Nippon Seisen to Launch New Conductive Spring Wire

Osaka based stainless wire maker, Nippon Seisen started sample shipment of newly developed high strength alloy wire for conductive spring, ELEMETAL to some users after the firm developed the environmental friendly wire with honorary professor Kiyohito Ishida of Tohoku University. The new wire without beryllium has same strength and spring performance as beryllium copper. Nippon Seisen makes the wire at the drawing and annealing processes at Hirakata plant in Osaka with rod from Tohoku Steel, which is Miyagi based special steel maker. Nippon Seisen tries to establish mass production system in August to develop the market mainly in appliances makers. The firm targets monthly 500 kilogram of sales by appealing the environmental friendly performance.

ELEMETAL is precipitation hardening metal with properties to have better strength and conductivity through heat treatment. The metal has high level solder wettability and resistance to dissolution of metallization even without surface treatment. The firm makes wire with 0.08-1 millimeters diameter and can make thinner products.

Electronic material spring is normally made with beryllium copper and bronze. The beryllium copper with high strength is used especially for products with small size, light weight and durability. The beryllium copper is not hazardous but beryllium generates hazardous gas when the metal is recycled. Some appliances makers with severe environmental standard seek alternative material for better recycling system for their products.

Nippon Seisen’s major item of stainless wire has high strength and high corrosion resistance but the wire is limited in use for electronic materials due to the lower conductivity. The firm expects the new wire can be used as optical pickup suspension wire for optical drive, probe pin for semiconductor inspection, spring for cell phone parts and other electrical contact spring.

The firm tries to develop the market mainly for wire with 0.5 mm or lower diameter at home and offshore market mainly in growing Asian countries including China and South Korea.