Mitsui Mining & Smelting to Expand Functional Metal Powders Output

Mitsui Mining & Smelting expands functional metal powders for flat screen display and environmental applications for 2.5 billion yen. The firm increases the output capacity of silver powder to 1.5 times at monthly 30 tonnes from current 20 tonnes by September 2007 to meet higher demand for plasma display. The firm will expands the indium oxide output to 50 tonnes in the year. The firm also expands the lead free solder powder output capacity to 1.5 times at 150 tonnes by the end of September. The firm produces the functional metal powders at Kamioka Mining & Smelting in Gifu, Hikoshima Smelting in Yamaguchi, Takehara plant in Hiroshima and Hibi Kyodo Smelting in Okayama. The firm expanded the output capacity of silver powder, indium oxide and lead free solder powder in 2004 and 2005 for 2.5 billion yen. The firm decided to expand the capacity more for another 2.5 billion yen to meet growing demand. The firm expands the silver powder output at the mass production base of Kamioka while the firm also produces the product at Hikoshima. The firm develops the new silver powder products including ultra fine powder with 0.2 millimeters or less of grain size and sintering products with lower temperature. The firm expands the indium oxide making capacity at Takehara for around 1.2 billion yen. The firm almost establishes the monthly 50 tonnes of capacity and ships the material for indium tin oxide target materials, which the physical vapor deposition materials unit makes. The firm produces tin-silver-copper type of lead free solder at Kamioka. The firm expands the plant capacity to meet higher demand when the lead free products represent near 70% of the total output.