MetTec - Technology

Advance Casting Technology

KME offers a unique combination of expertise and experience in all key technologies for the production of high-performance moulds for continuous casting. The continuous casting of steel has seen major technological improvements over the past decades. This has led to considerable increases in productivity and product quality necessary to ensure survival in today's highly competitive environment.
The Engineered Products Division of KME has been instrumental in achieving many of these process improvements.

Advance Mould Tube Technology (AMT):

The performance requirements that have to be met by moulds and mould materials depend on the speci c application and the levels of stress involved. These stress levels are mainly predeter- mined by the machine and casting parameters, which means that many different cast shapes are needed, depending on the type and construction of the mould. When designing a new mould, the correct pro le must be chosen in order to achieve high product quality, optimal casting speeds, smooth casting operations and long service life
of the moulds.

KME develops and supplies the whole range of mould tube geometries and dimensions in use today, from small rectangular tubes right
through to large-format round mould tubes. Our customers can select from various tapers and special internal geometries, such as DiAMOlD® or AMT® solutions.

To optimise the casting process and product quality even more, KME offers innovative detailed solutions that can be combined to suit the customer’s specific needs for solving metallurgical or process-related technical problems.

Wave Tubes
The wave mould has a patented design that superim- poses a series of undulations onto the hot-face side of the mould, causing a mirror image to be formed on the billet surface as it begins to solidify. These two surfaces will interlock and the shell will be guided through the length of the mould while restraining any movement from side-to-side.

The mould and shell are thus “coupled” together to such a degree that a more equal heat extraction, and hence uniform shell growth, occurs during this critical time. The result is improved billet shape and internal quality, as well as increased mould life.

AHE Tubes
As the optimisation and efficiency of the casting machines increases, heat removal in the mould will become critical. To increase the heat removal in round and rectangular formats, KME supplies AHE (Advanced High Effciency) mould tubes. These have been specially developed to optimise heat removal at higher casting speeds.

Textured Tubes
KME has developed a new method for controlling the heat removal in a mould tube. Using a specially developed manufacturing process, a texture can be applied to the casting surface of the mould tubes. This allows the heat transfer to be moderated in specific areas of the mould.

ATM Tubes
The ATM design optimizes the mould cooling over the entire surface area of the mould, while reducing the internal stress in the copper due to the special bolting arrangement.

Advance Plate Technology (APT)

The design and manufacture of mould plates for bloom and slab casting machines, whether furnished with cooling slots or deep-hole drills, is a major part of KME’s product range. For these applications, KME delivers a comprehensive selection of mould materials and coatings.

Based on a precise analysis of the cooling water flow and the load on the moulds arising from the process, an improvement in the service life can often be achieved through local optimisation of the cooling geometry.

ASM - Mould Plates
Engineers have developed ASM (Advanced Slab Mould) technology to optimise the cooling of standard mould plates. By using filler - or adapter plates in conjunction with the patented AFM® mounting, it is possible to reduce the working load on the moulds and to improve casting efficiency and strand quality with adjusted cooling water flow. A significant advantage of the ASM technology is that existing moulds can be converted without requiring high investment.

Reduced Heat Dissipation
For the casting of steel grades that are prone to cracking, KME offers materials with reduced thermal conductivity for mould plates to achieve a reduced heat transfer in the mould. KME's strength in technical design together with our available materials and coatings, enables us to develop tailor-made solutions for each customer as required.