9th ECCC European Continuous Casting Conference – ECCC 2017

The key impact of mold powders on steel quality is well-recognized. However, manual feeding is still a widespread practice, leading to powder thickness variations, meniscus instability and poor process reproducibility, with negative effects on steel quality. Dedicated technologies for automated powder feeding are therefore crucial. A new mold powder diffuser with built-in optical sensor for powder thickness control has been developed and successfully field-tested. Being based on laser-line technology and dedicated triangulation algorithms, the sensor provides a robust measurement of powder level, while being non-invasively integrated within the diffuser of an automated powder feeder, enabling reliable closed loop powder control.