Investment in a new machine head at Salzgitter Flachstahl's continuous casting line 1 is successfully completed

With modernization investment in the machine head of continuous caster 1, which was successfully completed in November 2020, Salzgitter Flachstahl is enhancing product quality for crack-critical steels and C-grades (quenched and tempered steels). This will result in greater flexibility in plant utilization for all 4 continuous casters.
One of the arts of premium steelmaking is to meet the increasing requirements of customers with the existing facilities. 
For this reason, a new machine head was installed at Salzgitter Flachstahl's continuous caster 1 in October 2020. The machine head is the complex comprising the mold, oscillating drive and the so-called segment 0.
In the continuous casters, the liquid, ready-alloyed steel is converted into a solid aggregate state and, with the aid of the oscillating water-cooled mold and the segments, into the rectangular slab cross section.

During this transition from the liquid to the solid aggregate state, the extension of the water-cooled mold from 700 mm to 900 mm on the one hand favors the formation of the so-called strand shell, i.e. a solidified outer shell. This means that even crack-critical grades can be produced reliably. On the other hand, undesirable, lighter agglomerates do not end up in the center of the strand, but can collect in the upper, liquid area of the mold. This improves the homogeneity of the produced steel.
To form the strand shell cleanly, the water-cooled mold is set in oscillation. The existing mechanical oscillation unit has now been replaced by a low-wear, hydraulically driven unit. 

The above-mentioned changes will enable Salzgitter Flachstahl to meet customer requirements for high-quality steels as well as for reliable delivery performance in the best possible way.

The work was successfully completed in November 2020 despite the Corona restrictions.