AK Steel’s new degasser operating at full capacity

AK Steel’s new degasser operating at full capacity

AK Steel Corp. reported that a new vacuum degasser at its Ashland Works plant is now fully operational. The plant’s slab caster has also been refurbished with the addition of straight-mold technology. The $65 million project is part of a broad program to improve steelmaking operations at the Ashland, Kentucky plant. With the addition of the new degasser, Ashland will no longer have to purchase slabs of degassed steel to fulfill its customer orders. AK Steel president and CEO James L. Wainscott called the project, “necessary to improve the viability of the cokemaking, ironmaking, and steelmaking units of the Ashland Works.” Mr. Wainscott continued, “Completion of this project enables AK Steel to more closely match its steel production capabilities with customer requirements for ultra-low carbon steel products, primarily for automotive and appliance markets.”