- New continuous caster features advanced automation and digitalization solutions to produce a wide range of steel grades
- Strong, long-term partnership between Maanshan Iron and Steel and Primetals Technologies includes frequent mechanical upgrades and the latest automation updates
Chinese steel producer Maanshan Iron and Steel Co., Ltd (Masteel) has awarded Primetals Technologies a contract for the engineering, supply, and startup of a bow-type 2-strand continuous caster for high-quality slab production. The slab caster CC No.4, with an annual capacity of 2.37 million tons, will be installed in Maanshan City, Anhui province. Primetals Technologies’ scope includes equipment supply, engineering, Level 1 and Level 2 automation systems, and supervision services for startup. Commissioning is scheduled for the second half of 2026.
Enhanced Safety and Efficiency in Caster Operations
Producing slabs with superior internal quality is essential for demanding steel grades. The new caster’s advanced automation and technology will enable Masteel to meet these requirements. The Smart Mold, a high-performance cassette-type mold, will be equipped with the DynaWidth online mold-width adjustment system for flexible and rapid slab-width changes. These systems ensure that high-quality conditions are established early in the casting process.
The caster will also feature DynaPhase, Dynacs 3D, and DynaGap Soft Reduction 3D — advanced secondary cooling and soft-reduction packages that significantly improve quality by calculating thermodynamic effects such as conductivity, density, and strand temperature.
The 2-strand caster is a bow-type machine with a ten-meter radius and a metallurgical length of approximately 40 meters. State-of-the-art technologies ensure safer and more efficient casting operations. Mold Expert detects and prevents caster mold breakouts while monitoring the casting process, and the LevCon system provides automated mold-level control with "autostart" casting functions and auto-adaptive dynamic bulging compensation.
Masteel is part of China Baowu Steel Group Corporation, a Fortune Global 500 company. Masteel’s product portfolio includes a wide range of flat and long products made from carbon, low-alloy, alloy, and silicon steel grades for various applications.
Continued Collaboration
Baowu already operates more than 20 casters supplied by Primetals Technologies. This close partnership began in the 1990s. In 2024 alone, Baowu signed three orders for new casters with Primetals Technologies in just three months. One of these casters is among the world’s most powerful, with a reduction force of 5,000 kilonewtons per roll. All these casters support Baowu’s ongoing development and highlight the strong cooperation between the two companies.
Key facts: Masteel’s 2-strand continuous slab caster
Capacity: 2.37 million tons per year
Slab dimensions: 230 and 250 millimeters thickness, 950 to 1,600 millimeters width
Steel grades: Ultra-low to high-carbon, low-alloy and high-strength grades for cold- and hot-rolling products, pipe grades, and weather resistant steel
Primetals Technologies provides a comprehensive production line consisting of modern slab casting technology, automation, and digitalization solutions to Masteel in China.
Contract signing between Masteel and Primetals Technologies.
Primetals Technologies, Limited, headquartered in London, United Kingdom, is a pioneer and world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry. The company offers a complete technology, product, and services portfolio that includes integrated electrics and automation, digitalization, and environmental solutions. This covers every step of the iron and steel production chain—from the raw materials to the finished product—and includes the latest rolling solutions for the nonferrous metals sector. Primetals Technologies is a Group Company of Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, with around 7,000 employees worldwide. To learn more about Primetals Technologies, visit the company website www.primetals.com.
