An apparatus for extracting a starter bar and for supporting and extracting a cast strand to be used in a continuous casting plant has at least two upper driving rollers arranged to form a first unit and at least two lower driving rollers arranged to form a second unit and a stand. Transverse carriers guided in the stand and are movable relative to each other, have the upper driving rollers mounted on them. Head beams articulately connect the transverse carriers at the ends thereof and adjustment drives are articulately connected to the ends of the head beams for adjustment of said first unit and said second unit relative to each other.
A guide roll assembly associated with a continuous caster supports both faces of a dimensionably unstable metal strand at it solidifies and cools. A frame segment has a first frame member operatively connected with movable second frame member. The first frame member supports first guide rolls and stops. The second frame member supports second guide rolls and also rotatable cams. An anchor clamped with the stops, anchors the cams to the first frame member when a piston cylinder clamps the anchor against the first frame member to establish a nominal roll gap dimension. Motors rotate the cams to reposition the second frame member and the second guide rolls mounted on it and thereby adjust the nominal roll gap dimension. Frame segments can be oriented by camming to provide a taper line to contact both faces of a shrinking strand or to perform a soft reduction upon it.
