Thick-Slab continuous caster for high-end plate production

A steel producer in eastern China has tasked Primetals with the supply and implementation of a 1-strand thick-slab continuous caster upgrade.

The project will expand the continuous caster’s thickness range up to 360 millimeters. With the new equipment, the producer will be able to manufacture plates for heavy-gauge, high-end applications, including the wind turbine sector. Annual capacity will be 1.9 million tons of high-quality slabs, with startup scheduled for mid-2026.
The machine will be equipped with Single-Roll DynaGap (SRD) segments from Primetals, enabling dynamic alignment of individual casting gaps when production parameters such as steel grade, cooling grade, and casting speed change. The SRD segments apply forces of up to 4,000 kilonewtons per roll, ensuring supreme internal microstructures and defect-free, high-quality thick plates.
Smart Segment is Primetals patented continuous bending and straightening concept. Combined with the rolls (Eco Star), this solution results in significantly improved slab-surface quality. Featuring an internal cooling system, the rolls are able to endure the high temperatures required to minimize surface defects. Additionally, as part of the upgrade, Primetals will also install new Smart Molds with a mold-width adjustment system (DynaWidth), allowing for fast and smooth slab-width changes. According to Primetals. the automation solution ensures optimized casting conditions and greater flexibility. The Mold Expert system detects and prevents breakouts while analyzing the casting process inside the mold. Automated soft and hard reduction systems allow dynamic roll-gap control to reduce centerline segregation and improve internal strand quality.
Source: Primetals Technologies