Continuous casting is a cost-efficient metallurgic process that allows the production of metal sections with great quality. Besides steel, mainly aluminum and copper are cast with this process which offers various advantages. Let's take a closer look.
In metallurgy, the casting of metals is – along with forging – a widely used method for the production of alloys. In casting, the metal is strongly heated in a furnace until it melts. The molten metal is then filled into prefabricated molds: either into so-called expendable molds, which only last for one casting process or into non-expendable molds, which can be used several times.
There are multiple different methods in order to produce an alloy. Depending on the desired properties of the end product, a manufacturer has to choose between centrifugal casting, sand casting, and many other casting processes. In this blog post, we will have a closer look at continuous casting.
In relation to other casting methods continuous casting is a rather new casting process. In the middle of the 19th century first attempts have been done with the process but it wasn’t until the 1950s until continuous casting received greater reception. It is since known as a very effective method in order to produce semi-finished products. Particularly bars, tubes, stripes, slabs und profiles of copper are manufactured through this process.
The high pressure in the holding furnace, combined with the high cooling rate, gives the casted alloy a particularly fine, compact, homogeneous, and high-pressure-tight structure free of impurities. Furthermore, continuous casting produces semi-finished products with a good appearance that are easy to machine and have precise dimensions as well as high mechanical properties.
Further advantages include:
Depending on the arrangement of the mold, a distinction is made between horizontal continuous casting and vertical continuous casting. In vertical continuous casting, casting is stopped as soon as the mold is full. This process is repeated until there is no more melt. It is typically used to cast aluminum and a few other metals for special applications.
In horizontal continuous casting, the melt runs continuously through the casting system and is cut in advance into the required size. Only when there is no more melt is the casting stopped. The horizontal process is used for non-ferrous metals as well as steel.
Continuous casting is just one of many different possibilities to produce alloys. In order to consistently achieve high quality in alloy production, it is first crucial to carefully consider which casting process is the right one for the required end product. Furthermore continuous process and quality control are the guarantees for obtaining good alloys.
If you want to know more about alloy production in general and its different casting processes, download now our free Technical Paper «Handbook of alloy production»