An increase in the continuous-casting capacity of a steel mill requires either
the upgrading of existing machines or an investment in a new caster. However,
space restrictions may prevent the installation of a new caster within an existing
steel mill. The VAI compact caster introduced in this paper is designed to enable
steel producers increase their casting output and production flexibility with the
installation of a highly compact caster within the restricted space of an existing
steel mill. With this solution, two independently cast and controlled small-width
slabs or a single wide-width slab can be cast with the same equipment.