German plantmaker SMS group has announced that it will supply a new single-strand thin-slab continuous caster for the US-based North Star BlueScope Steel. The new casting machine will have a thickness range of 95 to 110 millimeters and a width range of 900 to 1,595 millimeters. It will allow North Start BlueScope Steel to increase thin-slab production from 2.2 million mt to over 3.3 million mt per year.
The anticipated start-up of the new casting strand is set for 2021.