Copper end use trends

It looks like Volkswagen is having quite a month, first entering into a plug-in hybrid partnership with the German government and now announcing plans to produce a diesel hybrid concept good for 235 MPG!

Whilst adding hydrogen to fuel isn't new, generating it from water whilst you're driving is.

Mention copper to almost anyone in the PCB industry these days and the first thing that springs to mind is the ongoing price increase. Although copper pricing is not directly monitored by BPA, the impact on the price of laminate and PCBs is monitored through BPA's quarterly survey for its PCB Information Service. \n\nIn the short term, forecasted increases on the demand side for copper prices are likely to remain at least at the current level. The trend in copper usage has diverged in the fact that a number of different applications now exist. \n\nAt one time, 1 ounce (35µm) copper was standard, but the average is now 0.5 ounces. Using thinner copper, if the design will allow, can, to some extent, offset a price increase. However, one segment of the PCB industry which is particularly vulnerable to copper prices is the automotive sector, where recent developments have seen the introduction of thick copper PCBs for smart fuse boxes and power electronics. These boards use 4 ounce, 6 ounce and 10 ounce copper--up to 20 times the standard thickness.

It's about to get that much easier to create a tempest in a teapot. Conventional wisdom holds that a watched pot never boils and while "never" might be an exaggeration, most of us can agree that it takes longer than we'd like. However, researchers at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute have discovered that by coating the inside of a pot with a microscopic layer of copper nanotubes-which under appropriate magnification make the surface of the cooking vessel look hairy-they can increase the efficiency of energy transfer from the pot to the water it holds by an order of magnitude.

BRUSSELS (Reuters) - The European Commission will launch a raft of proposals on Wednesday to curb the environmental impact of consumerism in the 27-nation EU by supporting eco-friendly products and technology. The plan comes as the European Union moves to cut energy consumption amid soaring fuel and power prices and as part of its ambitious mid-term goal of cutting carbon dioxide emissions by one fifth by 2020, compared to 1990 levels. "This will mainly be targeted at products that use a lot of energy, such as computers, televisions, water heaters and industrial fans," a source at the Commission, the bloc's executive arm, said on Monday.

Salzgitter, one of Europe's leading steel and technology corporations has acquired a 5.8% stake in the German copper producer Norddeutsche Affinerie. Both companies have "agreed to investigate medium to long-term opportunities to cooperate for example in the fields of production technology, research and development as well as in procurement and sales for the benefit of both companies". There are currently no further plans for Salzgitter to increase its share in Norddeutsche, the company said.

The idea is to create a common set of communication protocols and data formats that utilities and smart-grid start-ups can adhere to.

China's imports of unwrought copper and semi-copper products were down almost 13% month on month in June and by 18% year on year. This downturn in imports is said to have been expected, as June is traditionally a slower month for copper consumption. It does not therefore necessarily mean a downturn in Chinese demand especially as China has been importing increasing amounts of copper concentrates and scrap over the past few months. Over 1.3 million tonnes of unwrought copper and semi-copper products were imported to China in the first six months of 2008, a year on year decrease of 12%. It is believed that stocks have built up in warehouses following too many imports in 2007. Chinese copper imports are however expected to recover towards the end of July and August and will be assisted also by the running down of the built up stocks in the warehouses.

With the price of steel rising at unprecedented rates, aluminum can be an attractive alternative in many design applications.

Dave has vowed to par down his belongings and live with just 100 things by November 12, 2008 and carry on this way for a year. This is an awesome and inspiring project- and based on the internet buzz, including coverage in Time Magazine , hundreds of people agree. It seems this guy, Dave has become a bit of a hero.

Greenbang went down to Kyocera's Green Card event earlier this year to hook up with Adrian Harding of the Environment Agency - he told us what's happening with the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Directive… Check him out on this film…

The firm Tanaka Denshi Kogyo, of the Tanaka Kikinzoku Group, has announced it is to expand its output of copper bonding wire to 20 million metres per month, a five-fold increase. The increase will come from an additional production line at the firm's Singapore plant which produces copper bonding wire and from establishing a new production line at the Saga plant in Japan. The company forecasts that the global bonding wire market could double between 2008 and 2010. Copper bonding wire demand could also strengthen as it is a substitute for gold bonding wire, and therefore will benefit whilst the gold price remain high. Tanaka Denshi Kogyo has also recently begun the sale of a new copper bonding wire, TCA1. The firm said that TCA1 is copper wire with a 99.99% purity and a diameter of between 20-70 micrometres. It's price is around a third that of gold bonding wire.

Aluminium prices hit a record after China's top 20 aluminium smelters announced plans to cut production by as much as 10 per cent from this month because of increasingly serious power supply problems across the country.

LONDON (Reuters) - Copper prices could hit fresh record highs this year as the Chinese economy continues to expand despite a slowdown in the United States, the chief economist of miner Rio Tinto (RIO.L: Quote, Profile, Research) said on Thursday.

The joint venture established by Prysmian and Tianjin Electromechanical Holdings Group, Prysmian Tianjin Cables Co Ltd, has begun production. The expected annual output from the new group is likely to exceed 10,000 tonnes of special cables mainly for industrial use including the energy and mining sectors. Prysmian has to date invested almost $160 million in the joint venture in China, where Prysmian's current annual turnover is in excess of $235 million. Over the next two years, the company expects growth of over 50% compared to 2008.

Wolverine Tube has announced the sale of its Canadian plumbing tube unit as part of its long-term growth strategy. The sale, worth $42 million, would enable the company to focus "its business and capital on the development and sale of value-added, energy-efficient heat-transfer tubing, fabricated assemblies and metal joining products to market leading customers", the chairman of Wolverine said. Wolverine's debts of over $260 million would be reduced to less than $133 million following the sale, reducing to under $100 million by the end of the year. The company said it's annual revenue would reach around $850 million following the sale and that better economic conditions in 2009 should help to "foster the company's growth".

Toyota is planning to add solar-powered air conditioning to high-end models of its Prius hybrid cars, a report says.