Schedule

14–16 October 2025 • Crowne Plaza Indy Downtown Historic Union Station Indianapolis • IN., USA

Monday, 13 October 2025

4–6 p.m. Registration and Continental Breakfast

Tuesday, 14 October 2025

7 a.m.Registration and Breakfast
8 a.m.Historical Perspective of Continuous Casting With Design and Technology of Slab and Long Products
Greg Geist, Cleveland-Cliffs Cleveland Works LLC 
History of continuous casting.
9 a.m.Break
9:15 a.m. An Operator’s Guide to Continuous Casting Flux, What It Is, What It Does and How It Is Used
Marc McClymonds, HWI Steelcasting Inc.
An overview of mold flux technology, including design principles, properties, functions and application practices.
10 a.m.Break
10:15 a.m.Initial Solidification and Oscillation Mark Formation
Joydeep Sengupta, ArcelorMittal Dofasco G.P.
Key fundamental concepts related to solidification inside the mold will be presented. Industrial implications related to caster productivity and product quality will also be discussed.
11:15 a.m.Flow Control From Tundish to Mold
Filipe Fabri, Vesuvius 
This session will present the different refractories that control the liquid steel flow, how they interact with steel, how they can impact on quality, how to evaluate different designs through modeling, and the latest technologies and trends in the market, from flow control systems to automation and robotics.
NoonLunch
1 p.m.Sources of Reoxidation and Why to Avoid
2 p.m.Break
2:15 p.m.Caster Breakouts and Their Prevention
Joseph Laughlin, SMS group Inc.
Caster breakouts, their causes and preventive measures will be discussed in detail.
3:15 p.m.Break
3:30 p.m.Caster Quality Defects and Their Potential Causes
5 p.m.Ian Bakshi Memorial Panel Discussion and Reception
7 p.m.Adjourn

Wednesday, 15 October 2025

7 a.m.Continental Breakfast
8 a.m.Mold Copper Alloys, Design and Influence of Operating Factors on Performance
Warren Adolphe, SMS Concast Canada Inc.
Introduction to the material properties and requirement for molds used for the continuous casting of steel including: the most common copper alloys, influence of mold design features, operating factors that impact mold life, and typical mold issues experienced.
9 a.m.Break
9:15 a.m.Mold and Copper Maintenance and Coating Technologies
Chad Donovan, SMS group Inc.
The presentation will focus on flat product casters and maintenance. Discussion will include the history of mold coatings and current mold coating technologies.
10:15 a.m.Break
10:30 a.m.Caster Roll Maintenance and Overlay Technologies 
Jeff Brower, Primetals Techologies
Caster roll and segment life can be significantly increased through the use of customized weld overlays and base materials. This session details the operational impact on caster rolls and technologies developed to improve roll performance.
11:30 p.m.Lunch
12:30 p.m.Plant Tour of Nucor Steel–Indiana or Steel Dynamics Inc. – Engineered Bar Products Division
4:30 p.m.Return From Plant Tour and Adjourn

Thursday, 16 October 2025

7 a.m.Continental Breakfast
8 a.m.Billet and Bloom Caster Operations and Maintenance
Ian Deeks, Deeks Steelmaking Consultant, and Bill Schlichting, United States Steel Corporation
Insights into the casting of billets and blooms.
9 a.m.Break
9:15 a.m.Caster Hydraulics — Failure Modes and Preventive Maintenance
10 a.m.Break
10:15 a.m.Caster Secondary Cooling and Water Treatment
Steve Swoope, Delavan 
A review of the operational and maintenance of single- and two-fluid nozzles in the casting process. A general guide to the various types of technology and key attributes of spray nozzles used in secondary cooling.
11:15 a.m.Caster Bearings — Types or Bearings, Failure Modes and Preventive Maintenance
Cory Langhoff and Mike Allega, The Timken Co.
Types of bearings used, typical damage modes and mitigation techniques used. A wide variety of different bearings are used throughout a continuous caster. Understanding these bearing types and how to properly maintain them can assist in diagnosing issues and preventing unplanned downtime.
NoonConference Adjourn