Golden Aluminum Inc. (GAI) successfully achieved commercial start-up of a new aluminum strip caster at its Fort Lupton facility in Colorado. Supplied by SMS group, the nexcast® machine is a next-generation strip caster jointly developed by GAI and SMS.
“Bringing nexcast online marks a major step forward for Golden Aluminum and demonstrates the strength of our collaboration with SMS group,” said Jeff Frim, CEO of Golden Aluminum. “This evolutionary technology not only expands our capabilities, it also improves efficiency and sustainability, delivering clear benefits to our customers across multiple end markets.”
Designed, built, and tested by SMS in Germany, nexcast was engineered with the latest technology and conceived as a seamless replacement for Fort Lupton’s 40-year-old block caster. On July 5, 2025 — just four weeks after installation began — nexcast produced its first hot-rolled aluminum coil.
The new caster is the centerpiece of a compact, fully integrated continuous production line that transforms molten metal directly into 36-inch-wide hot-rolled coils for subsequent cold rolling and coating. It facilitates the cost-effective production of aluminum sheet with a high scrap content, enabling GAI to deliver a wide-ranging portfolio of sustainable products tailored to the packaging, automotive, and construction sectors.
The caster’s utilization of a unique moving copper mold design means it can cast high-alloy and heat-treatable grades that are typically unfeasible for other continuous casters. Its integrated smart controls optimize key process parameters, refining the aluminum’s texture and grain during downstream rolling and heat treatment.
Compared with conventional direct chill (DC) casting, nexcast shortens process sequences and reduces energy consumption, while lowering the carbon footprint by eliminating ingot casting and other intermediate steps; its compact layout — measuring less than 60 m from melting to coiling — also significantly cuts capital requirements.
Within the first month of operation, the line had achieved full ramp-up, including the production of multiple AA5xxx grades such as high-magnesium AA5182. The successful completion of continuous casting campaigns of up to 60 hours and seamless ad-hoc alloy changeovers highlight the reliability and flexibility of the system.
Now that it is fully operational and commercially available, nexcast will continue to be optimized as GAI expands alloy offerings and explores new applications to support the industry’s shift toward eco-friendly, future-oriented aluminum products.