Process for electromagnetically casting or reforming strip materials

In a process for electromagnetically containing and forming molten material into a desired thin strip shape comprising the steps of providing at least two inductors for applying a magnetic field to said molten material wherein a first of said inductors elecromagnetically contains a first portion of said molten material and a second of said inductors electromagnetically contains and forms a second portion of said molten material into said thin strip shape at a solidification zone, powering said inductors to provide said magnetic field, and electromagnetically containing and forming said molten material, the improvement comprising:

• controlling the heat input to said first portion and said second portion of said molten material and stirring said molten material in said first portion so that the molten material in said first portion is at a lower temperature than the molten material in said second portion at said solidification zone, said heat input controlling and stirring steps comprising the step of powering said first inductor with an alternating current having a first frequency and powering said second inductor with an alternating current having a second frequency substantially higher than said first frequency, whereby beneficial cooling of the molten material at said solidification zone is provided by the molten material of said first portion and the overall power consumption of said process is reduced.