Whether in X-ray machines for doctors, security checks at airports, on the roofs and façades of buildings, or in radiation shielding – lead is not only a critical component in batteries, but is needed in a great many other areas, too.
Lead recycling in the heart of the Sauerland region
In all of Germany, there are only a handful of secondary smelters that specialise in lead recycling. One of them is located in the middle of the Sauerland region: the HOPPECKE smelter. For over 60 years, it has helped to conserve this scarce raw material, recycling almost 100% of it and returning the lead to the manufacturing cycle in an environmentally friendly manner. The recovered lead is used for purposes such as the production of new batteries. Over 20,000 tonnes of processed lead are produced annually in the form of high-purity lead, alloys with antimony and tin, and copperbearing lead.
Several years ago, HOPPECKE expanded its range of offerings. Since then, the smelter has not only supplied HOPPECKE’s own battery production, but also delivered lead to a very wide range of external customers in fields such as radiation shielding.
High demand for lead
The demand for lead is high – and as one of Germany’s leading lead processors, the company Röhr + Stolberg is well aware of that. Since HOPPECKE began to expand its operations, Röhr + Stolberg, like many other partners, have placed their trust in the lead quality, expertise, and excellent handling of the HOPPECKE smelter.
Lead in medical technology
Recently, Röhr + Stolberg needed high-quality lead for one of their customers, a manufacturer of medical X-ray equipment. A quick call to the HOPPECKE experts was all it took, and just a few weeks later the required PbSb4.2 lead ingots were at Röhr + Stolberg’s premises, brought by the HOPPECKE smelter’s express delivery service. In this case, Röhr + Stolberg used the HOPPECKE lead to make a lead collimator. The lead collimator is a critical component of mobile Xray
devices, which can be easily transported to patients. It is mounted at the exit of the X-ray tube and functions as a window to adjust the aperture size and the angle of the X-ray beam precisely to match the geometry of the X-ray system. In short, it ensures that the X-rays are directed with pinpoint accuracy so that only the intended area is exposed to them.
“High quality, speed and flexibility – not every smelter in Germany can claim these qualities. But we can. Where other smelters require several weeks and minimum order quantities of 100 tonnes, we’re able to offer even less than ten tonnes of lead in just a few days. That sets us apart", says Jochen Pickart, lead manager at HOPPECKE.
“We value the excellent personal interaction and the production versatility of the HOPPECKE smelter, especially for special requirements such as hard lead alloys. Our contacts always do everything they can to deliver to us by the dates we ask for. That combination of flexibility and reliability makes this collaboration particularly valuable to us.”
Martin Hümmer
Puchase Director at Röhr + Stolberg
Buying lead at the HOPPECKE smelter - all the facts at at glance
- Fast
Standard delivery within about four weeks. If it’s a “red-hot” emergency, lead can be delivered within a few days.
- Wide range
A wide range of lead alloys to choose from: high-purity lead up to 99.985% lead content, antimony, tin and arsenic alloys, and also copper-bearing lead.
- Small quantities
Lead alloys can be produced even in quantities as small as ten tonnes. Even smaller quantities can be requested.
