- 5‑strand bloom caster to be upgraded with a 200-ton withdrawal straightening unit (WSU) and two additional pinch rolls for improved strand containment
- Optimized cooling concept ensures precise soft reduction
- Upgrade enables production of high-quality blooms for bearing, high-end spring, bridge wire rope, tire wire, and cold-heading rivet segments
A Chinese steel producer has tasked Primetals Technologies with a comprehensive upgrade of its 5-strand bloom caster in eastern China. Start-up is scheduled for the end of 2026.
Improved Strand Quality
The new withdrawal straightening unit (WSU) will provide 200 tons of reduction force per pinch roll, a significant increase from the previous 130 tons, resulting in better internal strand containment and improved quality. Increasing the number of pinch rolls from nine to eleven will significantly enhance strand containment, soft‑reduction accuracy, and internal bloom quality. This improvement is mainly due to the reduced roller pitch between pinch rolls, which ensures a finer distribution of reduction forces along the strand. In addition, an expanded soft‑reduction window will allow for greater process flexibility.
Increased Flexibility
Primetals Technologies will also supply a new secondary cooling concept designed to support a wider speed range, boosting production flexibility. The new approach will enable higher strand temperatures, further enhancing bloom quality.
The caster will be equipped with DynaPhase, Dynacs 3D, and DynaGap Soft Reduction 3D—advanced secondary cooling and soft-reduction technologies that improve quality by calculating thermodynamic effects such as conductivity, density, and strand temperature. Combined with a new electromagnetic stirrer, these features will deliver superior internal quality with a segregation index of 1.05.
Following the upgrade, the caster will deliver significantly enhanced performance when producing high-value-added products, especially demanding steel grades such as bearing steel, high-strength spring steel, and high-carbon wire rod.
Key facts: Primetals Technologies Upgrades 5-strand Bloom Caster
Capacity: 1.2 million tons per year
Bloom dimensions: 300 x 390 millimeters
Steel grades: Medium-carbon and high-carbon steels for bridge cables, bearings, hard wire, spring steel, and cold-heading steel
The modernized 5-strand bloom caster will produce high-quality blooms for various applications.
Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry. The company offers a complete technology, product, and services portfolio that includes integrated electrics and automation, digitalization, and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain—from the raw materials to the finished product—and includes the latest rolling solutions for the nonferrous metals sector. Primetals Technologies is a Group Company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with around 7,000 employees worldwide. To learn more about Primetals Technologies, visit the company website www.primetals.com.
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