Primetals Technologies has awarded ABB a major contract to help optimize production at thyssenkrupp Steel Europe’s (tkSE) Duisburg-Bruckhausen plant in Germany, using the ABB's Flow Control Mold electromagnetic stirring and braking technology for higher quality steel—produced faster and at a lower cost.
FC Mold technology, currently installed at 40 sites throughout the world, has shown a typical 50% reduction in defects and up to 80% reduction in rejected or downgraded product.
“By significantly reducing defects, rejects, and downgrades the FC Mold will improve cost and resource-efficiency at tkSE, thereby supporting both sustainability and profitability goals, while contributing to the company’s Strategy 20-30 ambitions to meet customer requirements for higher performance steel grades,” said Zaeim Mehraban, Global Sales Manager, Metallurgy Products at ABB.
The construction of a casting rolling mill and the upgrade of an existing continuous casting plant are part of a wider project awarded to Primetals Technologies, a global leader in plant engineering for the metals industry. It's part of tkSE’s Strategy 20-30 which aims to optimize operations for the requirements of automotive customers seeking improved surfaces and thinner and high-performance steels to meet crash safety standards in the growing e-mobility market, according to ABB.
ThyssenKrupp, with the help of FC Mold G3 (generation 3), will be able to prevent gas bubbles and impurities from becoming trapped in the solidifying steel as the technology will offer features simultaneous stirring and braking from one fixed position on the caster. Integrated with the caster, FC Mold uses electromagnetic fields to control meniscus flow speed and fluctuations. Additionally, it enables improved process control and increased resource efficiency, requiring minimal maintenance.
“Backed by decades of experience working with plant builders, like Primetals, and knowledge of metallurgical processes such as slab casting from numerous installations worldwide, ABB continues to devise solutions to solve bottlenecks in steel and aluminum manufacturing processes and repeatedly prove they are effective.” — Zaeim Mehraban, Global Sales Manager, Metallurgy Products at ABB.
thyssenkrupp is one of the world’s leading producers of carbon flat steel and drives innovation in steel and high-quality products for demanding state-of-the-art applications. It has set itself the goal of producing 3 million tons of CO2-neutral steel a year by 2030 as the industry moves towards climate-neutral steel production by 2050 in line with the UN Paris Agreement.
Primetals Technologies is a world leader in the fields of engineering, plant building, and the provision of lifecycle services for the metals industry.