| Market News |
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| Timah
Q1 production down
PT Timah (Persero) Tbk
has reported its unaudited results for the first quarter of
2008.The company posted a net profit of Rp 487.3 billion, or
55% higher than that of the same period in 2007 of Rp 314.3
billion. Higher net profit was due to higher tin price
received during the quarter.
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New
tin discovery at Elsmore
Malachite Resources has made a significant new tin discovery
at its 100% owned Elsmore Tin Project, located about 20km
east of Inverell in northern New South Wales. The new
discovery is at the Newstead Prospect, which comprises a
large tin-bearing greisen system, with associated alluvial
and other surface deposits and numerous shallow old tin
workings.
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| Ausmelt
to build new smelter for Vinto
Australian specialist Ausmelt
Ltd has signed contracts with Empresa Metalurgica Vinto to
use Ausmelt Technology for a new tin smelter at Oruro in
Bolivia.
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Renison
scheduled to restart
Australian miner Metals X is
on schedule to restart its Renison project in the second
half. With the re-start well underway and it remains on
track for production of the first tin concentrate in
mid-June.
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| Solder
News |
Tinplate
News |
NPL
develop low cycle isothermal testing for lead-free solders
A team led by Dr. Chris Hunt at the UK’s National Physical
Laboratory have designed and built a new instrument, the NPL
- IPTM (Interconnect Properties Test Machine), which applies
defined deformation under precision control to measure
materials properties. The apparatus permits materials data
to be obtained from solder samples that have volumes and
geometries similar to those of real solder joints, and from
joints loaded in shear, mirroring the practical situation in
the field.
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German
tinplate remains in demand
Dr Ulrich Roeske CEO of
Rasselstein GmbH, Germany’s only tinplate producer, is
reported to have told journalists in Dusseldorf that
"Despite significant price increases, tinplate from
Germany will remain in demand worldwide."
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New
study on intermetallic growth
Nihon Superior has signed a collaborative agreement with the
University of Queensland (Australia) in the investigation of
the growth and properties of the intermetallic compounds
that form between solder alloys and the soldered
substrate. |
TCIL
plans cold rolling facility for ETL2
The Tinplate Company
of India Ltd (TCIL) plans to set up a cold rolling facility
with a capacity of 200,000 tpa to produce tin mill
blackplate, which will feed its second electrolytic tinning
line (ETL 2), scheduled to be commissioned by May this year.
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| Statistical
Supplement |
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| This
issue contains world mine and refined production data drawn
from the World Bureau of Metal Statistics monthly electronic
bulletin, 'World Tin Statistics' which can be obtained in
full by subscription from WBMS (click on the logo for the
WBMS website). |
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