“The steel industry faces huge challenges under the background of carbon neutrality.”

“As a near-net-shape manufacturing process, Castrip technology is the most promising cutting-edge technology in today's steel industry.”

……

“Promote the application and popularization of Castrip technology, accelerate low-carbon development and green transformation of the industry, and better assist in the construction of a low-carbon society and global climate governance.”

From November 4 to 6, the 2024 International Symposium on Castrip Technology hosted by Jiangsu Shagang Group Co., Ltd. and the Chinese Society for Metals was grandly held in Zhangjiagang. More than 200 elite talents, experts and scholars from over 10 countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia, Mexico and China, who are leading the development of Castrip technology, gathered together to discuss the latest progress and future trends of Castrip technology, to foster new ideas, enhance friendship, seek cooperation, and to jointly promote green development and share the bright future of high-quality development of the steel industry.

The attending experts, scholars, and entrepreneur representatives focused on the Castrip technology in the new era, and conducted in-depth discussions and exchanges on key issues such as the basic theory of Castrip technology, new product development, process optimization, and production line upgrading.

Chen Shaohui, Executive Director, Vice President and Chief Engineer of Shagang Group and Chairman of Shagang Steel Co., Ltd., delivered a welcome speech. She said that in recent years, China's steel industry has achieved significant results in green, low-carbon and high-quality transformation and development by anchoring on the goal of dual-carbon and focusing on equipment upgrading, process transformation and whole industry chain synergy. Shagang's Castrip project is a vivid practice of its high-quality development and green and low-carbon transformation. The hosting of the International Symposium on Castrip Technology expressed Shagang's determination to become a leader in domestic Castrip technology. It is hoped that the attending experts and scholars will continue to support Shagang, exchange and learn from each other, and jointly face new opportunities and challenges in the field of Castrip technology.

Tian Zhiling, Executive Director of the Chinese Society for Metals, said that the convening of this symposium has important practical and profound strategic significance. Since the Castrip process principle was proposed, well-known domestic and foreign steel enterprises and research institutes have carried out continuous and extensive basic theoretical research and industrial technology exploration. Shagang hopes that through this symposium, the achievements made in Castrip technology innovation and product application in recent years will be shared with peers around the world. It is also hoped that the participating experts and scholars will pool their wisdom and exchange ideas during communication and interaction, and draw a better blueprint for the future of Castrip technology.

Shi Yixin, Executive Director, Vice President of Shagang Group and General Manager of Shagang Steel Co., Ltd., made a theme report on “Shagang Castrip Production Practice and Future Prospects”, reviewed the development history of Shagang Castrip, introduced the breakthrough innovation and achievements made by Shagang in production practice, and showed the typical products and high-quality application cases developed. He said that with the support of many experts and leaders, Shagang Castrip, together with partners from home and abroad, has realized the technological leap of Castrip from “pilot production” to “stable and efficient production” and made a huge achievement of the industry's first annual output reaching the designed capacity.

Shi Yixin said that Shagang Castrip will gradually form a specialized division of labor for the production of multiple varieties, multiple specifications and multiple uses. In this process, more excellent partners are needed to work together in product quality improvement and cost control, high value-added product development and market expansion, process equipment improvement and localization, as well as mechanism research and theoretical breakthroughs, to jointly promote the development and application of Castrip technology.

Mao Xinping, Academician of Chinese Academy of Engineering, gave a theme report on “High-quality Utilization of Recycled Steel Materials”. Combining carbon neutrality situation and national strategy, he elaborated on the opportunities and challenges faced by the current steel industry, and discussed the development prospect and research layout of high-quality utilization of recycled steel materials. He pointed out that under the background of global climate governance and the promotion of carbon neutrality, Castrip technology has good development prospects, its sub-rapid solidification and direct rolling characteristics will significantly improve the problem of residual element segregation in recycled steel raw materials causing harm to product performance, and promote the high-quality utilization of recycled steel raw materials.

Mao Xinping said that through the gradual completion and operation of Shagang's four Castrip production lines, especially the capacity has reached the designed scale, it can be seen that Castrip technology has a complete and comprehensive improvement in terms of process smoothness, equipment stability, production organization and operation. From the introduction of technology to breakthrough innovation, Shagang has achieved the goal from a follower to a leader in a certain field. It is hoped that Shagang can further grasp the product positioning of the production line in the future and better promote the development and application of Castrip technology.

Wal Blejde, Technical Director of Castrip, reviewed the development history of Castrip technology from laboratory to industrialization and to commercialization, and pointed out the development direction of flexible product specifications, diversified product types, and green and intelligent production process of Castrip technology. Oscar Chahin Sanz, CEO of TYASA, reported on the equipment upgrading, process optimization, and key indicators of TYASA's Castrip production line, and introduced the future development plan for high-value-added Castrip products.

At the symposium, Li Hualong, Chief Researcher of Castrip of Shagang Research Institute, Li Hongxia, Chief Scientist of Baowu, Yang Chunzheng, First-Class Scientist of Shougang Group, Wang Wanlin, Professor of Central South University, Wang Shuize, Professor of University of Science and Technology Beijing, Mario Buchely, Professor of University of Missouri, Sukchun Moon, Professor of University of Wollongong, and other renowned domestic and foreign scholars and experts, as well as a number of heavyweight guests from well-known universities at home and abroad and important enterprises in related fields, delivered more than 30 high-quality reports on Castrip. These reports expounded the cutting-edge research results of Castrip technology from different perspectives, reflecting the vitality and potential of Castrip technology.

Frank Fisher, President of Castrip LLC

“Since Shagang first took over the Castrip project, it has achieved unprecedented technological innovation in the fields of production line equipment, operation technology, and product development, bringing sweeping changes to Castrip technology. At present, we are still in the initial stage of R&D and promotion of Castrip technology, but I am very pleased to see that Shagang has grown step by step from learning and absorbing to leading and pioneering in this field in China and the world.”

Wang Wanlin, Dean and Professor of the School of International Education of Central South University, Director of the International Joint Research Center for Clean Metallurgy

“From the initial technology blank to the development of high-end products, we and Shagang have made great technology accumulation and breakthrough for Castrip production line in the past few years, and achieved the introduction, absorption, digestion and re-innovation of Castrip technology. As the top near-net-shape manufacturing technology, the future development of Castrip technology must focus on the production of high value-added products. It is hoped that through cooperation between institutions and enterprises, combined with global R&D strength, new and disruptive products can be designed for Castrip production line, and new and greater contributions can be made to the development of new quality productive forces in China.

During the symposium, the delegates also made a field visit to Shagang Castrip production site.

As one of the organizers of this symposium, Shagang fully demonstrated its leading position in the field of Castrip technology. Since the first Castrip production line was put into operation, through continuous efforts, Shagang has set new benchmarks in production efficiency, product quality, new product development and production costs. At present, Shagang has built and put into operation 4 Castrip production lines with an annual production capacity of 2 million tons, and has developed more than 50 varieties of ultra-thin hot-rolled structural steel, high-strength steel, weathering steel, high-carbon steel etc, the production line has achieved a number of World Firsts in terms of the number of continuous casting heats, output, and the number of developed varieties of steel. A series of breakthrough independent innovations have been achieved in production line construction and product R&D. Shagang's Castrip technology innovation capability has been recognized by experts in the industry, especially experts in the field of near-net-shape mini mill. On May 16, 2024, Shagang's “Mini mill thin strip production technology based on Castrip” was included in the Recommended Catalog of Energy-Saving and Carbon Reduction Technologies and Equipment in the Field of National Industry and Information Technology issued by Ministry of Industry and Information Technology.