According to Primetals, the project will largely focus on the No. 2 caster, which is to be outfitted with new electrical and level 1 automation systems and new AC and DC drives. 

“The existing electrical, instrumentation and automation equipment of (the No. 2 caster) contains obsolete components and systems whose manufacture is being or has been discontinued, generating high costs of maintenance with risk of long shutdown in case of failures, since there is no spare parts readily available,” Primetals said in a statement. 

Under the contract, Primetals will install new mold-level controls, a hydraulic mold oscillator, automatic width adjustment equipment, and new controls for the withdrawal drives and the lubrication and hydraulics systems. It also will build new control rooms and pulpits. 

Meanwhile, Primetals will outfit the other two casters with new mold level measurement systems. The No. 3 caster also will be equipped with automatic mold width adjustment. 

The work is scheduled to take place in the second half of 2018.