POSCO wins Gold, Silver, and Bronze for new technologies at the worldstainless-27 conference, a first among global steelmakers
Recognized superior technologies such as high-strength steel for large-scaled premium home appliances, non-magnetic steel for mobile devices, and low-cost brazing filler metal
“We will lead the global market and supply the highest quality products to our customers based on our stainless steel material development technologies,” said Lee Kyung-jin, Head of Office Stainless Steel Marketing at POSCO
POSCO made a groundbreaking achievement by winning three awards in the Technology Category at the worldstainless-27 conference. The company is the first global steelmaker to win three awards for new technologies.
POSCO garnered Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards in the Technology Category at the 27th the worldstainless-27 conference held in Brussels, Belgium, held on May 10 to 12 (local time). This is yet another global recognition of their technical prowess, following the Gold Award for the same category at the 26th conference last year.
The worldstainless is a representative organization in the global stainless steel industry. Established in 1996, it is a association for discussing and exchanging information on the challenges and development directions facing the stainless steel market, such as securing raw material competitiveness, developing new demands, and transitioning towards environmentally friendly practices. Since 2006, it has been awarding best practices in four categories—Technologies, Market Development, Safety and Sustainability—to enhance members’ efforts in developing technologies and expanding markets.
In the Technology Category, four steelmakers submitted a total of eight nominations, and POSCO won all three awards, including Gold, for its “High-Strength 430 Dual Phase (DP) Stainless Steel for Large-Scaled Premium Home Appliances”; Silver for its “Non-Magnetic and High Strength Austenitic Stainless Steel with 316 High Nitrogen (HN) for Mobile Devices”, and Bronze for its “Development of Low-Cost Brazing Filler Metal for Stainless Steel” for air-conditioning refrigerant piping.
The high-strength 430 DP steel, which won Gold, was developed in cooperation with Samsung Electronics based on original technology from the POSCO R&D Center. It is a highly innovative steel product that has increased its strength by 50% while reducing the material thickness by 20% compared to conventional steel. It has strong properties that can withstand dents and scratches and will be available later this year for exterior use, such as premium refrigerator doors.
Based on this joint development with Samsung Electronics, POSCO will expand its technology exchanges to produce eco-friendly and high-performance steel materials in the future. Ultimately, the two companies expect to reduce carbon emissions through lighter materials, contributing to the achievement of low-carbon and green goals.
The Silver award–winning 316 HN steel was developed for the non-magnetic, high-strength needs of mobile devices requiring high precision. Recently, mobile devices, such as smartphones, have been enhancing their camera performance by adding various sensors, bringing about the challenge to block electromagnetic waves inside the device to prevent camera malfunctions. As such, POSCO developed 316 HN steel, an improved version of existing steel grades that generates magnetism when processed. With its high strength and ability to prevent interference between electronic components, 316 HN steel is expected to be widely used in mobile and foldable devices with improved camera performance.
In addition, the Bronze award was given for low-cost brazing filler metal for stainless steel that uses more copper and significantly less silver than conventional welding materials, resulting in more than 80% reduction in costs.
“Winning the award in the Technology Category is the result of POSCO’s active identification of the needs of customers and the market, as well as researching and developing them in close cooperation with technical research institutes and steel mills,” said Lee Kyung-jin, Head of Office Stainless Steel Marketing at POSCO, who attended the conference. “We will continue to strive to lead the global stainless steel technology market and provide customers with the highest quality products.”
Meanwhile, POSCO has won 13 awards so far, including the 470 FC for hydrogen electric vehicle (EV) divider plate (Gold in Technology) in 2018, fuel tanks for plug-in hybrid EVs (Silver in Technology) and stainless steel sealed containers (Gold in Market Development) in 2020, and high-performance ferrite stainless steel manufacturing technology for large home appliances (Gold in Technology) in 2022.
▲ Stainless steel cold-rolled coil products produced by POSCO’s Pohang works.