Audio cassettes

2019: In the world began to buy up audio cassettes again, and it led to a stop of their production

In October, 2019 the largest American producer of the audio cassettes National Audio Company (NAC) announced time termination of work of the enterprises because of the shortage of raw materials which arose owing to surge in demand for these carriers.

As reported in NAC, cartridges are equipped with the magnetic tape for which production gamma ferric oxide is necessary. However the only factory which is engaged in its processing was on reconstruction the most part of 2019 therefore the company received much less raw materials, than ordered.

Because of the world shortage of raw materials production of audio cassettes is suspended

In 2019 NAC received 2 tons of materials for production of the magnetic tape that appeared insufficiently for production of "adequate quantity" of audio cassettes and accomplishment of all orders for normal 30 days.

By October, 2019 NAC ordered deliveries of 50 tons of raw materials, 8 of them the company should receive until the end of a month. The producer hopes to recover release of cartridges in a former size by the end of 2019.

Gamma ferric oxide began to be used in production of audio cassettes in 1963 when the Philips company only began release of carriers on the magnetic tape. In a production process of the magnetic tape one of its parties becomes covered with special suspension from ferromagnetic powder. At production of audio cassettes powder on the basis of gamma ferric oxide is usually used in spite of the fact that there are other materials allowing to manufacture the magnetic tape.   In 2018 sales of audio cassettes increased by 23% (to 219 thousand pieces against 74 thousand in the 2015th) against the background of the growing popularity of old physical media, including vinyl records and compact disks.

Some large companies occupied with development of the high-quality equipment for music lovers by October, 2019 continue to release cassette sound boards of the first class.^[1]

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