Feb 8 2008
Indium Corporation's newest facility, scheduled to start processing in May 2008, will reclaim indium metal from indium-tin oxide (ITO), indium-zinc oxide (IZO), and related indium oxide sputtering materials used to coat glass and other substrates for the flat panel display (FPD) and the solar cell industries. It will also recover indium metal from grinding sludge and other indium-containing byproducts generated during the FPD manufacturing process.
According to Gregory Phipps, Indium Corporation Vice President, "Our new Korea facility is another example of our continued investment in the efficient and green use of indium, a reusable material. This facility will support the accelerating growth of indium metal applications, including ITO / IZO target manufacturing for FPD glass and solar module production."
With its state-of-the-art recovery and refining process, Indium Corporation's newest facility will have the capacity to process 25 metric tons of material per month, when fully commissioned. Phipps added, "Our enhanced process converts manufacturing scrap into pure indium at a very fast rate, returning purified indium to our customers earlier, reducing their WIP inventory. This is an example of how Indium Corporation works to reduce our customer's system costs and improve their competitive position."
Indium Corporation has been processing spent ITO target material in lower volumes, at its Liuzhou, China facility. In light of new Chinese regulations, Indium Corporation will convert its Liuzhou facility to process lower grade indium feed materials into high-purity indium. Hence, Indium Corporation's new Korea facility adds additional capacity to accommodate the Liuzhou conversion and the increasing customer reclaim volumes.