Mitsui Mining & Smelting to Expand Copper Foil Capacity in Asia

Mitsui Mining & Smelting announced on Friday the firm doubles output capacity of electrolytic copper foil in Asia. The firm increased surface treating lines at productive sites in Taiwan and Malaysia in April. The firm will improve productivity of existent productive lines as well. The output capacity of 12-micrometer-thick copper foil will expand to more than 600 tonnes per month at both sites. The output capacity of resin coated copper foil will increase by 50% to 1.3 million square meters per month. The total investment is 3.5 billion yen.Print circuit board makers in Asia recently use less than 18-micrometer-thick copper foils rather than 35-micrometer-thick foils. Especially demand for 12-micrometer-thick foils is increasing from cellular phones and portable music players in addition to precise IC packages.As to resin coated copper foils, Mitsui Mining & Smelting expands the output capacity in Malaysia. The new lines will start operation in 2009 and Malaysian capacity will increase by 500,000 square meters per month. The total capacity will become to 1.3 million square meters per month in Taiwan and Malaysia.