Abstract: The withdrawal-induced leakage of molten steel from the dummy bar head during the start-up phase of billet continuous casting is a major constraint on production continuity and equipment safety.This issue stems from systematic shortcomings in conventional dummy bar practices,including the design of the dummy bar head,cold charge parameters,auxiliary equipment,and monitoring and control mechanisms.In response,this paper introduces an integrated plug-pulling process that combines multi-dimensional innovations in the dummy bar head design,intelligent and precise regulation of cold charge parameters,development of new auxiliary devices,and smart adaptive monitoring and control.Industrial trials confirm that the proposed approach reduces the monthly average number of leakage incidents caused by dummy bar withdrawal from 8 to 2,increases the monthly average mold casting capacity by 32.8%,and decreases the current fluctuation amplitude of the withdrawal-straightening motor by 40%.By enabling intelligent monitoring and adaptive control,the start-up casting process has been transformed from an experience-driven,reactive operation into a data-driven,proactive prevention system.This provides comprehensive technical support for high-efficiency and safe billet continuous casting.