9th ECCC European Continuous Casting Conference – ECCC 2017

SMS group has extended its product portfolio to include the new Micro CSP® concept, at the heart of which is the vertical liquid bending type Micro CSP® caster, which is designed for the annual production of approx. 500,000–750,000 t low and medium carbon steel. The idea behind this development was to limit the system to essential equipment only, while simultaneously ensuring stable and reliable production, of course. This principle is evident in the configuration of the casting floor equipment, consisting of a ladle turret with rigid arms, a tundish car and cold tundish technology, followed by the strand guide system in the form of a single segment without drives and hydraulics. These efforts meant that the capital costs not only for the machinery but also for the building and infrastructure were reduced to a minimum. In addition, operating costs are reduced significantly thanks to the extremely compact design. The shorter distance between the mold level and furnace entry, in particular, plays a vital role here, as this enables high temperature casting, which in turn results in highly energy-efficient production. The Micro CSP® concept is perfectly suited for the growing production levels in emerging markets as well as for decentralized production in established markets that are just as cost-conscious.