Sumitomo Metals Develops High-tech Process, Products

Sumitomo Metal Industries tries to expand high grade steel business through the research and development effort. The firm held the 55th group’s technical presentation in Amagasaki, Hyogo on Wednesday to share the technical development information in the group. The firm announced the presentation for new continuous casting technology for high grade plate, high performance nickel based alloy against metallic dusting and new titanium alloy with better workability. The firm developed porosity control of casting slab (PCCS) and surface structure control cooling (SSC) and introduced the technology for no.2 continuous caster at Kashima works. The PCCS is to remove porosity in order to speed up the plate making process for products with more than 100 millimeters thick while the firm produces such thick plate by making individual ingot. The SSC is to avoid slab surface crack, especially in 800-900 degrees of centigrade of surface temperature by controlling surface constitution in micrometers level. The firm also developed new nickel based alloy through the original surfactant-mediated resistance technology. The firm developed the alloy by adding copper not to absorb carbon under 450-800 degrees centigrade in the process to make normal temperature liquid gas while traditionally, the gas is made by rapid quenching to avoid the carbon effect. The alloy contributes to efficient liquid energy making process in normal temperature by collecting and utilizing the heat. The firm is testing the alloy at oil majors’ plant to prove the performance. The firm also developed new titanium alloy, Super Sumitomo Alloyed Titanium or SSAT-35. The firm expects the alloy can reduce cost both for supplier and user due to the better workability than traditional alloy with 6% aluminium and 4% vanadium. The new alloy with 3% aluminium and 5% vanadium has fine metal constitute. The supplier can make the alloy easier than traditional hard titanium alloy and the user can improve the working efficiency.