Keeping a low profile in Portugal

2006 Aug 16

The introduction of low profile equipment at the Panasqueira mineral mine in Portugal is making a positive contribution to the operation’s efficiency and viability. Fluctuating prices for tungsten, the main product, means that the process of recovery must be as effective and economical as possible.

Tungsten is one of the world?s most remarkable metals. It has the highest melting temperature, the lowest vapour pressure and the highest tensile strength at temperatures exceeding 1,650 degrees centigrade. It is also used in a wide variety of products including lighting and heating filaments, drill bits and electrical contacts.

Portugal is the largest tungsten-producing country in the world after China, and the Panasqueira Mine is the world?s largest single producer, having yielded some 92,000 tonnes of wolframite (the tungsten bearing mineral) from 26 million tonnes of rock since 1947.

 

Epiroc operated under the trademark “Atlas Copco” prior to January 1, 2018.