South Korean steelmaker TAEWOONG has successfully cast a 1,000mm round bloom on a continuous casting machine supplied by the German production technology specialist SMS Concast.
The new three-strand continuous casting machine at TAEWOONG, South Korea, is designed for an annual capacity of 800kt/yr. With a casting radius of 18 metres, the caster, supplied by SMS Concast, is capable of casting round blooms in diameters from 310mm up to 1,000mm.
According to SMS Concast, the achievements of its caster marks an historical milestone in steel production technology. "It is the first caster in the world producing 1,000 mm blooms in a bent continuous casting process," the company said.
The new machine can cast different sizes simultaneously in steel grades ranging from carbon and tool steels through stainless up to special alloy steels, claims SMS Concast.
Rounds of 410, 600 and 800 millimeters in diameter were successfully cast in October and November last year, followed by the first cast of the 1,000mm diameter round in January this year – a world record, claims SMS.
“This steelmaking plant project is one of our company’s long-cherished ambitions in 20 years,” states Yongdo Huh, chairman/founder of TAEWOONG. “We are proud to be the first in the world able to cast 1,000mm round blooms on a bent continuous casting machine,” he adds.
