US steelmaker Nucor Corporation has awarded Primetals Technologies a contract to modernize the continuous thin slab caster at its Nucor Steel Decatur flat steel plant in Alabama, aiming to enhance equipment durability, improve product quality and support future production capabilities.
The project will involve replacing existing caster segments with wider, more robust frames featuring improved spray patterns while maintaining current production and quality targets. The upgraded caster will also be designed to accommodate dynamic soft-core reduction, enabling improved internal slab quality in future operations.
Under the agreement, Primetals Technologies will supply benders, caster segments and spare parts, including rollers, hydraulic cylinders and spray nozzles, over the next three years. The company will also provide engineering services covering frame design, roller assemblies, support structures and secondary cooling systems, together with two new strand checkers and a lifting device.
As part of the modernization, the caster will be converted from a two-roller to a three-roller segment design, increasing bearing capacity by 50pct and improving operational durability. The upgraded frames will also be manufactured from marine-grade materials to enhance corrosion resistance and extend equipment life.
Primetals Technologies will continue to provide comprehensive maintenance services under a long-term agreement to support equipment reliability and maximize service life.
The project marks the first continuous thin slab caster designed by Primetals Technologies for Nucor Corporation. The equipment will be manufactured, assembled, tested and commissioned entirely in Alabama.
Nucor Steel Decatur produces hot-rolled, pickled, cold-rolled, galvanized and galvannealed carbon sheet products, with annual sheet steel production exceeding 3 mln tons for infrastructure, energy, transportation and construction markets across the United States.