"Oversized Bloom Experience & Market Potential in Asia "

by "Thomas Meier, Cristiano Tercelli, Nicholas Grundy, Pierpaolo Rivetti "

Publisher - "SMS Concast AG, Töedistrasse 9, 8027 Zurich, Switzerland "

Category - Engineering & IT

"Continuous Casting Machines for large round sections have found worldwide interest and lately several plants have been put into operation. The reasons behind this development are the improved quality, the more economic process, the higher yield and the more homogeneous product that the continuous casting can deliver compared to the traditional ingot casting. The quality of the continuous cast bloom with regard to steel cleanliness and symmetry of the solidification structure can be improved even more by implementing the recently developed SMS Concast Vertical Semi-Continuous Casting Machine (VERSCON) concept. This process combines the cleanliness and radial solidification symmetry of ingot casting with the higher axial symmetry of the bloom, higher yield and lower operating cost of continuous operation. Furthermore even steel grades that are impossible to cast on a bow type caster, due to their surface crack sensitivity, can be cast with the VERSCON concept, as no straightening is involved. This concept specifically targets limited annual productions of highly specialized high value-added steel grades and is the perfect match for small ingot shops which aim for a higher yield and uncompromising quality. Bow type continuous casters for large sections on the other hand are the perfect match for producers seeking the optimal compromise between high productivity, low operating costs and stringent quality requirements. Thus, the different requirements of steelmaker’s worldwide lead to a tailor made design for continuous or semi-continuous machines according to the market volume and final product portfolio. The design of these casters is explained in this paper with special focus on the largest bloom caster ever put into industrial operation. This caster is presently producing in Asia and was commissioned by SMS Concast in 2016. The results achieved in this continuous caster for rounds in the size range from 300 mm to 1,000 mm and the associated metallurgical processes are compared with concepts introduced for VERSCON machines together with the potential these products might have in the ASEAN market "

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