Innovations
New ideas for demanding customers
In all segments our researchers and engineers worked on developing and enhancing our materials, facilities and processes. In the Steel segment they developed a new, high-strength steel for automotive bodies. Thanks to its enhanced strength, the material permits weight savings and at the same time meets the high quality standards placed on large car body exterior panels. A renowned auto manufacturer is to use the steel in initial processing trials.
A new application has been developed for a coil coated steel grade with a finish resembling high-priced materials such as copper or titanium which is also available in different colors. Originally developed for the electrical appliance industry, the innovative product is now also proving successful in interior design applications. Logos, text and other decorative elements can be printed on the material by the thermal sublimation process.
Because of the high price of nickel, the market is increasingly calling for resource-saving stainless materials with good forming properties. To meet this demand, the Stainless segment developed the new material 1.4640 as a low-cost alternative to the well-known austenitic Cr-Ni steel 1.4301. A patent application has been filed with the European Patent Office. The innovation is based on the successful combination of the elements chromium, nickel, manganese, copper and nitrogen in the production of a stainless steel material.
The Technologies segment reached a new milestone in the development of fully mobile crushers. The first reference unit for an opencast coal mine went into operation in Yiminhe in China. The new unit can move while in operation (fully mobile operation). These crushers can handle up to 10,000 metric tons of coal, oil sands or iron ore per hour. Compared with stationary systems, which require special transporters to convey the mined material to the crusher, they reduce CO2 emissions by up to 150,000 tons per year.
We also developed a new manufacturing process for high-strength, lightweight vehicle springs. In the so-called ThermoTecSpring® process the wire is hot-rolled before being wound into a spring. This increases both its strength and toughness. The result is a weight-optimized vehicle spring featuring thinner wire and fewer coils.
The Elevator segment added two newly developed elevators to its range. Firstly a mini machine-room elevator was approved for sale in the Asia/Pacific region. With a maximum speed of 1.75 meters per second, it can carry up to 13 passengers. Requiring no more than the area of the shaft, the machine room is space-saving and low in cost. The second new product is a gearless elevator with very good ride properties intended mainly for use in private homes. It starts and stops extremely gently and is very quiet in operation.