Primetals Technologies to Modernize Continuous Billet Caster for Valbruna in Italy

• Plant will produce stainless steel and special alloy bars with a 180 millimeter cross-section
• Basis created for conversion to even larger formats
• Modernization will facilitate production of finished products with larger dimensions

Primetals Technologies has received an order from Italian steel producer Acciaierie Valbruna S.p.a. to modernize the three-strand continuous billet caster at its Bolzano site. Under the project the plant will be able to produce stainless steel and special alloy bars with larger cross-sections up to 180 millimeters. The machine radius of the plant will also be increased from seven to nine meters, setting the stage for producing even larger cross-sections after further modernization at a later date. Primetals Technologies upgraded the continuous caster in 2015 to increase its availability. Modernization work on the caster is scheduled for the 2016 summer shutdown.

Acciaierie Valbruna - based in Vicenza, Italy - is a market leader in the steel industry, making and supplying stainless steel and special metal alloys. It is a private company with over 1,500 employees, and produces over 170,000 metric tons of high-quality special steels every year. The Bolzano production site specializes in stainless steel and special alloy rods with round and hexagonal cross-sections.

Primetals Technologies supplied the three-strand continuous billet caster to Acciaierie Valbruna's Bolzano plant in 1992. It is designed as a bow-type caster with a machine radius of seven meters, and has an annual production capacity of 200,000 metric tons. As part of the modernization work, Primetals Technologies will increase the machine radius to nine meters, essential for producing steels with a cross-section greater than 160 millimeters. This conversion will also create the basis for subsequent production of billets with a 200 millimeter cross-section.