Horizontal Continuous Casting

Horizontal Continuous Casting is widely used for manufacture of copper based alloys, specially higher diameter rods, strips & tubes. The main advantage of horizontal process is high value of production for higher sizes of rods, strips & tubes homogeneity of alloying elements and large dendritic grain structure. The concept of continuous casting is a melting cum holding furnace with a graphite crucible heated with highly efficient graphite resistant heating elements furnace with a cooler, together with graphite die and cooler assembly and run out track with withdrawal machine and cut-off device. Molten metal flows from the crucible into the graphite casting die which is cooled with the help of a highly efficient cooling jacket. Water-cooled graphite dies are attached horizontally to the holding crucible. During the continuous casting operation metal flows into the graphite casting die where it solidifies. The solidified strands are intermittently withdrawn in a "pull-pause" sequence by means of withdrawal equipment. After leaving the graphite die, which is housed within the primary cooler, the cast strands pass through a secondary cooler in the form of a water 'sparge' which removes the surplus heat contained in the solidified billet. Water 'sparge cooling' beyond the exit of the die is much more thermal efficient than using a graphite water-cooled sleeve cooler.