Technologies as the key to a livable future

We demonstrate with our technologies some ways we assist and improve people's everyday lives based on 12 selected examples of developments.

We as voestalpine are a technology and capital goods company that leads the world in its business segments, drawing strength from its combined expertise in materials and processing and from its view of continuous development as an opportunity.

Press-hardened steel: High-strength car body panels made from lightweight steels

High malleability, efficiency and safety – when it comes to these properties in automobile manufacturing, the focus quickly moves to modern materials. These offer protection in a collision and guarantee durability, as do our high-strength car body panels made from press-hardened steel. With technologies developed in our own labs, we provide for safe, lightweight construction in modern mobility.

Lamination stacks from electrical steel strip: Motors for e-mobility

Quiet and powerful electric motors are driving mobility forward. They represent the future of transit on our roads. We produce special thin sheet metal, optimized and coated in our annealing line, for these innovative electric drives. Well-known manufacturers use these high-performance lamination stacks, bonded using state-of-the-art technology, to ensure the motors for electric cars offer unsurpassed performance.

Iron briquettes:  Environmentally friendly raw material of the future

Reducing the amount of carbon dioxide emitted into the atmosphere during steel production significantly lowers the burden on our environment. Iron briquettes ¬– or HBI – for steel production are the result of a modern method we use to prepare iron ore for further processing using natural gas instead of coke. Using this technology to produce briquettes with high iron content is an important step toward more environmentally compatible processes.

Surface coatings: Trendsetting features and designs for household appliances

Hot steam, sharp knives, continuous use – day in and day out, modern household appliances dependably withstand all of the demands placed on them while also showing off their appealing design. We produce coated sheet steels for appliances that accent any home in a brilliant variety of colors. Special layers of vapor-deposited hard coatings ensure their durable surfaces retain their color and shape for many years to come. In the future, in addition to a variety of designs, we will also be making revolutionary features possible that make our daily lives easier.

Head-hardened rails: Wear-resistant railway tracks for generations

300 kilometers per hour and more? No problem! When it comes to tracks, railway companies around the world depend on ultra-hard tracks from voestalpine. They carry high-speed trains just as safely as extremely heavy freight trains and, naturally, trams and underground trains as well. Our specially hardened tracks withstand enormous demands and make carefree travel possible. They guarantee dependability in daily use over generations.

Turnout systems: Intelligent track changes even at maximum speeds

Turnouts give trains their direction and are the switching points for modern railway networks. Sophisticated mechanisms safeguard operation of their highly complex components under all conditions. To ensure function and reliability, our modern turnout systems use their “intelligence”:  they examine themselves and report whether they are in good working order or if maintenance is required, which prevents failures.

Oil Country Tubular Goods: Materials development for energy production and transport

Sour gas is an unwelcome companion in many newly tapped petroleum and natural gas reserves – it attacks Oil Country Tubular Goods from the inside out. Our resistant materials reliably withstand this stress. Special alloys and manufacturing methods offer attractive solutions that ensure consistent and reliable long-term production of petroleum and natural gas.

Additive manufacturing: 3D printing with metals

Print complicated parts out of metal directly from the computer, give them to the assembly line and reduce weight while you’re at it – it sounds like a fantasy. With additive manufacturing, however, this is now becoming reality: In 3D printing using metals, laser beams melt very fine metallic powder into solid components capable of withstanding high levels of stress. A complex component can be created this way, layer by layer. In the process, we make use of our many years of expertise in the production of metal powders and combine this with new technologies.

Plastic mould steel: Tool steels for new smartphone features

Spontaneous and always on hand – these days any modern smartphone can take razor-sharp photos. A glance at the display confirms the good results in seconds. Manufacturers of photographic lenses and displays for smartphones mould their high-end products with tool steels from voestalpine. Their high purity and polishing capabilities stand out worldwide and provide the right conditions for the mobile 3D photography of tomorrow.

Welding consumables: Secure joining of metals

Welded seams hold everything together, from cruise ships and subcompact cars to pipelines for natural gas. Our welding consumables are indispensable in creating these stable connections. And to make sure they do not introduce any unwanted elements, we protect them from moisture by enclosing them in wire. Wherever welding is done – we are there, with the most extensive range of innovative cored wires.

Wire: Safety and stability for vehicles and architectural constructions

Wire can do (almost) anything. Drawn to a hair’s width, it cuts microchips. Braided into bundles, it holds up bridges. And pressed into centimeter-thick cam shafts and used inside turbochargers, it sets cars in motion. Our know-how in wire production provides safety and stability for vehicles and buildings – with utmost surface quality and unsurpassed processing properties.

Aircraft parts: Precisely forged aerospace components

Aircraft parts must be able to withstand stresses that vary from one extreme to the other. High pressure differences, low temperatures, enormous forces at takeoff and landing – over the years, they bear the burdens of all of the ups and downs of flying. To make sure the structural components maintain their dependability in flight, we manufacture them from high-strength metal alloys using state-of-the-art methods. We forge and strengthen these valuable materials on tools weighing several tons and, as a result, make the dream of flying come true for millions of people, each and every day.

More on focus technology: http://www.voestalpine.com/focus