The HDC caster represents a central component of the Hertwich Compact Type Remelt Plant, an economically very interesting concept, particularly in the range of 10.000 to 60.000 tons per year, which comprises an integrated, continuously operated, fully automated system starting with the handling of scrap and ending with delivery of cut to length homogenized extrusion billets or forging stock (logs).
Size of casting machine and number of moulds determine the production rate. A billet diameter change is done fast and easy by changing the set of tundish and moulds. After sawing, billets are directly fed into a Hertwich Continuous Homogenizing Furnace for heat treatment. Compared to vertical casting, horizontal cast billets have several essential advantages:
- uniform structure due to consistent casting speeds and temperatures
- inhomogeneous areas such as at the head and butt ends of vertically cast logs do not appear
- water system for HDC is simpler and less expensive than for VDC