Kametstal Iron and Steel Works, a subsidiary of Ukrainian mining and steel producing group Metinvest, has announced that it has completed the reconstruction of its continuous casting machine No. 1 (CCM-1) as part of its 2025 investment program. Following the successful implementation of the second stage of the investment project, key equipment of the pull-straightening devices has now been upgraded, ensuring stable movement of billet and precision cutting.
This upgrade addresses the urgent issue of extending the service life of the motor-reducers that ensure the stable operation of the withdrawal-straightening units. Previously, this equipment failed prematurely due to the destructive impact of high temperatures.
The second stage of the CCM-1 reconstruction was carried out without additional machine downtime, allowing the plant to maintain production of commercial slabs for domestic and European customers.
As a result of the second reconstruction stage, the company achieved a number of technical and economic benefits:
- a multi-fold extension of the service life of the stand motor-reducers;
- maximum precision of slab cutting, reducing metal losses;
- optimization of the withdrawal-straightening operation, which has lowered electricity consumption of the upper and lower motor-reducers by 1.2 kWh during stable casting.
