Patent ID: 7156147

Claim:
A casting system which comprising an apparatus for guiding a moving, flexible, tensed casting belt on a continuous metal casting machine along a substantially oval path, said continuous metal casting machine having an entrance end that receives molten metal, an exit end where the cast product exits the machine and a moving mold casting region extending from said entrance end to said exit end, said apparatus comprising: a non-rotating, semi-cylindrical fluid-pillow at the entrance end of the casting machine, said fluid-pillow applying pressurized fluid against a cylindrically curved inner surface of the casting belt to levitate said casting belt, wherein said fluid is air, water or steam; a pulley drum at the exit end of the casting machine that may be skewed vertically and horizontally relative to a plane of the casting belt in the moving mold casting region, wherein said vertical and horizontal skew of the pulley drum steers the casting belt; a pair of narrow pulleys, each of which is outside of the moving mold casting region and is adjacent to opposite ends of the fluid-pillow at the entrance end of the casting machine, wherein the axis of rotation of each of said pulleys is substantially the same as the axis of curvature of the fluid-pillow, said pulleys guiding the casting belt; and wherein the steering of the pulley drum in cooperation with the belt guidance created by the narrow pulleys maintains optimal belt tracking of the casting belt as said belt revolves along its substantially oval path.