China First Heavy Industries (CFHI) successfully produced an ultra-large, ultra-long vertical casting billet measuring 1.6 meters in diameter and 12.5 meters in length, breaking the world record created by itself in 2025. The successful production marks the country’s impressive progress in independently manufacturing ultra-large, high-grade steel billets for high-end heavy equipment.
The previous world record was the production of a 1.6-meter-diameter vertical casting billet that was 12.26 meters long.
The ultra-large, ultra-long vertical casting billet. [Photo/sasac.gov.cn]
CFHI’s team made a series of technological breakthroughs to enhance the performance of the vertical casting device, establishing a proprietary vertical casting process system with independent intellectual property rights. The application of multiple advanced technologies, such as electromagnetic stirring and cooling rate control, resolved long-standing global challenges associated with conventional large-scale ingot casting, including central porosity, cracking, and compositional segregation. These technologies also increased metal yield, reduced energy consumption and improved working conditions.
The successful production of this billet proves the vertical caster’s extreme capability and shows that China has led the world in the production of ultra-large, ultra-long vertical casting billets.
(Executive editor: Zuo Shihan)
