On September 19, Austria-based plantmaker Siemens VAI annouced that a single-strand continuous
stainless steel
slab caster capable of casting the "world's thickest
stainless steel slabs" was brought into operation in July for South Korean steel giant
POSCO at its
stainless steel plant SSCP 4 in Pohang. The caster is designed to produce 700,000 metric tons of austenitic and ferritic
stainless steel slabs per annum with thicknesses of up to 300 millimeters.
With the new caster, slabs are cast with thicknesses of 250 and 300 millimeters in widths ranging from 800 to 1,650 millimeters. The casting speed can reach 1.1 meters per minute.