Atlas Steels Co., a division of Rio Algom Mines Ltd., recently reported that molten steel had been poured for the first time into its new Concast curved mould continuous slab casting machine at the company’s Tracy (Quebec) plant at the company’s Tracy (Quebec) plant with excellent results. This event marked the first occasion that such equipment has been used to produce slab in the Western Hemisphere.
Mr. H. George De Young, President of Rio Algom Mines Ltd., noted that this first “heat” put through the Concast machine was experimental and was to test the equipment. He said that it would be several weeks before full production could be expected.
The Atlas machinery represents the latest technological advancement in steel making. The equipment supplied to Atlas was manufactured for Concast Inc., New York, by Mesta Machine Co., Pittsburgh. The new design permits molten metal to be poured into a low-head curved mould machine with finished steel feeding horizontally from the unit. It does away with the older vertical and vertical-with-bending systems.
The installation is designed to produce a single-strand steel slab 50ft. x 6in.; on this first cast, the slab measured 42ft. x 5in. Atlas plans to use the Concast machine for the production of various grades of stainless steel and alloy steel.
This unit is the second continuous casting machine to be built for Atlas. The company was the pioneer of the industry in North America in 1954 when it put into operation a vertical mould machine at its Welland (Ontario) mill.
Mr. De Young said: “We now are drawing on the accumulated knowledge of continuous casting we have gained during the past ten years. With this new Concast curved mould unit, we have acquired for the Quebec plant the latest equipment available in the field and will also be extending the use of Concast equipment at Welland by installation of a curved mould billet machine.”