Niigata based copper alloy maker, Joetsu Bronz1 Corporation developed lead less brass material, Next Brass. The firm develops the material by adding bismuth and tin on silicon containing copper alloy to realize free machining and corrosion resistance. The firm already got certification of American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) for extrusion bar for forging, casting ingot and continuous castings. The firm expects the next generation brass products will be new world standard.
The firm makes ingot and continuous castings while the Shanghai plant makes the extrusion. The Shanghai plant adds an extrusion machine to start the operation in July. The plant supplies the product for China, Japan and USA. US regulation gets severer in 2014 for lead content of water related products. US makers are expected to select new materials to meet the severer regulation. Japanese officials also show move for severer regulation. The firm can use lead less brass materials scrap to make the new material. The flexible raw materials condition allows lower cost performance. The material has balanced properties including corrosion resistance and erosion resistance. The extrusion is used for forging due to the hot workability.