According to UK-based plantmaker Primetals Technologies, Chinese steel producer HBIS Tangsteel has successfully started up a new slab continuous caster at its Tangshan Laoting plant in Hebei Province, provided by Primetals.
Primetals stated that the newly commissioned unit represents the fourth continuous caster it has supplied to HBIS Tangsteel’s Laoting facility. The first two casters were installed in 2020, followed by a third unit in 2023. The plantmaker noted that, with the latest start-up, HBIS Tangsteel now operates eight slab caster strands, all supplied by Primetals.
According to Primetals, the addition of the new caster increases the plant’s total slab production capacity to 9.6 million mt per year. The new continuous caster itself has an annual capacity of 2.4 million mt.
Primetals stated that its scope of supply included essential mechanical components, Level 1 and Level 2 automation systems, and implementation services.
The plantmaker added that the caster is designed to produce slabs with thickness ranging from 200 mm to 250 mm and width ranging from 800 mm to 1,600 mm. It is capable of casting a wide range of steel grades, including peritectic steels, micro-alloyed grades, and ultra-low-carbon to high-carbon steels.