Latest Developments in Mold Products and Technologies for the Iron & Steel Metallurgy Industry

I. Industry Overview

As the “heart” of the continuous casting machine, the mold is responsible for rapidly cooling and solidifying high-temperature molten steel into a uniformly crystallized shell, directly determining the surface quality and internal structural performance of the strand-. Since 2026, the global iron and steel metallurgy industry has witnessed a new wave of technological breakthroughs and product innovations in the mold sector, with intelligentization, green development, and extended service life emerging as the dominant trends.

II. Accelerated Deployment of Intelligent and Digital Technologies

In terms of intelligent transformation, the level of intelligence in the continuous casting process is increasingly determining the production efficiency and product quality of the entire industrial chain. The application of artificial intelligence in continuous casting continues to deepen—AI prediction models have steadily improved the accuracy of break-out warning systems, deep neural network-driven dynamic secondary cooling water distribution control models have enabled intelligent response in water regulation and fine control of local temperature fields, and defect detection systems combining deep learning with machine vision have significantly enhanced the precision and efficiency of strand surface defect identification.

In May 2026, German steel producer HKM selected Primetals Technologies to supply its new Mold Expert Fiber system for the Duisburg plant. This system represents a breakthrough in mold visualization—employing fiber-optic-based temperature measurement technology, each mold can be equipped with thousands of measurement points, scalable to over 10,000 if needed. Unlike traditional systems with a limited number of thermocouples, Mold Expert Fiber provides more accurate real-time feedback on meniscus shape, mold powder behavior, and taper precision, enabling highly accurate detection of critical events such as sticker breakouts, cold spots, and longitudinal cracks.

Meanwhile, in April 2026, Baosteel Meishan signed another agreement with Primetals Technologies to upgrade the mold level control and bulging prevention functions of its CC3 slab caster, which will significantly improve slab quality and production efficiency upon completion-.

III. Breakthroughs in New Materials and Coating Technologies

Significant progress has been made in surface strengthening and protective technologies for mold copper plates. In July 2026, Baoshan Iron & Steel Co., Ltd. obtained a patent for “A Large Bloom Crystallizer Copper Tube and Its Preparation Method” (Grant Publication No. CN117773034B). The patent establishes a 3D thermal/mechanical coupled calculation model to design copper tubes with different taper curves at the center and corners of both wide and narrow faces, which not only fully compensates for strand shell shrinkage within the mold and homogenizes shell heat transfer and growth, but also reduces wear in corner areas, thereby improving bloom surface quality and extending mold service life.

In the coating technology sector, Anhui Magang Surface Technology Co., Ltd. obtained a patent in January 2026 for a “Long-lasting Wear-resistant Composite Protective Layer for Crystallizer Copper Plates and Its Preparation Method”. The technology involves nickel plating on the copper plate surface, followed by high-velocity oxygen-fuel (HVOF) spraying of WC-12Co+NiCrSiFeB composite powder as the raw material system to prepare high-performance coatings, effectively reducing costs and improving long-term service performance.

Aobang New Materials has developed a composite coating containing titanium diboride and chromium carbide, prepared via plasma spraying. The coating utilizes in-situ reactions of titanium and boron to generate hard phases, significantly enhancing wear resistance, thermal shock resistance, and corrosion resistance-. According to industry reviews, nickel-based alloy cladding layers can achieve microhardness more than ten times that of the substrate, with wear volume仅为 one-third of the copper substrate, while maintaining both wear resistance and thermal conductivity.

IV. Innovations in Electromagnetic Stirring and Flow Control

Multiple significant breakthroughs have been achieved in the application of electromagnetic stirring technology in molds. In 2025, Baosight Software, leveraging the Digital Intelligence Technology Innovation Center of Baosteel Central Research Institute, successfully deployed a wide-thick slab mold electromagnetic stirring flow control device on the 2700mm wide-thick slab caster at Zhanjiang Steel. This technology overcame the global challenge of electromagnetic stirring for ultra-wide cross-section molds—through innovative design of bow-shaped iron core coils and reinforced mold jacket support structures, it achieved both continuous magnetic circuit distribution and structural lightweighting. Following application, the rejection rates for thick plate inspection, blistering, and hot-rolled coil scabbing were all reduced by more than 30%.

In May 2026, SMS group and ABB Sweden announced a partnership to jointly market and develop FC Mold X (Flow Control Mold X), an electromagnetic flow-control solution. Designed specifically for thin- and medium-slab continuous casting, the solution features modular hardware and control algorithms, employing two separate electromagnetic fields in the mold—a lower DC magnetic field and an upper field capable of both AC and DC functions simultaneously—enabling flexible control of braking, stirring, and combinations thereof.

V. Structural Innovations and Process Optimization

In mold structural design, Shandong Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. announced in July 2026 that the asymmetric wide-thick plate continuous casting mold, jointly developed by Shangang Research Institute and Northeastern University, had successfully completed industrial application at the Shangang Steelmaking Plant. This technologys the long-standing “inverted trapezoid” industry challenge in thick-gauge wide plate production. The research team collected over 30,000 data points from continuous casting and rolling processes, along with more than 100 sets of measured defect samples, and through data analysis and simulation, developed the core technical solution for collaborative “steelmaking-rolling” process quality improvement.

In June 2026, Angang Steel Co., Ltd. filed a patent for “A Continuous Casting Mold Heat Transfer Compensation Device and Method”. The invention addresses the problem of localized poor heat dissipation in the strand shell caused by insufficient mold powder filling between the mold wall and the strand, by installing multiple spray holes and compensation nozzles on the mold copper plate.

Xinyu Iron and Steel Co., Ltd. filed a patent in June 2026 for “A Method for Eliminating Excessive Resistance in the Initial Stage of Online Mold Width Adjustment,” which eliminates excessive torque generated by the lower motor during the initial stage of online width adjustment through fine adjustment of the mold bottom opening.

VI. Continuous Evolution of Mold Powder Technology

As a critical functional material for mold operation, mold powder technology continues to advance. The global mold powder market reached approximately $913 million in 2025, with projections to reach $1.165 billion by 2032. On the technical front, novel products continue to emerge, including fluoride-free low-reactivity mold flux design strategies for high-manganese high-aluminum steel continuous casting, and carbon-free mold powders for ultra-low-carbon steels-. Research also indicates that porous slag films formed by low-basicity fluorine-containing mold powders are expected to resolve the contradiction between heat transfer and lubrication during continuous casting.

VII. International Exchange and Industry Outlook

In May 2026, AISTech 2026 was held in Pittsburgh, with continuous casting and mold technology emerging as focal points of the exhibition—one of the most important events for the international steel industry. Industry experts engaged in in-depth discussions on mold copper components, heat transfer optimization, casting quality enhancement, process stability, and plant performance.

Looking ahead, continuous casting mold technology will continue to evolve toward intelligent, green, and efficient directions-. Promoting the development of large models for continuous casting, advancing multimodal sensing technologies, and achieving intelligent perception, prediction, and control throughout the entire continuous casting process will become core directions for industry development. Meanwhile, the continued advancement of surface strengthening technologies such as laser cladding for mold copper plates toward intelligent and green directions, along with the ongoing deepening of electromagnetic metallurgy technologies, will provide solid technical support for the high-end and green transformation and upgrading of the steel industry.