A continuous casting machine, also known as a continuous casting machine, is a core piece of equipment that directly transforms molten metal into solid or semi-solid billets through a continuous casting process. Its core principle lies in achieving a continuous solidification process from liquid to solid through a crystallizer cooling, secondary cooling, and a casting system, replacing the intermittent production mode of multiple pours and demolding in traditional ingot casting.
Technical Principles and Core Components The continuous casting machine's workflow can be divided into three steps:
Liquid Metal Injection:*High-temperature molten metal (such as molten steel or aluminum) is injected into the crystallizer through a tundish. The inner wall of the crystallizer is made of water-cooled copper plates, and forced cooling forms a primary billet shell on the metal surface.
Continuous Solidification and Casting:The billet shell gradually thickens within the crystallizer, while the casting machine pulls the solidified billet downwards at a constant speed (e.g., 0.5-2 m/min). The secondary cooling zone further cools the billet through water spray or air mist to ensure complete solidification.
Cutting and Output: After solidification, the billet is flame-cut or hydraulically sheared into fixed lengths (e.g., 6-25m) and directly sent to the rolling process or stacking.
Based on the billet shape, continuous casting machines can be divided into square billet continuous casting machines, round billet continuous casting machines, slab continuous casting machines, and irregularly shaped billet continuous casting machines. For example, round billet continuous casting machines (such as the vacuum continuous casting machine mentioned in the product information) are specifically designed for producing metal billets with circular cross-sections. They are suitable for casting pure metals, high-temperature alloys, and special alloys. Their casting speed can reach 50mm/min, with a maximum temperature of 1600℃. Combined with argon/nitrogen protection and a water cooling system, they can ensure the uniformity of alloy composition.