Rusal launches aluminium wire rod output for the cable industry

Rusal's production of rare-earth and transition metals aluminium alloys to create wire rod for the cable industry has completed the R&D and facilities set-up stage and entered production, the Russian aluminium producer said Monday.

A multifunctional casting, rolling and pressing facility is currently being installed at the company's Irkutsk aluminium smelter which is capable of producing 2,200 mt/month of different sorts of wire rod from aluminium alloys with rare-earth and transition metals.

This product is in great demand by the cable industry, Rusal said.

"Cables made from the new wire rod have much better characteristics. Their durability and resistance to temperature is about 50% higher than normal ones have," said Rusal's technical director, Viktor Mann, in a statement.

"Rusal's product is also significantly cheaper than its US or European counterparts," Mann said. "We expect this product will be able to partially supersede the expensive copper cables and broaden aluminium application limits."

The technology to enable the production of cable alloys based on aluminium with an increased resistance to temperature was developed jointly with scientists from Siberian Federal University, Ufa State Aviation Technical University and the Chemistry Faculty of Moscow State University.

The initial trials were carried out at the Tomsk cable plant.