The team of rationalizers from Ulba Metallurgical Plant came through to the final of the republican contest “Rationalizer.Kz” in nomination as “The best rationalization proposal”.
UMP employees take part in this contest for the fifth time. This year rationalization proposals were submitted by innovators of tantalum production operations: superintendent of #69 shop Alexander Angilevko, process engineer of design-engineering group Nikolai Lebedev; Deputy Shop Superintendent - Production designer of #10 shop Viktor Tsorayev and Head of the Group of metallurgical processes of the Central Scientific-Research Laboratory Gennadiy Gaintsev.
The study submitted for the contest was «Change of the technology for production of tantalum ingots using metallic yttrium as a modifying agent instead of yttrium oxide».
The products manufactured at UMP are made of tantalum modified with yttrium: slabs, strips, foil, condenser wire, items which are used in high temperature conditions. Until recently yttrium oxide was used as a modifying agent in smelting of tantalum yttrium-doped ingots in arc vacuum scull furnaces. After rationalization proposal the technology has been changed and tantalum has become to be modified by using not yttrium oxide but metallic yttrium.
As a result the use of metallic yttrium allowed increasing quality of the products – reduction of mass fraction of oxygen impurities in the finished tantalum ingots. Besides, transition from yttrium oxide to metallic yttrium leads to sufficient cutting of costs for reagent consumption. In general, the economic benefit will be more than 13 and a half million KZT per year.
The contest “Rationalizer.Kz” is hosted by National Agency for technologic development under the auspices of the Ministry of Industry and New Technologies for the fifth year. It is hold within the framework of the National Program for Forced Industrial Innovation Development. The finalists are defined in two nominations: “The best innovatory solution of the year” and “The best system of innovation support at enterprises”.
In 2011 Ulba Metallurgical Plant JSC became a winner of republican competition of innovatory solutions “Rationalizer.KZ” in nomination “The best system of innovation support at enterprises”.
Press-Service of UMP JSC