Methods of billet casting are provided herein. The methods may include the steps of assembling a billet caster with a shroud extending from a tundish to above a mold such that the shroud does not reach molten metal in the mold, delivering molten metal from a ladle into the tundish, delivering molten metal from the tundish through the shroud to the mold, the shroud inhibiting contact between the molten metal and air, casting the molten metal into billets in the mold and cooling the billets below the mold with a coolant spray, and delivering the cooled billet to a runout table to be cut to length.

Methods of billet casting are provided herein. The methods may include the steps of assembling a billet caster with a shroud extending from a tundish to above a mold such that the shroud does not reach molten metal in the mold, delivering molten metal from a ladle into the tundish, delivering molten metal from the tundish through the shroud to the mold, the shroud inhibiting contact between the molten metal and air, casting the molten metal into billets in the mold and cooling the billets below the mold with a coolant spray, and delivering the cooled billet to a runout table to be cut to length.

A method of controlling a continuous casting system for producing slabs from a material, the continuous casting system having a number of molds for forming corresponding strands, the method including receiving a plurality of casting orders, determining for each of the casting orders a set of slabs to be cast, sorting the slabs to be cast of the sets of the casting orders to obtain a sorted base sequence, uniformly partitioning the sorted base sequence into a number of subsequences, adjusting slab widths of the slabs to be cast of the subsequence, wherein, due to the adjustment, the width changes between two slabs to be cast immediately one after the other in the subsequence do not exceed a step value, wherein adjusted subsequences are obtained from the adjusted slab widths, transmitting control data to the continuous casting system for producing the slabs to be cast determined in the adjusted subsequences.

A mold oscillator includes: a ball screw unit that has a ball screw 32having a threaded shaft 29 and a ball nut 30, and a nut-side shaft 31 fixed to the ball nut 30 coaxially with the threaded shaft 29, wherein the ball screw unit is positioned so that the central axis of the ball screw unit extends in the vertical direction; and a power transmitting mechanism that transmits rotation to the ball screw unit. Bearings rotatably support a first shaft. A second shaft that is the other of the threaded shaft and the nut-side shaft is connected to the mold side. An attachment portion to fix the mold oscillator at an installation position is provided so as to be immovable relative to the bearings in the vertical direction and is configured to be able to change the relative position between the bearings and the second shall in the vertical direction in a state where operation of the mold oscillator is stopped.

A mold oscillator includes: a ball screw unit that has a ball screw 32having a threaded shaft 29 and a ball nut 30, and a nut-side shaft 31 fixed to the ball nut 30 coaxially with the threaded shaft 29, wherein the ball screw unit is positioned so that the central axis of the ball screw unit extends in the vertical direction; and a power transmitting mechanism that transmits rotation to the ball screw unit. Bearings rotatably support a first shaft. A second shaft that is the other of the threaded shaft and the nut-side shaft is connected to the mold side. An attachment portion to fix the mold oscillator at an installation position is provided so as to be immovable relative to the bearings in the vertical direction and is configured to be able to change the relative position between the bearings and the second shall in the vertical direction in a state where operation of the mold oscillator is stopped.

An oscillating table comprising an oscillating structure, inserted in a fixed frame adapted to be fixed integrally to the ground, the oscillating structure being adapted to accommodate an ingot mold provided with a crystallizer, defining a casting direction X, and adapted to be guided in an oscillation by elastic means arranged transversally to the casting direction, at least one actuator, adapted to transmit pulses with an alternating orientation, upwards and downwards, to said oscillating structure, so as to cause an oscillation motion thereof, wherein said elastic means comprise pairs or elastic bars having two respective ends fixed to the fixed frame, and having a respective central portion constrained to the oscillating structure, wherein two first elastic bars are arranged parallel to each other, at a first side and at a second side of said fixed frame, respectively, said first side and said second side being parallel to each other and equally spaced apart from said casting direction X, wherein two second elastic bars are arranged parallel to each other, at said first side and said second side respectively, below the first elastic bars, wherein the first elastic bars are inclined by a first acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and wherein the second elastic bars are inclined by a second acute angle, different from said first acute angle, with respect to said horizontal plane.

An oscillating table comprising an oscillating structure, inserted in a fixed frame adapted to be fixed integrally to the ground, the oscillating structure being adapted to accommodate an ingot mold provided with a crystallizer, defining a casting direction X, and adapted to be guided in an oscillation by elastic means arranged transversally to the casting direction, at least one actuator, adapted to transmit pulses with an alternating orientation, upwards and downwards, to said oscillating structure, so as to cause an oscillation motion thereof, wherein said elastic means comprise pairs or elastic bars having two respective ends fixed to the fixed frame, and having a respective central portion constrained to the oscillating structure, wherein two first elastic bars are arranged parallel to each other, at a first side and at a second side of said fixed frame, respectively, said first side and said second side being parallel to each other and equally spaced apart from said casting direction X, wherein two second elastic bars are arranged parallel to each other, at said first side and said second side respectively, below the first elastic bars, wherein the first elastic bars are inclined by a first acute angle with respect to a horizontal plane, and wherein the second elastic bars are inclined by a second acute angle, different from said first acute angle, with respect to said horizontal plane.

A mold oscillator includes a ball screw unit that has a ball screw 32 having a threaded shaft 29 and a ball nut 30, and has a nut-side shaft 31 fixed to the ball nut 30 coaxially with the threaded shaft 29, wherein the ball screw unit is positioned so that the central axis of the ball screw unit extends in the vertical direction. A casing surrounds at least part of the ball screw 32. The ball nut 30 of the ball screw 32 and part of the threaded shaft 29 of the ball screw 32, on which, part the ball nut 30 is engaged with the threaded shaft 29, are submerged in a lubricating oil so as to be able to lubricate the ball screw 32 with an oil bath.

A mold oscillator includes a ball screw unit that has a ball screw 32 having a threaded shaft 29 and a ball nut 30, and has a nut-side shaft 31 fixed to the ball nut 30 coaxially with the threaded shaft 29, wherein the ball screw unit is positioned so that the central axis of the ball screw unit extends in the vertical direction. A casing surrounds at least part of the ball screw 32. The ball nut 30 of the ball screw 32 and part of the threaded shaft 29 of the ball screw 32, on which, part the ball nut 30 is engaged with the threaded shaft 29, are submerged in a lubricating oil so as to be able to lubricate the ball screw 32 with an oil bath.

The invention relates to an oscillating table for continuous casting, intended for manufacturing longitudinal elements which enables greater precision in the guiding of the mobile structure, reduces maintenance and provides the mobile structure with stability in the oscillation movement thereof. The table comprises a supporting structure (1), a mobile structure (3) defining a first direction (X), at least one actuating element (6) transmitting alternating oscillations in the first direction (X), two pairs of torsion axles (7, 8, 9, 10) which extend in planes transverse to the first direction (X) wherein at least the ends thereof work in torsion and at least four longitudinal joining elements (11, 12), wherein each joining element (11, 12) is joined to at least one end of the pair of axles (9, 10), wherein the joining elements guide the mobile structure (3) in the movement thereof.