All metal products have to be “cast”, that is, converted from molten metal into a solidified mass in a mold. The result may be a “casting” which is cooled in a specially shaped mold and is generally a finished product in itself, or an “ingot”, which is an intermediate shape which will be further processed into finished products.

Ingots can be extruded or forged directly into finished products, or, in the case of sheet and wire products, rolled down to thinner dimensions.

Continuous casting is a faster and more efficient method of producing ingots and related products. It is not employed for producing “castings”.

In the traditional ingot production method, molten metal is poured into stationary molds. The cast ingots are then allowed to cool, removed from the molds and then machined to remove surface imperfections, a time consuming and wasteful process.

Continuous casting, as the name implies, converts molten metal into a continuous moving ingot shape with a rectangular or round cross section. Time, energy, and labor are saved. Generally, a water-cooled mold is employed, receiving molten metal in one end and delivering a continuous solidified product out the other. The molds can be vibrating or moving, slow or fast.

The Hazelett® twin-belt caster employs moving water-cooled steel belts as the primary mold surface. It is one of only a handful of high production continuous casting processes utilized in the metals industry.

Today, continuous casting is an increasing factor in our lives and homes. Over 30% of all copper wire produced in the world today comes from Hazelett casting machines operating in 26 countries. In Europe, where zinc roofing is commonplace, virtually 100% of the zinc sheet is cast on Hazelett strip-casters operating in France and Germany. Here in North America, where aluminum sheet reigns as the metal of the future, the Hazelett twin-belt caster is responsible for nearly 15% of all production - and growing every year.

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