Germany-based plantmaker SMS Group has announced that its subsidiary SMS Concast will supply a new five-strand billet caster for Germany-based long steel producer Saarstahl's Völklingen plant. The new casting plant is going to be designed for an annual capacity of 850,000 mt of billets. Commissioning of the new caster is planned for the third quarter of 2019.
According to SMS Group, the new casting machine will produce 180 mm x180 mm square billets in a wide range of steel grades, including bearing steels, spring steels, cold heading wire rod and free-cutting steels. Products made of these steel grades are used in the automotive industry and in mechanical engineering applications.