CISDI has developed a servo oscillator for an electro-hydraulically-driven caster mould.

The invention, created for Chongqing Steel, has successfully passed its hot test.

A steel industry world first, the servo oscillator has been running well and has helped the caster to produce a more stable and high-quality slab.

Mould oscillator is the caster’s core equipment and there are high requirements on its response speed, positioning accuracy and operational reliability.

There are currently three main types of mould on the market - the mechanical eccentric gear, the hydraulic station with a servo valve and the mechanical electric servo cylinder.

These moulds are prone to problems, ranging from low oscillation accuracy to high energy consumption. They have a tendency to wear quickly, which reduces service life.

The new-generation mould oscillator developed by CISDI enables a servo motor to directly drive the oscillation hydraulic cylinder.

Intelligent control, remote fault diagnosis, big data analysis and internet of things expertise are integrated.

The electro-hydraulically-driven servo oscillator enables online adjustments of the oscillation frequency and the amplitude and deflection ratio.

The hot test and operation results show an oscillation deflection of less than 0.01 millimetre. The amplitude is regulated to within zero and 12 millimetres, the maximum oscillation frequency reaches 420c a minute, and the positioning accuracy can be controlled within plus and minus 3 micrometres.

These results are a strong improvement on oscillators currently on the market, for which general deflection is less than 0.1 millimetre, oscillation frequency reaches 400c a minute and amplitude ranges from zero to 10 millimetres.

In addition, CISDI’s invention can bring about energy savings of 40 per cent.

The future is bright for the electro-hydraulically-driven servo oscillator, with the potential for numerous applications around the world. CISDI see it having an important role in the metallurgical sector - in continuous casters for square and round billet, rectangular bloom, beam blank and slab - and also way beyond.

It could serve the military, and sectors ranging from new energy and agriculture to industrial equipment and robots.