Patent ID: 6880617

Claim:
In a method of continuously casting metal by continuous belt casting comprising (i) moving a first endless belt around a first entry pulley and a first exit pulley, (ii) moving a second endless belt around a second entry pulley and a second exit pulley, with an entry nip defined between the first and second entry pulleys and an exit nip defined between the first and second exit pulleys, (iii) supplying molten metal to the surfaces of the belts moving over the first and second entry pulleys whereby the metal solidifies in a strip, the invention comprising: supplying molten metal into a casting region, the casting region being defined between opposing surfaces of the first and second belts moving on the first and second entry pulleys, the metal strip exiting the entry nip at a rate of about 25 to about 400 feet per minute; and progressively diverging opposing surfaces of the first and second belts from each other in the direction of movement thereof, wherein an angle that the opposing surface of the first belt makes with the opposing surface of the second belt is about 10° to about 20°.