Current Status and Improvement Directions of Copper Alloy Tube Production Technology [SMM Copper Industry Conference]

On April 22, at the CCIE-2025SMM (20th) Copper Industry Conference and Copper Industry Expo—Copper Pipe & Tube Processing Industry Development Forum, hosted by SMM Information & Technology Co., Ltd., SMM Metal Trading Center, and Shandong Aisi Information Technology Co., Ltd., co-sponsored by Jiangxi Copper Corporation and Yingtan Land Port Holdings Co., Ltd., and specially co-organized by Shandong Humon Smelting Co., Ltd., with the support of Xinhuang Group and Zhongtiaoshan Nonferrous Metals Group Co., Ltd., Mo Xingde, General Manager of Guilin Lijia Metal Co., Ltd., shared insights on the "Current Status and Improvement Directions of Copper Alloy Pipe Production Technology." **Current Status of Copper Alloy Pipe Production Technology** 1.1 Production Volume and Main Application Areas of Copper Alloy Pipes Alloy pipes possess characteristics such as high strength, wear resistance, corrosion resistance, good thermal conductivity, and excellent machinability. Copper alloy condenser/heat exchange tubes, such as cupronickel and brass, are used in thermal power generation, nuclear power, petrochemicals, shipbuilding, and seawater desalination. Brass pipes are applied in plumbing and water supply, while alloy pipes are also used in new fields such as decorations, electrical appliances, machinery manufacturing, musical instruments, and new energy. 1.2 Major Producers of Copper Alloy Pipes The major producers of copper alloy pipes were introduced. 1.3 Production Processes of Copper Alloy Pipes ► Melting and Casting Processes Melting processes include coreless induction melting, core induction melting, and vacuum induction melting. Casting processes include vertical semi-continuous casting, vertical continuous casting, horizontal continuous casting, and upward continuous casting. ► Processing Processes Production methods include extrusion, planetary rolling, cold rolling, straight drawing, and coil drawing. 1.4 Main Production Equipment for Copper Alloy Pipes Vertical semi-continuous casting units, horizontal extruders, hydraulic drawing machines, and tube rolling mills. 1.5 Major Challenges in Copper Alloy Pipe Production Technology 1. Long production processes and low automation levels. 2. Little breakthrough progress in process technology over the past 20 years. 3. Facing substitution by products like stainless steel pipes. **Improvement Directions for Copper Alloy Pipe Production Technology** 2.1 Material Innovation and High Performance: With the growth of industries such as aerospace, electronics, communications, new energy, and high-speed railways in China, coupled with the need for domestic material substitution, the demand for copper alloy pipes continues to rise. This also imposes higher and stronger performance requirements on the materials themselves, accelerating material innovation and driving development toward high strength, high conductivity, high wear resistance, high corrosion resistance, and energy-saving and environmentally friendly materials. Typical material representatives include copper-chromium-zirconium, dispersion-strengthened copper alloys, copper-nickel-tin, copper-titanium, copper-iron alloys, bismuth brass, and silicon brass. 2.2 Improvement and Enhancement of Short-Process Technologies: Non-extrusion processes such as "upward continuous casting—cold rolling" and "horizontal continuous casting—planetary rolling" have their limitations in alloy pipe production. Further improvements, refinements, and innovations are underway to make them suitable for more grades, representing the development direction of precision copper alloy pipe production processes. 2.3 Equipment Enhancement: Equipment advancement has been the primary direction of improvement in copper alloy pipe production technology over the past two decades. ► Melting and Casting Equipment: Increasing furnace capacity and melting efficiency, reducing energy consumption, extending furnace lining life, and enhancing automatic control levels. Development and application of new-type crystallizers, and achieving continuous and automated casting production. ► Processing Equipment: Developing high-speed rolling mills and multi-line rolling mills, efficient hydraulic drawing machines, multi-line, high-speed, and automated drawing machines, automated pickling equipment, and automated, high-precision, and intelligent detection equipment. 2.4 Intelligence and Digitalization: ► Production Control: Applying intelligent and digital technologies to achieve process control and optimize production workflows. ► Intelligent Detection Systems: Utilizing machine vision and ultrasonic flaw detection technologies to automate defect detection and improve product consistency. Additionally, an introduction was provided on the basic information, development history, product features and advantages, product dimensions and production volume, existing production equipment, challenges and improvement ideas, and the 16,000T copper-based new material production line technological transformation project of Guilin Lijia Metal Co., Ltd. **Click to view the special report on the CCIE-2025SMM (20th) Copper Industry Conference and Copper Industry Expo.**