it
can increase the temperature of the wire during
the rolling process to levels above the annealing
temperature.
This is the brilliant reasoning behind our patent-
ed idea that will probably change every drawing
shop.
Here are the achieved advantages:
• No annealer required, no maintenance
• Zero energy for annealing
• Compact lay-out
• Up to 100 kWh/t saved (not only in the
annealing energy saved but also the
deformation power required is less because
the copper is rolled at an elevated
temperature)
• Less than € 100.000 per year in energy cost
15
A Properzi complete SAM Line.

OUR PRICE FOR A COMPLETE SAM LINE IS

COMPARABLE TO THAT OF THE PRIOR-ART.

Roundness of the 2 mm (1.8 mm) wire fully match-

es the requirements of the subsequent multiwire
drawing operation.

One SAM line is currently in operation at Anglia

Metal in the U.K. It is very compact and operates
at a 27 m/sec production rate producing 2 mm
wire and will produce 1.8 mm wire in the near fu-
ture.

Further more:

• No threading – No injuries
• No time lost
• No annealer cabling
• Easier erection
• No dedicated transformer

Copper Rod ø 8 mm

... the Properzi the Self-Annealed

Microrolling® Mill… wire …

16
Pro-Form a Rotary
Extrusion by Properzi:
Complete plant for copper shapes

Amongst the
Amongst the various applications of copper rod
example is
a remarkable example is the
the production of bus
bars and other profiles through the continuouscontinuous
rotary extrusion process; Properzi has not lost the
opportunity to to enter
enter this
this interesting
interesting market
marketnat-
na-
turallylinked
urally linkedtotorod
rodapplications.
applications. During
During the
the past
20 years Continuus-Properzi has enlarged their
range of products with an intensive know-how
acquisition policy of highly reputed companies in
the market and then updating and modernizing
know-how and
this acquired know-how and machinery.
machinery.

The new rotary extrusion machinery has been

branded under the name Pro-Form, which stands
for Properzi Forming.

An acquisition of this type was completed during

2015. In a short time the detailed design was up-
dated and the first Pro-Form machine is currently
set up to operate with short production runs of
special profiles and semi-industrial runs with dif-
ferent solidal conductors.

This new Pro-Form is equipped with a 300 mm

wheel and motorized for producing a wide range
of products and conducting tests on specialty
profiles starting from Cu rod and/or Al rod if so
desired.

The Pro-Form range of machinery will soon

include a 500 mm wheel diameter machine.
Continuus-Properzi has more then 70 year expe-
rience in the engineering, design and manufac-
ture of for the non-ferrous industry. There are
very few suppliers like Continuus-Properzi that
are fully integrated with a highly reputed
Technical Office, a modern machine shop and
unique After Sales service. Properzi is the most
qualified and reliable partner for those
customers seeking a Rotary Extrusion System View of a typical bus bar.
and the related services.

A complete plant for producing special profiles.

17
30 plus years in Fire
Refined Copper:
FRHC copper rod, ingot, billet and other products

What we weare are talking

talking aboutabout encompasses
encompasses all
all types For more than 30 years Continuus-Properzi has
types
of scrapof scrap
from from bright
bright copper
copper fromfrom
thethe draw-
drawing delivered and
and put
put into
intooperation
operationseveral
severaldozen
doz-
ing
shop shop (near
(near to cathode
to cathode purity)
purity) to to
oldold scrap,
scrap, with
with a refining furnaces
en refining furnacesfor the No 1No
for the Process mainly
1 Process fol-
mainly
a minimumcopper
minimum coppercontent
contentaround
around93%.93%. Naturally lowed
copperby copper
rod rod lines
lines around thearound the world in-
world in-cluding It-
it is possible to mix many kinds of copper scrap cluding
aly, USA,Italy,
Korea,USA,
Iran,Korea,
Mexico,Iran, Mexico,
Brazil, China, Brazil,
India,
saving
saving hundreds
hundredsofofdollars
dollarsperpertonton
for the
the raw
row China,
Ukraine,India, Ukraine,
Russia, CubaRussia, Cuba and others.
and others.
metal
material is aandpromising
this is astart towards
promising satisfactory
start towards
profit on your profit
satisfactory produced semis.
on your produced semis. Lately Giulio Properzi patented a new design
where the reverberatory furnace is loaded from
There are
arethree types
three of Continuus-Properzi
types pro-
of Continuus-Properzi the top; the first one, a capacity of 250 tpd has
cess for the
pro-cess forproduction of FRHC
the production copper:
of FRHC copper: been in production since year feeding one 30
tph rod lines.
No. 11 Process
No. Processisisbased
basedonon one
one reverberatory
reverberatory fur-
furnace
nace usually
usually feedingfeeding a rod
a rod line or line or incaster
in ingot ingot caster
during The
The latest
latestfurnaces
furnacesofof thisthis
kindkind
have beenbeen
have recently
re-
during approximately
approximately one shift one shift per day.
per day. installed in Russia
cently installed in and Iranand
Russia with a capacity
Iran of 100
with a capaci-
tpd
ty offollowed
100 tpdby 12.5 tph by
followed rod12.5
lines.
tph rod lines.
No. 22 Process
No. Process is
is based
based on
on aavertical
vertical (shaft)
(shaft) furnace
furnace When charging
chargingdoor doorisisononthethetoptop
of the furnace
of the fur-
with two
with tworefining
refiningfurnaces
furnaces and
and one one holding
holding fur-
furnace body
nace bodythe scrap can be
the scrap canconveyed
be conveyed by a bybelta
nace feeding a continuous or batch
feeding a continuous or batch casting day. casting day. through
belt througha small
a small door
doorminimizing
minimizingheat heat and
pollutant fumes escape. The belt conveyor can
No. 33 Process
No. Process is
is based
based on
on aa reverberatory
reverberatory furnace
furnace bring in one minute only about double tonnage
for ingot
for ingot casting
casting during
during one
one shift.
shift. Ingots
Ingots are
are then
then of scrap
scrapthanthanprior
prior charging
charging systems
systems intointo the
the fur-
diluted with
diluted withcathodes
cathodesinin a shaft
a shaft furnace
furnace for ETP
for ETP rod furnace allowing
nace allowing a mucha much
shortershorter cycle,
cycle, less shock less
to
rod production.
production. refractories
shock and less pollutant
to refractories fumes. fumes.
and less pollutant

No. 1 No. 2 No. 3

Copper scrap mix ≥93% Copper scrap ≥97% Copper scrap mix ≥96%
40-250 tons per day 10,000-100,000 tons per year 40-80 tons per day

Copper scrap before loading with the old system.

18
 100 TONS REFINING FURNACE

In several cases the Refining Furnace speed multiwire drawing machines

is completed with a Shaft Furnace for
cathodes in a way that the rod line can
work almost 24 hours a day, producing
about 60% ETP premium rod and 40%
FRHC rod.
down to 0.3 mm (0.25 mm and smaller
for experienced producers) and used
in many engineering applications other
than fine wire, as has been stated in
several papers given on this subject.

Over the years great work has been The number

number of wire breaks per ton, until
done by Properzi and by the Users of reaching this diameter, will be compa-
such technology so that the FRHC rod rable in all respects to the best copper
of today is an economic commodity rod available on the market by making
which can comply with ASTM-B49-15a minor adjustments
adjustments during
during the
the anneal-
annea-
standards. It can be processed in high- lingprocess.
ing process.

Table A: Combined lines for ETP and FRCH rod

Refining Furnace Cathodes Furnace and Expected FRHC Expected ETP

Capacity [t] CCR Capacity [tph] rod output [tpy] rod output [tpy]

40 6 12,000 21,000

60 8 18,000 31,000

80 12 24,000 42,000

100 15 30,000 52,000

150 20 45,000 78,000

200 30 60,000 100,000

250 35 75,000 130,000

Note: The above yearly output is based on 300 dpy. It is also possible to install a couple of Refining Furnaces doubling the output of the third column.

19
 The
The table
level and on the therightkindpage displays
of impurities the
hoursCCRper roddaylineandhas onea reverberato-
combination
chemical
in the scrap composition
make theand big character-
difference. of furnaces:
ry refining one CSMR
furnace for veryfurnace
low grade set
istics
WhenofitFRHC rod.
is possible to buy second working
scrap (≥ 93%)about 16 hours
feeding per day
the caster forand
the
quality copper scrap with copper one reverberatory
rest of the day. refining furnace for
The
contentlevel≥ 97%,
and such
the scrap
kind of canimpurities
be pro- very low grade scrap (≥ 94%) feeding
in the scrap
cessed makethe
by using thenew bigVert-Ref,
difference. a the
Onecaster
more for the rest
system to of the day.
recycle scrap is
continuous
When system of
it is possible tofurnaces.
buy high quali- available and in use. This is the No. 3
ty copper scrap with copper content ≥ Process
One morecommonly
system to known as “off
recycle scrapline”is
The loose
97%, such scrapor baledcan scrap is charged
be processed by process and
available andisinintended
use. This to produce
is the No. 3
at thea top
using of the shaft
continuous system furnace by a
of furnaces, ETP rod in
Process a secondknown
commonly step. as “off line”
front loader
including oneusing a dedicated
modified ramp.
shaft furnace process and is intended to produce
At the
with twobottom of the shaftfurnaces.
refining/holding furnace the In the
ETP rodlarger rod systems
in a second step. using con-
melted copper is collected in a basin sistent amounts of cathodes it is pos-
where
The looseit isor
treated
baled andscrapslagged.
is charged at sible
In the to mix rod
larger a small
systems percentage
using consis- of
the top of the shaft furnace by a front FRHCamounts
tent ingots with cathodes
of cathodes it isand get
possible
Two launders
loader using abring the melt
dedicated to aAtcou-
ramp. the ETPmix
to quality.
a small percentage of FRHC in-
ple of holding/refining
bottom of the shaft furnace furnaces which
the melted Usually
gots withthe “off line”
cathodes andsystem
get ETPrecycles
quality.
alternate
copper with one another.
is collected in a basin Refining
where is it internal good purity scrap with some
made
is treatedwithand special additives.
slagged. Two launders scrap from
Usually thethe“offmarket so the required
line” system recycles
bring the melt to a couple of holding/ refining is
internal goodmuch less intensive
purity scrap with than
some in
This furnace
refining set called
furnaces Vert-Ref, cor-
which alternate with the No.from
scrap 1 Process;
the markettherefore
so thethe tilting
required
responding
one another.to our No.
Refining is 2 Process,limit-
generally can furnace is
refining is much
simplerless and the caster
intensive than is in
a
feed
ed to Properzi
oxidationrod and lines ranging in size
reduction. standard
the No. 1 open toptherefore
Process; mould chain. the tilting
from 6 up to 20 tph. furnace is simpler and the caster is a
This furnace set called CSMR (Continu- In summary,
standard openregarding
top mouldthe reclama-
chain.
There
ous are cases
Scrap Melting where
and the CCR rod
Refining), line
corre- tion of copper scrap, Properzi is will-
has a combination
sponding to our No. 2 of furnaces:
Process, one
can feed ingsummary,
In and ableregarding
to offer and the support
reclamation the
Vert-Ref rod
Properzi furnace
linesset working
ranging about
in size 16
from following:
of copper scrap, Properzi is willing and
5 up to 20 tph. There are cases where able to offer and support the following:

250 ton Refining Furnace with Patented Loading System from the Top in Operation.

20
 • Complete
Complete plants plants for for producing
producing FRHC Table B typical chemical composition and characteristics of FRHC rod
equipped with
rod equipped with one
one or two rever-
beratory furnaces
beratory furnaces with with daily output
ranging
ranging fromfrom 40 40 toto 250
250 tons.
tons. Parameter Reference Value
•• Continuous
Continuous Scrap ScrapMelting
Meltingand and Re-
fining System
Refining System forfor
cleaner
cleanerscrapscrapwith Chemical composition Cu+Ag % >>99.90 ÷ 99.92
output
with of FRHC
output of FRHC rodrodranging
rangingfrom 6
from
6toto2020tph.
tph. Oxygen ppm 150 ÷ 250
•• Combined
Combined plants plants for the production
ETPand
of ETP andFRHC FRHC where
where the the
CCRCCRline
A 100% 45 ÷ 51
line
is fedis for
fedapproximately
for approximately 14-15
14-15 hours
hoursliquid
with with metal
liquid coming
metal comingfrom a from
ver- Elongation
a vertical
tical furnace furnace
using ETP using ETP catho-
cathodes and A 200% 38 ÷ 43
desthe
for and for the time
remaining remaining
up to 24 time up
hours
the
to 24 CCR linethe
hours is fed
CCRwith lineFRHC
is fedmet-
with Tensile strength Kg/mm2 22.8 ÷ 23.5
FRHC
al. Thismetal.
system This system
gives gives the
the maximum
flexibility
maximumofflexibility
using both of raw usingmateri-
both Conductivity IACS % 100.5 ÷ 101.3
raw(cathodes
als materials and (cathodes and scrap)
scrap) either on a
eitherbasis
daily on a or dailyon basis or on a cam-
a campaign basis Twist test to failure Number 43 ÷ 50
paign basis
according to according
the availability to the avai-
of scrap
and cathodes.
lability of scrap and cathodes. Best drawability mm 0.25
• Last
Last but not least, least, thethe “off-line”
“off-line”sy-sy-
stem for for the
the production
productionofofingots ingotsor
or plates
plates to to bebeblended
blendedininwith withthethe POPS test – surface oxides Ångstrom 100 – 200
cathodes charge
cathodes charge of existing
existing ETP rod
facilities. Re-crystallization temperature °C 250 ÷ 280

Properzi is also available to supply such

plants on an Engineering, Procurement
and Construction (EPC) basis so that
the buyer is only minimally involved
with the installation of the plant.

A view of a Properzi Copper Line for ETP and FRHC Rod, 12.5 tph

21
Index
A Company Lasting three generation Pag. 3

From Innovation to Innovation Pag. 4

Yesterday, today and tomorrow

Quality First Pag. 5

Quality is our goal and safety is first

Continuous Customer Service Pag. 7

The concept of responsible business

The History of a Company is a History of People Pag. 8

Pr

Our Big Data Deposit Pag. 10

The hidden treasure of the Properzi heritage

Complete Plants for ETP copper rod Pag. 11

C

A large family from 6 tph up to 38 tph Pag. 13

ETP copper rod plants

The Astonishing in Line Self-Annealing Pag. 15

Method for ETP-FRHC Copper Wire

Pro-Form Rotary Extrusion by Properzi: Pag. 17

Complete plants for copper shapes

30 plus years in fire refined copper

FRHC copper rod, ingot, billet and other products Pag. 18
23
 A family passion!
…and much more…
Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow
PROPERZI PROPERZI
Aluminium World Lead-Zinc

First statue in aluminium:

Anteros in Picadilly Circus,
1885
Saturn God of
Lead and Zinc, Roman coin,
III century B.C.

Contact: sales@properzi.it
www.properzi.com

24