Wuhan Iron & Steel Co. (WISCO), Wugang Group, P.R. China, recently awarded VAI Pomini GmbH an order from for further quality improvements to a 5-strand bloom caster in Steel Meltshop No. 1.

The caster, one of two originally by VAI Pomini GmbH, will be upgraded with Dynamic Soft Reduction. Built and started up in 1999, the caster has been successfully producing SBQ grades for automotive applications, high quality alloyed carbon steel, hard wire including tire cord, rail steel and spring steel.

In addition to the four original Withdrawal Stands, VAI Pomini will supply two further ones, all of which will be able to perform hydraulically-operated Dynamic Soft Reduction. A thickness measuring system will be installed upstream of the first Withdrawal Stand to maximize flexibility in using the six stands to produce a wide range of steel grades at casting sections of 200 x 200, 200 x 230, 230 x 250 and 250 x 280 mm.

VAI Pomini will perform engineering for the modification, provide new design of the mechanical equipment and supply the new hydraulic equipment. VAI will also supply the Level 1 Control System and a Level 2 Automation System, both developed by VAI and implemented in numerous Slab and Bloom Casting Machines worldwide. The Level 2 System will dynamically calculate the optimum position of the Soft Reduction based on the result of the three Models: Automatic Strand Taper Control (ATSC), Thermal Tracking and the DYNASPEED, Secondary Cooling Model.

Following the time schedule of the original project, which was started up four months ahead of schedule, this modification will be completed within eight months. The contract follows successful implementation of the same technology at Panzhihua Iron and Steel Group Corp., China, by VAI in late 2003.

VAI Pomini is one of the leading long-product technology providers worldwide, and combines the rolling mill expertise of VAI, Pomini, Ashlow and GFM, with the billet casting experience of Rokop and VAI. VAI Pomini is jointly owned by Techint, Italy, and VAI, Austria, and has offices in Castellanza, Italy; Linz, Austria; Sheffield UK; Pittsburgh, USA; and Taicang, P.R. China.

Voest-Alpine Industrieanlagenbau (VAI), a company of the listed VA Technologie AG, is one of the world’s leading engineering and plant-building companies for the iron, steel and aluminum industries with a multinational company structure and special focus on technology, automation and services. VAI achieved total sales of 976 million EUR in 2003 and employs approximately 3,400 people worldwide.