Primetals Technologies Reveals World’s First 3-Strand Slab Caster
11/08/2023 - China’s Tangshan Donghua Iron and Steel has started up a 3-strand continuous slab caster at a mill in Tangshan, Hebei province, marking a world first, according to the caster’s builder, Primetals Technologies.
“The 3-strand caster features technology that takes the casting process to the next level,” Primetals Technologies said in a statement.
The caster, which was put into service in September, has a radius of 8 m and a metallurgical length of 40 m. It can cast slabs that are 210 mm thick and range from 750 to 1,100 mm in width at speeds of up to 2.5 m/minute.
Primetals Technologies said the unconventional design saves on space — a typical solution, two 2-strand continuous casters, would have required double the space — and it reduces the capital expense because it saves on equipment and civil works.
“And the efficient configuration of the 3-strand caster results in lower costs for operation and maintenance of the machine.”
The caster features a much larger tundish, cassette-style molds, hydraulic oscillation and state-of-the-art automation package.
