DC ( hot rolling) Plate and coils
Aluminium DC Plate=Aluminium direct chill semi-continuous casting. This process involves pouring molten aluminum into a mold; once the metal cools and hardens, it forms a large solid block called a sheet ingot. The size of the sheet ingot depends on the size of the DC unit available and is related to the hot rolling mill capacity and, to some extent, the alloys being cast.
As the metal flows into the molds, it is chilled by jets of cool water pumped around and through the base of the mold. The ingot solidifies gradually during the casting process, which takes approximately three hours. We continuously monitor temperature, speed and water flow so that each sheet ingot is of the highest quality. Individual ingots can weigh up to 20 tons and can be 500 – 600 mm thick, two meters wide and eight meters long. A finished 18-ton ingot contains a volume of source aluminum equivalent to approximately one million beverage cans.
In this process, critical variables such as temperature, speed and water flow are carefully managed, and the metal's chemical composition and cleanliness tested on each cast.