Federal President Joachim Gauck presented the German Future Award â Federal Presidentâs Award for Technology and Innovation in Berlin. Included among the winners was the joint project by Salzgitter Flachstahl, SMS Siemag and the Technical University of Clausthal, âHorizontal Thin Strip Casting of Steel â Designed to Manufacture New High-Performance Materials in a Resource-Efficient Wayâ. It is one of three projects nominated for the prize after a selection procedure.
The team developed a new steel casting process that requires much less energy than conventional methods. It offers the prospect of producing a whole new generation of steel materials â the HSD® grades â that can reduce energy consumption when used in lightweight construction such as in the automotive industry.
Project spokesperson Ulrich Grethe, CEO of Salzgitter Flachstahl, said: âOur nomination for the future prize underlines the high potential of steel as the number-one industrial material in todayâs key areas of mobility, communication, demography, and resource saving. We are delighted about the nomination because our new process is the result of many years of teamwork between scientists and practitioners. It also demonstrates how excellently this kind of cooperation works in the industrial powerhouse that is Germany.â?
During its full-scale implementation of the project, the Salzgitter group invested in a pilot plant that is currently in the run-up phase at its Peine location.
