Golden Aluminum, SMS group showcase taking Nexcast to industrial scale at ALUMINIUM 2026 in Düsseldorf

Golden Aluminum and SMS group have taken their jointly developed Nexcast® aluminium strip-casting technology to industrial scale, marking a significant step in the development of compact aluminium minimills capable of producing higher-alloyed flat-rolled products.

The Nexcast® system has been operating at Golden Aluminum’s Fort Lupton plant in the United States since summer 2025. According to the companies, the project represents Golden Aluminum’s biggest advancement in casting technology in more than four decades, while demonstrating how continuous casting can be combined with greater alloy flexibility and a shorter production route.

The technology is being presented at ALUMINIUM 2026 in Düsseldorf, where the two companies are highlighting its industrial operation and potential for future aluminium minimill applications. Golden Aluminum had earlier said Nexcast® was developed to address the traditional compromise between the efficiency of continuous casting and the ability to produce sophisticated, higher-value alloys.

Closing the continuous-casting capability gap

Conventional direct-chill (DC) casting typically involves producing aluminium ingots around 700 mm thick, followed by scalping, reheating and hot rolling. Such production lines can extend beyond 550 metres and generally require annual output of more than 500,000 tonnes to achieve commercially viable economics.

Continuous casting offers a much more compact alternative by converting molten aluminium directly into strip, which can then be coiled or hot rolled inline. However, conventional continuous-casting technologies have historically faced microstructural limitations that restricted them largely to lower-alloy commodity grades.

Nexcast® has been designed to bridge that gap. The next-generation evolution of the block caster combines the lower capital and operating costs associated with continuous casting with the ability to produce a wider range of higher-alloyed and higher-value aluminium products.

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The process is particularly suited to higher-alloyed grades and the use of significant volumes of lower-grade post-consumer aluminium scrap. Higher cooling rates provide metallurgical benefits intended to support demanding product specifications.

The technology can also operate as part of a regional minimill using either primary or recycled aluminium as feedstock. Molten aluminium is converted into hot-rolled coil through a single compact production line, eliminating several conventional stages including block casting, sawing, storage, scalping, reheating and the need for large-scale rolling equipment.

The result is a shorter process chain that can reduce capital and equipment requirements, energy intensity, emissions, land use and process-water consumption, while increasing throughput and alloy flexibility.

A 40-year legacy gets a new casting system

The Nexcast® project builds on Golden Aluminum’s more than four decades of experience with continuous casting.

Founded in 1983, Golden Aluminum developed its Fort Lupton operation around a compact minimill concept. The plant originally used a 36-inch-wide, or 914 mm, Swiss block caster to convert molten aluminium directly into hot-rolled coils. Although the caster’s width restricted access to some applications, its ability to produce sophisticated alloys helped the company maintain a strong market position.

Golden Aluminum has supplied high-magnesium AA5182 sheet to the food and beverage industry for years, while its current portfolio includes high-magnesium alloys for packaging, automotive and construction applications.

When the original caster reached the end of its service life after decades of operation and several refurbishments, its replacement became both a major operational challenge and an opportunity to redesign the technology around Golden Aluminum’s accumulated production experience.

At the time, Golden Aluminum and SMS group were already working on scaling the block-caster concept to a two-metre strip width under the Nexcast® name. After basic engineering and component testing at SMS group’s Hilchenbach workshop, the design was adapted to the narrower width required at Fort Lupton.

“Nexcast® is the largest advancement in our casting technology in more than 40 years. It builds on Golden Aluminum’s decades of experience in continuous casting while giving us a more agile, compact, and versatile production system. The technology enables us to improve efficiency, precision, and consistency while strengthening our ability to serve markets that increasingly demand high-performance and more sustainable aluminum products”, Jeff Frim, CEO, Golden Aluminum.

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From installation to full production in weeks

The partners adopted a prototype-based development strategy to reduce project risk. This included pre-assembly, integration of new mechanical and automation systems and extensive test runs. Process models were also used to simulate load conditions, validate operating parameters and optimise the system before installation.

Preparatory work at Fort Lupton included pre-assembly of the electrical house, hydraulics, piping and cabling, allowing the major installation work to be completed during a single planned shutdown.

Golden Aluminum, SMS group and installation partners dismantled the old caster and installed the new system in just two weeks. The first hot-rolled coil followed shortly afterwards, with production resuming only four weeks after installation work began. The mechanical and automation systems, including interfaces with existing equipment, operated reliably from the first day.

Within the first month, the line reached full production. It subsequently demonstrated continuous casting campaigns of up to 60 hours and the ability to perform alloy changes on the fly.

Following successful commissioning and final acceptance in August 2025, the companies continued working together on automation functions, cooling-model validation and human-machine-interface optimisation.

“Nexcast® demonstrates what can be achieved when a technology supplier and an experienced producer develop a solution together from the outset. Golden Aluminum contributed decades of practical knowledge in continuous casting and demanding alloy production, while SMS group brought engineering, automation, process-modeling, and commissioning expertise. This combination enabled us to turn a proven principle into a modern, scalable minimill solution”, Markus Fischer, Technical Sales Aluminium Rolling Mills, SMS group.

Recycling at the heart of the minimill

Nexcast® has also been developed with circular aluminium production in mind.

Golden Aluminum incorporates more than 80 per cent end-of-life scrap into its production, according to the companies. The Nexcast® process supports an approximately 60 per cent reduction in carbon intensity and an approximately 86 per cent reduction in process-water use.

The compact plant design further reduces land requirements, while the shorter production route cuts the need for reheating and large-scale rolling equipment. This can lower energy consumption and emissions across the value chain.

The implications extend to markets where lower-carbon and recycled aluminium are increasingly important, including electric vehicles, renewable-energy systems, sustainable construction and infrastructure.

Golden Aluminum has also reported early production and quality gains following the caster replacement, including lower edge and surface cracking, higher yield and greater downstream throughput.

By 2028, the company expects Nexcast® to increase finished-product output by 25 per cent, while the additional casting capacity should provide greater flexibility for producing test coils, supporting product development and exploring new markets.

“The combination of compact design, high alloy flexibility, and efficient use of recycled aluminum gives Nexcast® a strong position for the future. It allows producers to respond more quickly to market requirements while reducing the resources required for production. The Golden Aluminum reference shows that this is not only a development concept, but an operating industrial solution”, Michael Schäfer, Executive Vice President Flat Products, SMS group.

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A 55-metre route from molten metal to coil

At the heart of the Nexcast® proposition is its compact footprint. The system produces hot-rolled aluminium coils from molten metal on a single line approximately 55 metres (175 feet) long, bringing casting and rolling together while retaining the metallurgical capabilities needed for more demanding aluminium products.

The Fort Lupton installation therefore represents more than a replacement for an ageing caster. It demonstrates an alternative model for aluminium flat-rolled production: a smaller-footprint minimill designed to combine recycled feedstock, higher-alloy capability, continuous casting and integrated hot rolling.

The companies say the successful implementation validates their joint-development approach, combining Golden Aluminum’s operational expertise with SMS group’s engineering and technology capabilities. Nexcast® is now fully operational and available for wider adoption, with further optimisation planned for new applications.