9th ECCC European Continuous Casting Conference – ECCC 2017

Summary (200 to 300 words) should be concise and contain all sufficient information for a fair assessment: In recent years, Continuous Casting Machines for big round sections have found worldwide interest and many plants have been installed and commissioned. A significant driving force behind this development is the replacement of ingot casting with a more economic process; at the same time continuous casting, thanks to the homogeneous product it yields, can improve quality of large forged pieces. The same basic requirements lead the development of vertical semi-continuous casters (VERSCON). This process combines elements from continuous- and ingot casting, and has much higher yield than the latter, together with lower operating costs. VERSCON machines target smaller annual production than continuous casters and are perfectly suited for ingot shops, which strive to improve yield and quality. Due to the different requirements of meltshops worldwide, the design of continuous or semi-continuous machines must be adapted to the intended production and product portfolio (number of strands, casting time, solidification time...) This article illustrates the multiple approaches taken in the design of continuous or semi-continuous casters, referring to the largest bloom caster ever put into service. In 2016, SMS Concast (part of SMS Group) has commissioned a continuous caster for rounds, with product range from 300-mm to 1000-mm round. The design of this caster is explained with reference to the metallurgical processes considered, and is compared with various other concepts developed for VERSCON machines,featuring sections up to 1800-mm round.