In speed skating, top speeds and peak performances are the order of the day. This is made possible by the high-quality material used to manufacture the blades of many professional ice skates: bohlerstrip bimetal from voestalpine Precision Strip. Dutch sprinter and Olympic champion Xandra Velzeboer has always relied on high-quality blades made of bohlerstrip bimetal, which is produced using a laser longitudinal welding process at the Böhlerwerk site. On the ice, the blades with their straight running surface ensure the right speed: a film of water forms between the ice and the blade, reducing friction and enabling top speeds of up to 60 km/h. To achieve this, the blades must be razor-sharp—during the competition season, they are therefore sharpened up to four times a week.
The runners are therefore subjected to enormous demands in top-class sport – extreme stresses that bohlerstrip bimetal can withstand in every case. This high-end product is actually designed for the production of metal saws, which, similar to speed skating, also have to withstand high continuous loads. In the manufacture of bohlerstrip bimetal, high-strength high-speed steel wire is applied to the saw blade made of more flexible spring steel strip using a laser beam, and the two materials are inseparably bonded together. voestalpine Precision Strip is one of the pioneers who played a key role in developing the process and, as a trailblazer in this technology, has been the global market leader for many decades.
Professional speed skaters discovered the advantages of this material several decades ago. “A skating boot manufacturer first tried our bimetal back in the 1980s. Since then, many manufacturers have been buying the steel for their blades from us,” says Axel M., Head of Marketing at voestalpine Precision Strip. Like the best athletes in speed skating, most manufacturers come from the Netherlands, where ice skating is a national sport with a correspondingly strong elite. “At the Olympic Games and other competitions, Dutch skaters usually win the medals,” confirms Axel M., who grew up in northern Germany near the Dutch border. However, he himself is just as happy to see other nations win—as long as they are skating on bohlerstrip blades.
Die voestalpine ist ein weltweit führender Stahl- und Technologiekonzern mit kombinierter Werkstoff- und Verarbeitungskompetenz. Die global tätige Unternehmensgruppe verfügt über rund 500 Konzerngesellschaften und -standorte in mehr als 50 Ländern auf allen fünf Kontinenten. Sie notiert seit 1995 an der Wiener Börse. Mit ihren Premium-Produkt- und Systemlösungen zählt sie zu den führenden Partnern der Automobil- und Hausgeräteindustrie sowie der Luftfahrt- und Öl- & Gasindustrie und ist darüber hinaus Weltmarktführer bei Bahninfrastruktursystemen, bei Werkzeugstahl und Spezialprofilen. Die voestalpine bekennt sich zu den globalen Klimazielen und verfolgt mit greentec steel einen klaren Plan zur Dekarbonisierung der Stahlproduktion.
