Electrolytic Nickel

Overview

Electrolytic nickel is an indispensable, important metal that supports Japan's cutting edge technologies including electronics, chemical engineering, food engineering, energy technology, aerospace industry, and, especially its semiconductor industry, as well as special steels as typified by stainless steel. Electrolytic nickel production on a commercial basis is only carried out by SMM in Japan. SMM began production during the prewar period, and after an interruption due to the war, it re-started production in 1951 in response to the specifications in the "Law on Temporary Measures on Assistance for Nickel Refining Industry". Presently, SMM continues providing a stable supply of Electrolytic Nickel in order to respond the needs of each industry.

Quality characteristics

Various sizes from 25 mm × 25 mm to 150 mm × 1000 mm

Characteristics

1. Special steels
2. Electronics materials
3. Non-ferrous alloys, copper & copper alloy fabricated products
4. Catalysts

Packaging

Comes in various types of packages, from cases containing 20 kg to drums containing 500 kg

Contact

Nickel Sales & Raw Materials Dept., Non-Ferrous Metals Div.

Phone: 81-3-3436-7863 Facsimile: 81-3-3436-7898

Handy Nickel

Overview

Handy Nickel is a button-shaped, high-purity nickel anode with a diameter of 20 mm that is used for plating. It is easier to handle than cut products, and can significantly reduce the workload when inserting objects into a plating bath. Additionally, it does not cause bridging and can obtain high packing density, enabling a stable operation for a long period of time. Handy Nickel, manufactured using SMM's unique electrowinning method, contains an extremely low amount of metal impurities and realizes high-quality, efficient plating. It is highly evaluated in various fields.

Quality characteristics

Handy-E
Ni	Co	Fe	Cu	Mn	Pb	C	S	Si
≥99.80	≤0.15	≤0.02	≤0.005	≤0.001	≤0.0015	≤0.01	≤0.001	≤0.004
Handy-S
Ni	Co	Fe	Cu	Mn	Pb	C	S	Si
Same as above							0.01～0.03	Same as above

Applications

Nickel plating

Packaging

Cardboard box, 20 kg/box (10 kg /bag × 2)

Contact

Nickel Sales & Raw Materials Dept., Non-Ferrous Metals Div.

Phone: 81-3-3436-7863 Facsimile: 81-3-3436-7898

Nickel Chloride

Overview

Most nickel chloride is used for plating. It accelerates the dissolution of anode metal nickel, while acting to increase the electrolyte level of the solution. In various types of nickel plating, impurities such as zinc, copper, lead, and iron are not desired. Therefore, high-purity nickel chloride is required.
Since SMM's nickel chloride is a high-purity product manufactured in a unique method, containing no silver sulfate and silver nitrate, it is suitable for use in a chloride bath. The crystal of nickel chloride is monoclinic crystal in a granular shape, and has a high deliquescence.

Quality characteristics

Ni	Co	Fe	Cu	Pb	Zn
≥24.0	≤0.01	≤0.005	≤0.005	≤0.001	≤0.003

Applications

Nickel plating

Packaging

Cardboard box, 20 kg/box (5 kg /bag × 4)

Contact

Nickel Sales & Raw Materials Dept., Non-Ferrous Metals Div.

Phone: 81-3-3436-7863 Facsimile: 81-3-3436-7898

Nickel Sulfate

Overview

SMM's high-purity nickel, "Fine Emerald", is manufactured using an efficient production process unlike any other in the world-a process in which impurities, from heavy metal impurities to light element impurities, in raw materials are removed altogether using SMM's unique leading-edge solvent extraction technology. "Fine Emerald" produced by means of this process is highly-pure and stable in quality, and suitable for all types of nickel plating including electrolytic plating and electroless plating. It can also be used for a wide array of purposes other than plating, such as aluminum coloring, catalysts, and battery materials.

Quality characteristics

Ni	Co	Cu	Fe	Mn	Pb	Zn	Mg	Na
≥22.0	≤0.001	≤0.0001	≤0.0001	≤0.0001	≤0.0001	≤0.0001	≤0.01	≤0.002

Characteristics

1. Electrolytic nickel plating and electroless nickel plating
2. Battery materials
3. Aluminum coloring

Packaging

1. 3-ply kraft paper bag, with 1 inner polyethylene plastic, 20 kg per bag
2. Flexible containers of various types

Contact

Nickel Sales & Raw Materials Dept., Non-Ferrous Metals Div.

Phone: 81-3-3436-7863 Facsimile: 81-3-3436-7898

Electrolytic Cobalt

Overview

Electrolytic cobalt can be applied to a wide array of purposes as an alloy element for special steels or magnetic materials (magnets), etc. Especially in recent times, its strong magnetism is utilized for small headphones or small motors. It is also attracting attention as an indispensable material for the aerospace industry, power generators, tool steels, etc., due to its two characteristics of being superior in abrasion resistance and heat resistance. Although the main producing countries are the Democratic Republic of the Congo and the Republic of Zambia, nickel manufacturers are also producing this as a by-product in response to the world's demand.

Quality characteristics

Various sizes from 25 mm × 25 mm to 800 mm × 1000 mm

Characteristics

1. Magnetic materials
2. Carbide tools
3. Special steels
4. Plating

Packaging

Various types of packages, from cases containing 20 kg to drums containing 500 kg

Contact

Nickel Sales & Raw Materials Dept., Non-Ferrous Metals Div.

Phone: 81-3-3436-7863 Facsimile: 81-3-3436-7898

Copper Sulfate

Overview

SMM's copper sulfate is azurite blue crystal, produced by refining copper electrolyte generated during the electrolytic copper manufacturing process. It is widely used for copper plating, catalysts, and pigments. Due to its high and stable quality, it is highly evaluated, especially for plating use. In recent times, copper sulfate containing a low amount of impurities is required with the increase in density and the miniaturization of printed circuit boards. In response to this, we have developed a high-purity product with an extremely low amount of Fe, Ni, Pb, etc., to be added to our product lineup, in order to satisfy various needs.

Quality characteristics

CuSO4･5H20	Fe	Water-insoluble content
≥99.0	≤0.05	≤0.05

High-purity products are:

Fe	Ni	Zn	Pb	Cl
≤0.001	≤0.001	≤0.001	≤0.001	≤0.001

Characteristics

1. Copper sulfate = copper plating, feed, catalysts, flotation agents, batteries, pigments, etc.
2. High purity copper sulfate = electroless copper plating

Packaging

1. General products = 4-ply paper bag, 20 kg/bag
2. High-purity product = PE bag, 20 kg/bag

Contact

Nickel Sales & Raw Materials Dept., Non-Ferrous Metals Div.

Phone: 81-3-3436-7863 Facsimile: 81-3-3436-7898

Ferronickel

Overview

SMM's ferronickel is manufactured by processing ore imported from Indonesia and New Caledonia using SMM's advanced technologies. It is mostly used as a raw material of stainless steel. Since stainless steel has a beautiful luster and is superior in acid and heat resistance, it is used for household utensils, such as spoons or forks and automobiles, as well as for construction materials for buildings or houses, or for various industrial fields such as chemistry, food and brewing, etc. Its application range is expected to continue to develop without limit. Among the applications as a raw material for special steels, uses as structural steel for nuclear power-related or oil storage stations and marine vessels, etc., have been increasing in recent years.

Quality characteristics

1. Product type

   Type	Symbol
   High-carbon ferronickel shot	HCS

2. Product chemical composition

   The following are the chemical compositions of standard products.

   	Chemical composition (%)
   	Ni	C	Si	Mn	P	S	Cr	Cu	Co	Sn
   HCS	16.0 or higher	3.0 (below)	5.0 or lower	0.3 or lower	0.05 or lower	0.03 or lower	2.5 or lower	0.10 or lower	Ni x 0.05 or lower	0.01 or lower

Characteristics

1. Raw material for heat resisting castings
2. Raw material for special steels
3. Raw material for stainless steel

Packaging

Loaded in bulk (on ship), designated container, flexible container

Contact

Nickel Sales & Raw Materials Dept., Non-Ferrous Metals Div.

Phone: 81-3-3436-7863 Facsimile: 81-3-3436-7898

GreenSand

Overview

Green Sand is an artificial sand product, manufactured by water-granulating slag taken out from electric furnaces when processing ferronickel with high-pressure water. It can be used as fulx for the production of steel and ferrous alloy or as raw material of fertilizers utilizing MgO and SiO2. It is also suitable for harbor construction materials such as caisson filling , soil improvement material, or asphalt fine aggregate for road construction and concrete fine aggregate.

Quality characteristics

1. Chemical Properties

   Chemcal composition

   The main components are silica (SiO2）) and magnesia oxide (MgO). Other components are alumina (Al2O3）), calcium oxide (CaO), ferrous oxide (FeO), etc. Other minor components are also components that are contained in natural rocks, etc.
   

   Table-1 Analytical value

   Components	Fe	MgO	SiO2	CaO	Al2O3
   %	5 - 10	28 - 38	46 - 58	0.1 - 0.8	1.5 - 3.0

   Elution characteristics

   As a result of a leaching test based on Notification of the Environment Agency No. 46 (Environmental Quality Standards for Soil Contamination) and Notification of the Environment Agency No. 13 (Testing Methods for Metals Contained in Industrial Waste), the leaching of harmuful substances such as heavy metals was below the minimum limit of determination.

2. Physical properties
   Examples of the density, water absorption, bulk density, and particle size distribution of Green Sand as slag aggregate for concrete (JIS A5011-2) is shown in the tables below.

   Table-2 Density, water absorption, bulk density

   JIS classification	Density in an oven-dry condition	Water absorption (%)	Bulk density (kg/l)	Solid content (%)	Surface moisture (%)
   FNS1.2	2.94	0.88	1.99	68.5	2 - 6
   FNS5	2.95	0.80	1.94	66.8	2 - 6
   FNS5-0.3	2.95	0.63	1.79	59.9	2 - 6

   Table-3 Particle size distribution

   JIS classification	Screen permeability(%)						Fineness modulus
   	5.0mm	2.5mm	1.2mm	0.6mm	0.3mm	0.15mm
   FNS1.2	100.0	100.0	92.0	47.7	24.7	14.3	2.21
   FNS5	100.0	100.0	80.2	33.6	16.1	9.2	2.61
   FNS5-0.3	98.8	74.2	28.2	8.3	2.0	0.6	3.87

   Note 1. Aside from the above products, there are solid products and crushed products.The particle size of crushed products can be adjusted to user needs.

Characteristics

1. Solvent for steel and ferrous alloy production or raw materials of fertilizers utilizing MgO and Sio2
2. Harbor construction materials such as caisson filling
3. Ground improvement material
4. Asphalt fine aggregate for road construction
5. Concrete fine aggregate

Packaging

Loaded in bulk (on ship or truck, etc.)

Contact

Hyuga Smelting Co., Ltd., Operation Dept., General Affairs Div.

5, Funaba-cho, Hyuga, Miyazaki 883-8585, Japan
Phone: 81-982-52-8101 Facsimile: 81-981-53-5513

• Mineral Resources

Non-Ferrous Metals

Precious Metal

Copper

Nickel

• Electrolytic Nickel
• Handy Nickel
• Nickel Chloride
• Nickel Sulfate
• Electrolytic Cobalt
• Copper Sulfate
• Ferronickel
• Green Sand

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