Baosteel, the world’s largest steel producer and part of the Baowu Group, has signed a contract with Primetals Technologies for a new continuous casting project in Shanghai. This marks the third caster order from Baowu Group in three months. Baosteel already operates over 20 casters supplied by Primetals Technologies.
The new continuous caster No. 6 will produce conventional and silicon steel grades for various industries, including home appliances and automotive. Primetals Technologies will supply the mechanical equipment, Level 1 and 2 automation systems, and provide construction and implementation services.
The caster will feature innovative technologies and future-proof automation solutions to produce high-quality steel grades. A key factor in Baosteel’s choice of supplier was Primetals Technologies’ expertise and innovation in continuous casting, supported by numerous patents.
Primetals Technologies will establish the ideal caster roll geometry at the design stage using a new model that reduces mold level fluctuations by 50pct, leading to higher casting speeds and greater productivity. The Smart Mold, equipped with the DynaWidth system, will allow flexible and fast slab-width changes, ensuring high-quality conditions early in the casting process. An electromagnetic stirrer will enhance inner-strand quality.
The caster will also feature dynamic secondary cooling and soft-reduction packages, including DynaPhase, Dynacs 3D, and DynaGap Soft Reduction 3D, which improve quality by calculating thermodynamic effects. Additional expert systems like Quality Expert and Nozzle Expert will track and control quality-related data and monitor the secondary cooling system.
Baosteel, part of the China Baowu Steel Group Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company, operates multiple plants in Shanghai, Wuhan, Meishan, and Zhanjiang. Its product portfolio includes a wide range of flat and long products based on carbon, low-alloyed, alloyed, and silicon steel grades for various applications.
