India Steel Market Watch
November 26: The world’s thickest stainless steel slab (355 mm) has been cast at AM Industeel Belgium.
The renewed plant is designed to produce special steel grades (such as carbon–manganese HIC-S355, A387 chrome- molybdenum grades for boilers, HLE grades and stainless steel grades - austenitic 304 - 316 – duplex steels) in thicknesses up to 355 mm and widths of 2,200 mm.
The equipment mainly comprises a mould fitted for casting 355 x 2,200-mm slab sizes, a segment 0, the modification of the existing caster segments, including the supply of all related clamping cylinders and three horizontal withdrawal segments.
In addition to the above, Danieli supplied the new segment support frames and removal guides for the new segments as well as the whole hydraulic system for segments 1 to 12.
The plant upgrade also features Danieli Automation technological packages:
> Q-CORE and Q-PULSE - dynamic soft reduction, hydraulically controlled via position transducer
> Q-COOL – high-efficiency strand temperature control
This revamping project allowed AM Industeel to increase its production capacity and broaden its product range to include larger sizes (up to 355-mm thickness and 2,200-mm width), and to enhance its product quality thanks to the newly installed soft reduction system.
After the successful start-up and on-time completion of industrial commissioning, after just two months of full production, the first 355-mm austenitic stainless steel slab was cast (Steel grade 304 L), which represents the thickest stainless steel slab ever cast worldwide.