Mold Expert Fiber: The Digital Eye Within a Continuous Casting Process

The Mold Expert Fiber is equipped with a high-resolution temperature measurement system for enhanced breakout prevention and process control, designed to address the critical challenges faced by producers and manufacturers in the steel industry. Ensuring product quality and preventing breakouts during the continuous casting process are paramount. Traditional methods using a limited number of thermocouples fall short in providing the necessary real-time feedback on meniscus shape patterns, mold powder behavior, and taper correctness. This caster mold monitoring system overcomes these limitations by utilizing fiber optic-based temperature measurement, offering more than 10,000 temperature measuring points per mold.

The Mold Expert Fiber revolutionizes continuous casting by providing high-resolution temperature profiles of the copper plates. This system employs artificial intelligence (AI) to evaluate these profiles, delivering valuable insights into the casting process. With sensor spacing of less than 10 mm and a temperature update frequency of over 5 Hz, the Mold Expert Fiber ensures precise real-time feedback on meniscus shape behavior and mold powder evaluation.

The Mold Expert Fiber’s fiber-based temperature measurement system replaces conventional thermocouples, offering a significant increase in the number of sensors and the resolution of temperature data. This system can be applied to billet, bloom, and slab casters. The vertically installed fibers in the copper plates of the broad faces provide higher temperature resolution, especially in the meniscus area, while horizontal installation offers accurate event detection and lower investment costs.

By leveraging the Mold Expert Fiber, steel plants can achieve superior process control, enhanced product quality, and reduced maintenance efforts. This innovative solution is ideal for continuous casting operations, providing steel experts with the tools they need to optimize their processes and ensure the highest standards of quality and efficiency.

Benefits of the Mold Expert Fiber

• Enhanced event detection: offers the highest precision in detecting critical events like stickers and longitudinal cracks
• Mold Powder Sheeting Index (MPSI) calculation: facilitates mold powder evaluations and comparisons
• Meniscus shape classification: enables enhanced process control with Meniscus Shape Coefficients (MSC)
• Taper analysis: provides control of narrow faces and strand contact monitoring
• Reduced maintenance: minimizes cabling and maintenance efforts