North American Stainless (Ghent, KY, USA) has ordered a new billet caster from Danieli Centro Met. The machine will start up in February 2005. NAS is a wholly owned subsidiary of Spain’s Acerinox SA, one of the world’s largest stainless steelmakers. Starting up as a slab processor in 1994, the operation has installed finishing lines, a melt shop, and a bar mill over the past decade. Danieli reports the new caster will be a four-strand machine with a 10-m casting radius; a fifth strand will be anticipated in the design. Products will be 130 and 200 mm square billets at up to 95 mt/hr (or 130 mt/hr with a fifth strand), according to steel grade and cast size. Grades to be cast will be austenitic, austenitic-low carbon, austenitic with titanium, martensitic, and ferritic stainless. Danieli highlights the following design details: a butterfly ladle turret; multi-taper copper tube, for internal mold EMS; four-zone secondary cooling, with air-mist technology; provision for adapting EMS later; slow cooling for martensitic grades; levels 1 and 2 automation.
