Research & Innovations in Metallurgy

Metal Industry is one of the oldest industries in the world and unlike many, it has always supported technological innovations and has been adoptive of modern trends.

• GREEN STEELMAKING : "Green Steelmaking" will make the production process much less carbon-intensive, as the carbon reductant is replaced by hydrogen in various ways. A hydrogen-based direct-reduction solution, which allows the direct usage of any kind of iron ore fines, can nearly avoid any carbon footprint in ironmaking. Emissions will be close to zero. By-products will be vaporized and recycled, and processes executed with perfect energy efficiency.
• HIGH-QUALITY PRODUCTS : Electric vehicles are advancing fast in the marketplace. Silicon steel grades, Advanced High Strength Steels (AHSS) and stainless grades highlight the important role that steel will play in this new, dynamic sector.
• DIGITIZATION : Digitalization will fully automate all plants and equipment, the use of robots in dangerous working areas will dramatically increase workplace safety, Condition Monitoring Systems (CMS), and Augmented Reality (AR) will, among other things, facilitate maintenance activities. Processes will be optimized by artificial intelligence based on Big Data as well as rule-based Through-Process Optimization (TPO). Defects on final products will become negligible.
• COMBINED PROCESS FOR SMELTING AND ROLLING : A smelting machine – a converter or an electric furnace – is installed in the same shop; here, the continuous casting takes place in a CCM (continuous casting machine for billets), which conveys hardened hot slabs, blooms or billets directly to rolling. These machines are called casting and rolling modules, or casting and rolling facilities.
• Specifically in theSTEEL INDUSTRY : "STEEL INDUSTRY, a lot of innovations are happening and as iron & steel predominantly impacts the overall metal industry globally, the trends and innovations in Steel are very important. Below are some of the methods that are new in this space –
  • The ORC Technology: Thermodynamically heat changes to work in a cycle called Rankine Cycle and this system depends on the water gives around 85% of overall power generation.
  • Hybrit Process: The collaborative task of three Swedish organizations, SSAB, LKAB, and Vattenfall started the project called 'Hybrit' ('Hydrogen Breakthrough Ironmaking Technology'). The goal is to create zero-carbon in steel production beginning from 2020.
  • Jet Process: One of the latest advancements for exceptional converters is the Jet Process. General proficiency of over half is come to and a wide scope of scrap rates can be handled in an exceedingly profitable way.
  • Molten Oxide Electrolysis: Molten Oxide Electrolysis is an unconventional electrometallurgical system that allows quick production of metal in the liquid state from oxide raw material. It promises considerable simplification of the whole process and essential energy need minimization.
• METAL FABRICATION : is also one of the most critical part of the global metal industry. below are some of the other latest trends & innovations in this fabrication –
  • Implementing Automation & CNC Machines: Computer numerical control (CNC) machines are an integral part of the metal fabrication industry, but until recently, they required human intervention and programming to function. Incorporating automation into the CNC portion of metal fabrication can remove some repetitiveness from this step, increasing efficiency and productivity in the long run.
  • Upgrading Cybersecurity: New technology is slowly taking over metal fabrication as a whole, and with this change comes the need for increased cybersecurity to ensure networks remain secure.
  • Adopting Agile Methods: Modern aluminium smelting techniques might use a method that can trace its roots all the way back to 1886, but the industry itself needs to embrace agility in the modern age. This has become increasingly apparent in 2020 as the COVID-19 pandemic threw an enormous wrench in operations.
  • 3D Printing & Additive Manufacturing: 3D printing may have started as a tool for hobbyists, but it’s quickly emerging as one of the most versatile tools in nearly every industry. In metal fabrication, additive manufacturing provides a new level of customisation to an already versatile industry.