PURPOSE: To eliminate strains owing to bulging, etc. and to cast a defect-free ingot continuously by acting large compressive force upon the ingot with upper stream side rolls as thrusting driving forces and lower stream side rolls as braking driving forces.

CONSTITUTION: When the preceding end of an ingot is sandwiched by driving rolls 2 in an initial period of casting until the preceding end of the ingot arrives at an unbending point UPB, the rolls 2 are operated as braking drives and compressive forces are applied upon the ingot by the braking forces and the thrusting forces of driving rolls 1. Thereafter, rolls 3W9 are operated successively as braking drives and upper stream side rolls as thrusting drives, whereby the ingot is guided. When the preceding end of the ingot passes the point UBP, driving rolls 10W18 on the down stream side are operated successively as braking drives and compressive forces are acted upon the ingot by the braking forces and the combined thrusting forces of upper stream side rolls 1W9. In the end period of the casting, the combined braking forces on the down stream side are decreased in synchronization with the decrease in the combined thrusting forces upon passing of the succeeding end of the ingot through the rolls of thrusting drives, whereby the ingot is guided.