1. Manufacture of semi-finished and finished products

1.1 Continuous casting

Figure 1 shows changes in the percentage of continuously cast steel in France and worldwide at the end of the 20th century.

We can see that the proportion of continuously cast steel worldwide is around 70%, while in France it is 95%.

The ideal layout is one in which the finishing train receives the semi-finished product directly from the continuous caster, in the cross-section used in the first stand. This is the case for single-product plants.

The advantage is maximal. It allows you to :

• limit capital expenditure (no more casting and...