The global magazine for corrosion resistant alloy users, suppliers and fabricators

cover story:
INTOCO - Respected speciality
supplier of high-end alloys
In this issue...
• Water – a race against time
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• Avoiding water woes with stainless service lines

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nd

• Material learning software predicts material performance

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www.stainless-steel-world.net
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Volume 35, October 2023

W
 Special alloys
From stock
From our integrated
manufacturing of
bw fittings

Singapore
FIT TINGS

Scotland
FLANGES

Brazil
PIPES

Dubai
Italy

raccortubigroup.com
 [ Editorial ]

Water, the essence of life

Volume 35, October 2023
Stainless Steel World is the global magazine “Water is life’s matter and matrix, mother and medium.
for corrosion resistant alloy users, suppliers
and fabricators. There is no life without water.”
www.stainless-steel-world.net
Dr Albert Szent-Gyorgyi, 1893 – 1986, Discoverer of Vitamin C
Director KCI Publishing B.V
Elisa Hannan
e.hannan@kci-world.com No resource on this planet is more precious than water. A person
Tel: +31 575 585 291
lying parched in the desert will forfeit all their wealth, influence
Editor-in-Chief and power for a single glass of water. Yet, in many regions of the
Joanne McIntyre
j.mcintyre@kci-world.com
world, we take water for granted and have done so for many
Tel: +31 575 585294 years. Climate change is rapidly exacerbating water problems.
From scorching droughts to massive floods, water supply
Editorial Team (print & online)
press.ssw@kci-world.com problems - whether too much water or too little – are impacting
Ellie Pritchard e.pritchard@kci-world.com
Alexandra Kist a.kist@kci-world.com
our lives. Sustainable solutions are required in the short term to
Gert Wijbrans g.wijbrans@kci-world.com alleviate suffering, environmental impacts and economic losses.
Sara Mathov s.mathov@kci-world.com
David Sear d.sear@kci-world.com Whether you’re suffering from too much or too little water, stainless steel and other
corrosion resistant alloys (CRA) offer long-term solutions.
Sales & Marketing
Vera Solis Esquivel
v.solis.esquivel@kci-world.com This month, we have three features on water handling and the role that CRA play.
James Chater has researched global projects to alleviate water problems and the
Subscription Coordinator strategies to achieve these. “There is no shortage of ideas, potential solutions, and
Renate Collet subs@kci-world.com
Tel: +31 575 789 269 proposals to solve the water scarcity problem,” says James. “What is lacking is a sense
of urgency and political will.”
Stainless Steel World is published ten times per year. Subscriptions
are renewed automatically in accordance
with Dutch legislation.
We are delighted to have an article written exclusively for Stainless Steel World by
ISSN: 1383-7184 Team Stainless, titled “Avoiding water woes with stainless steel service lines”. It
Publishing House
points out that water distribution systems worldwide lose, on average, a third of their
KCI Publishing B.V., Leeuwenbrug 95 treated supply to leakage, with some losing well over half. Such wastage has a massive
7411 TH Deventer, The Netherlands
economic and environmental impact CRA can alleviate.
Mailing Address
KCI Publishing B.V., PO Box 825, Finally, I’ve taken a look at the Middle East, a region suffering from chronic water
7400 AV Deventer, The Netherlands
kci.deventer@kci-world.com
shortages. There are many projects underway to alleviate this problem, with the
Tel: +31 575 585270 emphasis being on conservation, desalination, and advanced storage mechanisms.
Bank account: ABNAMRO 56.64.05.164
BIC: ABNANL2A IBAN: NL50ABNA0566405164
This month, we welcome Intoco to our cover. Meeting the team and learning about
China Office their journey as a specialist steel supplier over the past fifty years was an absolute
KCI Shanghai, Room 603, 6F, #400 Zhejiang Mid. Road, 200001,
Shanghai, China pleasure. A strong background in manufacturing gives them a unique perspective on
info.shanghai@kci-world.com
Tel: +86 21 6351 9609 Fax: +86 21 6351 9607
what customers need, as reflected in the very high levels of service, responsibility and
integrity the company exhibits. Read all about Intoco from page 8.
Germany Office
KCI GmbH, Tiergartenstr. 64, D-47533 Kleve, Germany Elsewhere in the issue, we have a cracker of a technical paper from Andrea Ciufinni
info.kleve@kci-world.com
Tel: +49 2821 71145 0 Fax: +49 2821 71145 69 from the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France. As the source of the world’s
most intense high-energy X-rays, the facility provides new opportunities for material
Canada Office development. Some of you may have met Andrea at the Stainless Steel World conference
36 King East, Suite 701, Toronto ON M5C 1E5, Canada
info.toronto@kci-world.com last month, and if so, you’ll be pleased to read more about this remarkable research.
Tel: +1 416 361 7030 Fax: +1 416 361 6191

http://twitter.com/SSW_Update Best wishes,

https://www.facebook.com/stainlesssteelworld
Joanne McIntyre
Editor-in-Chief of Stainless Steel World
http://www.linkedin.com/groups/2084380/
j.mcintyre@kci-world.com
http://www.youtube.com/user/kcipub

The publishers and the authors state that this magazine has been compiled
meticulously and to the best of their knowledge, however, the publisher and
the authors can in no way guarantee the accuracy or completeness of the
information. The publisher and authors therefore do not accept any liability for
any damage resulting from actions or decision based on the information in
question. Users of this magazine are strongly advised not to use this information
solely, but to rely on their professional knowledge and experience, and to
check the information to be used. KCI Publishing cannot guarantee the
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The publisher reserves the right to combine, delete and change sections.

The publisher reserves the right to edit and re-use (parts of) the articles
and to distribute the information by any means.

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Stainless Steel World is a trademark of Technical Business Publications II BV
Thijs Elshof, PO Box 67, 6680 AB Lingewaard, The Netherlands

© 2023 All rights reserved

637886 © Kornwa, Dreamstime.com

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 3

[ Contents ]

8 COVER STORY

INTOCO – respected speciality supplier of

high-end alloys
For over fifty years, Independent Tool Consultants Limited T/A INTOCO has
supplied special stainless steels and nickel alloys with exceptional levels of
service, speed and reliability. With a wealth of technical knowledge developed
over the decades, INTOCO is now one of the largest on-site stockholders in the
UK for specialist alloys such as high-end nickel alloys and duplexes.

12 MACHINE LEARNING 26 ADDITIVE MANUFACTURING

Machine learning software accurately predicts US Navy installs metal AM
material performance on board USS Bataan
Senvol recently A metal 3D printing solution
demonstrated a machine has been installed on a US Navy
learning approach to ship for spare parts and repairs.
material allowables
development that was
shown to be more
flexible, cost-effective, and time-effective than the
28 CORROSION TESTING
conventional approach. Rapid stainless steel corrosion test
The Bundesanstalt für
14 WATER HANDLING Materialforschung und
-prüfung (BAM) research
Water: the race against time institute has developed a rapid
Water conservation, colour test to detect corrosion
recycling, the in stainless steels.
conversion of
wastewater into
drinking water, and
30 WATER HANDLING
desalination all have
Kamihirai Flood Gate: a stainless steel solution to
a part to play in global climate change
delivering solutions to Nippon Steel Stainless Steel
a parched world. In each of these solutions, stainless Corp has contributed to the
steel plays a role. Kamihirai Flood Gate, one of
Japan’s largest stainless-steel
water gates.
20 WELDING
Advanced SAM validates integrity of diffusion 32 INNOVATION
bonds
New world record forged
For bond quality testing,
shackle
Scanning Acoustic
Microscopy offers far A Dutch company specialising in
greater accuracy and the manufacture of bespoke forged
reliability than traditional products has produced the world’s
helium leak testing. largest forged shackle.

22 WATER HANDLING
34 MATERIALS
Avoiding water woes with stainless steel service
lines Latest advances in stainless steels characterisation
Climate change is set to at the ESRF
increase pressure significantly The European Synchrotron
on people’s access to Radiation Facility (ESRF) was
water and sanitation unless upgraded in 2021, making it the
governments do more to source of the most intense high
prepare key infrastructure now. energy (6 GeV) X-rays in the world.

4 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net

 [ Contents ]

38 ENERGY TRANSITION ADVERTISERS’ INDEX

Optimised magnets for the energy transition
Decomecc NV 29
The European Innovation Council is
funding research led by Technical
University Darmstadt to synthesise, Hart b.v. 55
produce and test new alloys suitable
for permanent magnets and HW-Inox GmbH 25
magnetocaloric Applications.
Intoco Ltd. 13

39 WATER HANDLING Jiangsu Liankun Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. 37

Water in the Middle East – tackling a chronic

Jiaxing MT Stainless Steel Co., Ltd. 57
shortage
Strategies encompassing
conservation, desalination, and Lovere Bilbao I, S.L 68
advanced storage mechanisms
are pivotal in effectively Mangalam Worldwide Ltd 45
addressing water shortages in the Middle East.
MRC Global Inc. 19

42 DESIGN Raccortubi SpA 2

Stainless steel grade 431; the

better choice for propellers Ratnamani Metals & Tubes Ltd 67
Grade 431 is a highly suitable
propeller material which far STAROFIT Klose GmbH & Co. KG 53
outperforms aluminium.
Zhejiang Xintongda Special Steel 56

44 SURFACE HARDENING
Empowering medical device
applications with surface hardening STAINLESS STEEL WORLD MAGAZINE
The nitrocarburizing process enhances
is available in both
by the hardness and corrosion resistance
of stainless steel. PRINT and DIGITAL format
Print Subscriptions: EUR 99/year
46 MARKETS
Digital Subscriptions: FREE! SCAN TO SUBSCRIBE

UK metals sector optimistic despite trade, energy &

labour challenges
Rising energy prices, the impact
of life after the EU and labour
shortages continue to be the
main challenges facing the UK
metals sector according to a new
report released by the UK Metals Council.

6 Special Topic Update

49 Community Update

50 Industry Update

59 Buyers’ Guide
The Buyers’ Guide and
Application Guide are your
essential reference tools for
sourcing corrosion resistant alloys.
free digital subscriptions_ssw - 2.indd 1 27/06/2023 16:01:13

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 5

 g
lin Special Focus Update
nd
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GWO - A gateway to water challenges package, combining the machinery with smart process control
The recent establishment of the Global technology. The system comprises high precision valves with
Water Organization underscores large flow range, high water nozzle density, and actuators
Saudi Arabia’s commitment to with advanced flow control valves, crown, and edge control
the sustainability of global water functions. This guarantees superior cooling performance and
resources. This initiative reflects the uniform temperature along the length and width of the plate.
Kingdom’s recognition of the vital The tailor-made water treatment plant consists of several
role of water supplies in ensuring pump groups installed to supply cooling water to the
the future of humanity, achieving MULPIC machine. The installed pumps are partly frequency-
sustainable development goals, controlled and can switch between different pump groups
and mitigating the risk associated within seconds. This reduces maintenance requirements and
with global freshwater supplies improves the uniform cooling of the plate.
in the world. This need is further
elevated by the devasting impacts of
drought, floods, and pollution, which can destabilize economic
IEUA water program expansion
and geopolitical stability, food and energy security, and
environmental sustainability.
The Global Water Organization, with its robust research,
policy development, and practical implementation approach,
recognizes the interconnection between water challenges
and other global issues. By pooling global resources, Saudi
Arabia aims to contribute significantly to achieving sustainable
development goals and ensuring abundant water, sanitation
services, and management.

Primetals water treatment plant

Primetals Technologies has received an order from Liberty
Galati for a new Multi-Purpose Interrupted Cooling (MULPIC)
system and a water treatment plant that will be implemented at
its heavy plate mill line in Romania. The technology provides
an in-line plate cooling system designed to reach the cooling
rates and temperature drops required for plates of varying
product dimensions. This will expand the product range and
improve the plates’ product quality.
The MULPIC technology is an in-line and integrated plate
cooling system that is offered as a complete mechatronics
Jacobs was selected by Inland Empire Utilities Agency
(IEUA) in California to provide program management,
owners engineering services, and strategic funding
advisory services for a major regional water management
program that will incorporate indirect potable reuse to
create a more sustainable, drought-resilient local water
supply in the Chino Basin.
The program encompasses a series of new integrated
water infrastructure projects, including intra-basin
recycled water conveyance, groundwater injection and
replenishment and an advanced water purification facility
(AWPF) that will be able to produce up to 15,000 acre-
feet per year of purified water for indirect potable reuse
using groundwater augmentation, enough water for nearly
100,000 residents. The basin-wide water management
program will optimize water reuse in IEUA’s 242 square-
mile service area, further increasing local supply
reliability, and managing water quality in the Chino Basin.
In addition to program management, Jacobs will provide
owners engineering and specialist technology, design,
permitting, community outreach and strategic advisory
services for a range of projects that will deliver additional
water into the basin.

6 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net


AlKhorayef secures contract from NWC
National Water Company (NWC) has awarded a Long-Term
Operation and Maintenance (LTOM) contract worth over SR1.6
bn (USD 426M) to Alkhorayef Water and Power Technologies
Company for sewage treatment plants (STPs) in Riyadh. The
contract aims to cover the rehabilitation, operation, and
maintenance of three STPs in Riyadh (Manfouha STPs complex)
with a total treatment capacity of 700,000 cu m/day.
As part of the contract, AWPT will invest over SR 550M in
rehabilitation works, which will improve the operational
performance and environmental compliance. NWC expects to
receive LTOM proposals for the STPs in Heet and Al-Hayer in
Riyadh later this month, with a total sewage treatment capacity
of 870,000 cu m/day.
Through these contracts, NWC aims to support the national
economy by enabling expansion and growth in the water
sector and creating opportunities and long-term partnerships
with local and international private sector companies.
Moddex develops Tuffrail® 316 handrail systems
Moddex has developed the Tuffrail® range the pre-engineered
alternative to traditional welded handrail systems in durable
galvanised, aluminium and stainless-steel materials.
Tuffrail® 316 Marine-grade Stainless Steel is backed by Moddex
with a 50-year Product Warranty. Designed for outstanding
performance in the harshest environments from offshore oil rigs
to acidic wastewater treatment plants, it will significantly reduce
the cost of providing welded stainless steel handrails. It’s quicker
and safer than welding on site and it’s easier to install than pre-
fabricated stainless-steel systems that have to be dropped into
place with expensive cranes, often causing work delays. Tuffrail
is a handrail system designed to go up in half the time, or less,
from conveniently delivered, pre-configured kits. Fit-for-purpose
compliant, it was developed to meet industrial applications that
need to comply with AS/NZS 1657.
www.stainless-steel-world.net
[ Special Focus ]
WABAG & Metito develop desalination plant
The JV of VA TECH WABAG and Metito signed the contract to
develop a 400,000m³/day Perur Sea Water Reverse Osmosis
(SWRO) Desalination Plant by the Chennai Metropolitan Water
Supply and Sewerage Board (CMWSSB). The project aims to
enhance water security and ensure a steadfast supply of clean
potable water to over 2.7 million people residing in the Indian
state of Tamil Nadu’s South Chennai area.
The scope of the JV –covers the entire spectrum of project
development – from design and engineering to procurement,
construction, installation, testing, and commissioning over a period
of 42 months, which will followed by 20 years of Operation and
Maintenance (O&M) of the plant. The desalination process includes
Lamella Clarifiers, Dissolved Air Flotation System, Gravity Dual
Media Filters, Reverse Osmosis, and Re-mineralization. The joint
venture will be led by WABAG, headquartered in India.
New Mexico water project
The Bureau of Reclamation joined the Eastern New Mexico Water
Utility Authority and the state of New Mexico to break ground on
the next phase of a water project to bring a safe, reliable water
supply to eastern New Mexico.
When completed, the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water System
will convey water from Ute Reservoir to approximately 70,000
people in the municipalities of Clovis, Elida, Portales, Texico,
Roosevelt County, and Cannon Air Force Base. Reclamation
has announced over USD 222M in funds from the Bipartisan
Infrastructure Law for the Eastern New Mexico Rural Water
System to expedite work on the project.
The Finished Water One portion of the project, now under
construction, includes 15 miles of pipeline that will deliver water
from the future water treatment plant to other completed pipelines
and laterals serving the member communities. The entire system
will include approximately 120 miles of pipe, two raw water pump
stations, a water intake facility, a smaller finished water booster
pump station, storage tanks and a water treatment plant.
Stainless Steel World October 2023 7
[ Cover Story ]

INTOCO – respected speciality supplier of

high-end alloys
For over fifty years, Independent Tool Consultants Limited T/A INTOCO has supplied special
stainless steels and nickel alloys with exceptional levels of service, speed and reliability.
With a wealth of technical knowledge developed over the decades, INTOCO is now one of
the largest on-site stockholders in the UK for specialist alloys such as high-end nickel alloys
and duplexes. Stainless Steel World sat down with Tony Preece Managing Director, Emily
Price Head of Finance and Nigel Johnson Head of Steel Division, to learn more about the
company’s journey so far and its plans for the future.

By Joanne McIntyre, Stainless Steel World

As one of the largest independent
stockists and distributors of specialised
materials in the UK, the INTOCO
team know the importance of offering
consistently reliable, fast service to
customers. They supply high-end
alloys to customers who manufacture
components for demanding
applications such as oil and gas, where
quality and reliability are essential.
After more than fifty years in the
business, their smooth operations
and calm, orderly factories may make
it seem easy, but every process is
backed up with quality control and a
keen sense of responsibility to their
customers.
The cornerstone of INTOCO’s ongoing
success is its very high stocking
levels, begins Mr Preece, who heads
the company from its headquarters in
Cheltenham, UK. The stainless steels and
nickel alloys it supplies range in size
from 6.4mm to 764mm in diameter.
“Our motto is: ‘If you don’t have it, you
can’t sell it’, and this has stood us in good
stead over the decades,” Mr Preece
explains. “Our warehouses are fully
stocked with around GBP 15 million
pounds worth of stock, translating to
around 2,400 tonnes of specialist alloys.
As each order is processed, replacement
stock is immediately ordered. INTOCO’s
ongoing orders with steel mills with lead
times of up to a year account for an extra
30% of stock incoming at any time. While

8 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net


markets may fluctuate, our customers
know they can trust us to deliver what
they need, when they need it.”
Worldwide rapid delivery
“We’re renowned for rapidly shipping
products anywhere in the world,”
adds Mr Johnson . “Our specialised
shipping department ensures products
are delivered on time and in perfect
5 axis machining capabilities up to 8 tonnes
www.stainless-steel-world.net
The Steel Division
condition, protected in top-quality
packaging. More than half of our
business is outside of the UK, with
Europe being our largest geographical
market. Following Brexit, we adapted
swiftly to overcome any logistical
hiccups and continue to work closely
with customers to meet their demands
with a minimum of fuss. For example, our
products reach customers in mainland
Europe within 7-8 working days thanks
to the dedication of our logistics team.”
Global presence
The main markets to which INTOCO
supplies steel are the oil and gas
industry, followed by the food industry.
“In addition, our high-end alloys go
into many demanding industries, often
for critical parts and components. Our
steel customer base includes very
demanding applications, including the
petrochemical, valve engineering, sub-
sea, wind energy, and pharmaceutical
[ Cover Story ]
industries. We also have customers who
are aerospace-qualified and require
some of our materials for that sector.”
Demanding Quality Management
System
Traceability and certification are key to
INTOCO’s success, and every product
can be traced back to the mill that
produced it.
“INTOCO has been ISO 9001:2015
certified for many years,” continues
Mr Johnson. “We work and adhere to
a very strict and demanding quality
management system (QMS), and
welcome external audits by clients.”
Dedicated members of staff have roles
solely focused on ensuring quality and
technical expertise at all levels within
the company. “These team members
review all certificates and requirements
to ensure we are always meeting
or exceeding quality requirements.
Regular internal audits ensure nothing is
overlooked.”
Over the past twenty years, INTOCO
has developed and worked to its own
stringent specification for all incoming
material. “We adhere very strictly to that
specification,” explains Mr Johnson.
“Some manufacturers are initially
surprised by our demands because they
are so high, but we expect the best of
the best. We consistently monitor our
suppliers to ensure they are meeting our
expectations.”
While the company’s accurate stock
and order system ensures smooth
operations, sometimes simple ideas can
provide clever solutions. For example,
a colour coding system has been
implemented to make identification of
the various grades the company stocks
easy and immediate. “The products are
colour-coded on receipt for checking
Stainless Steel World October 2023 9
[ Cover Story ]
services to our customers,” explains
Ms Price. “It’s very important to us that
we are fully cash-funded, and it’s fairly
unique in the industry. Having large cash
reserves means we can immediately
purchase what we need, get it on the
shelves, and ship it to the clients without
delay. This has been the INTOCO policy
for many years, and it applies to both the
manufacturing and the distribution sides
of the company.”

The INTOCO family

With a reserved, almost humble
attitude, the INTOCO management
team is a no-fuss, hard-working group
that quietly and consistently delivers
an extraordinary level of service to
demanding applications. However, one
aspect of the business of which they
The meticulous machine shops are fully equipped to offer extensive value-adding services are clearly very proud is their team,

and confirmation,” explains Mr Johnson,

“and this is backed up with colour- A history in machining & manufacturing
coded paperwork. The process starts in INTOCO started its journey in 1972 as a machining and manufacturing company
the office and finishes in the workshop, manufacturing and pre-machining die blanks for the aluminium extrusion industry.
so every grade is associated with a It went from there in 1978 into supplying hot work die steel by carrying immense
particular colour. It’s a simple idea, but it stock of W.2344 & W.2714 from diameters 150mm to 650mm and were able to offer
works brilliantly.” blanks close to their finished size with 24 hour delivery anywhere in the county.
This was a radical change for the die industry who previously had to heavily
Selected manufacturers stock rough forged unannealed die blanks massively oversized on their diameter
With such a laser-like focus on quality, thickness. It was a game-changing strategy which set up INTOCOs success for
it’s unsurprising that INTOCO works the future. It generated the capital for the company to expand into a very large
with a small, select group of suppliers manufacturing facility serving the metal extrusion industry.
for their materials. “Every single one From that point, the company branched out into the stainless steel and nickel alloy
is thoroughly audited and understands supply, which was a second huge success. “When we only stocked two grades of
exactly what our demands are,” explains steel we had every diameter available, and that business model is still in place
Mr Johnson. “Striving for quality requires today with regard to stock levels” explains Mr Preece. “We can deliver the sizes
hard work and a long-term commitment our customers need, on demand, every time, without delay.”
from both parties. As a result, we work The enormous expertise the company gained in early days in the metal extrusion
with a select, stable group of suppliers business allows it to offer extensive value-adding activities for customers today.
who have worked with us for many
years. This creates strong relationships
built on trust. While we will occasionally
take on new suppliers to fill any gaps
in our product offering, they must go
through a very thorough process before
gaining approval. As we’re constantly
anticipating demand for more than a
year head, stock projection is key to
fulfilling customer needs. Our trusted
supplier pool allows us to anticipate
demand and ensure the smooth
continuation of supply.”

Fully cash funded

Remarkably for such a large supplier of
high-end alloys, INTOCO works entirely
without any external financing.
“All of our operations are based on
our extensive cash reserves, which
are constantly increased to facilitate
the purchasing of stock and provide Sawing a 764 mm diameter piece of 316L steel

10 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net

 [ Cover Story ]
many of whom have been with the
company for decades.
Mr Preece: “We’ve got people who’ve
been on the workshop floor for up to
40 years! It is truly unique, and the
loyalty of our team is heartwarming and
a testament to how much they enjoy
sharing this journey with us. There is so
much experience and expertise within
our workforce. In today’s world, where
employees may job-hop every few
years, to have people choosing to stay
with us for their whole career is quite
remarkable.”
This loyalty is the result not just of
favourable working conditions, but
also of the environment in which staff
operate. “We truly are a family, all of
us. It says a lot about a company when
people are loyal.”
State of the art saws provide accuracy on sawn faces
Manufacturing experience =
technical expertise some added value. These include levels; and plans to expand into more
INTOCO is, in fact, two divisions activities as diverse as deep hole demanding applications requiring high-
operating within the same company. boring to heat treatment and a range of end alloys.
One division is a speciality steel ancillary services. Our machines can Ms Price explains: “We recently
supplier; the other is a manufacturing provide high-quality finishes on sawn acquired land to build a new large-scale
division targeted mostly to the products.” facility. Our plans include expanding
aluminium extrusion press industry. “An ongoing investment program our product range to include additional
The divisions operate as completely ensures our capabilities are forever grades of alloys, which will lead to an
separate entities. increasing to meet customer demands,” expansion in our customer base. We’re
“Our manufacturing division, which Ms Price continues. “Usually, we are also considering expanding fully into
specialises in tooling and press parts asked to rough-machine raw materials the plate and aerospace sector. Our
for aluminium extrusion presses, serves to a certain point. However, we’re careful current pool of suppliers can already
that application in almost every country not to encroach on our customers’ provide us with the alloys required
in the world,” explains Mr Preece . activities. We will never compete with for this, while our internal systems
“With that business dating back to our them by producing finished products; and quality control are already up to
foundation over fifty years ago, it is our activities are limited to helping them the standard required to serve this
the basis for our extensive knowledge save time and machining costs.” exceptionally demanding sector.”
in machining and manufacturing” “We place high value on the quality of our
(see box ‘A history in machining & Future developments products and the integrity of our business.
manufacturing’). The company’s steady success over So we welcome open conversations
the years means the INTOCO team which can be the start of a long-lasting
Experts in adding value is accustomed to planning ahead. relationship based on respect, integrity
In addition to providing specialist Upcoming developments include a and stability. That is exactly how INTOCO
alloys in a huge variety of sizes, significant expansion of the warehouse has become a trusted supplier of special
INTOCO also has extensive machining and office facilities to increase stock stainless steels and nickel alloys.”
capabilities to add value to raw
materials. The company’s vast in-house
Facts & Figures
knowledge of machining gained and
sharpened through its manufacturing Name: Independent Tool Consultants Limited T/A INTOCO
division, has provided in-house
Founded: 1972
capabilities and technical know-how
to carry out extensive machining Headquarters: Cheltenham, UK
operations.
“Our team has in-depth knowledge Sales office: Dundee, Scotland
of machining and manufacturing far Stainless Steels: (Super) duplex, 17-4 PH, 904L Austenitic, 440C, Super
beyond that of a regular supplier, austenitics, Integrex (NIT) 50 HS, Integrex (NIT) 50, Integrex
with our workshop able to handle (NIT) 60, 316
components weighing up to 8 tonnes,”
explains Mr Preece. “The team can Nickel Alloys: 718-AMS, 400, 718-API, K500, 825, 625, C276, A286/660
machine everything from very small
Website: www.intoco.co.uk
to extremely large items to provide

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 11

[ Machine Learning ]
Machine learning software accurately predicts
material performance
Senvol recently
demonstrated a machine
learning approach to
material allowables
development that was
shown to be more flexible,
cost-effective, and
time-effective than the
conventional approach.
By Senvol, USA
The work was done as part of a US
Government contract W911NF-20-9-0009
to apply machine learning software
Senvol ML to enable rapid development
of material property allowables for
additive manufacturing (AM).
Partners on the program included
EWI and Pilgrim Consulting. Battelle
and Lockheed Martin Fellow, Hector
Sandoval, also served as technical
advisors on the program. The contract
was administered by the National Center
for Manufacturing Sciences (NCMS)
through the AMMP Other Transaction
Agreement (OTA) program.
As part of the program, Senvol
demonstrated a new approach to
material allowables development
that leverages machine learning, an
approach that is extremely flexible and
able to handle any change to the AM
process, making it ideal for sustainment
in the long term. The program focused
on demonstrating the approach using
a 17-4 PH stainless steel material
processed via a powder bed fusion AM
machine.
Leveraging machine learning
“Material allowables development is
a very expensive and time-consuming
endeavor,” said Annie Wang, President
at Senvol. “Senvol’s program was very
successful in demonstrating a new
approach to additive manufacturing
(AM) allowables development that
leverages machine learning.”
AM is starting to enable lightweight
and rapidly produced designs that
are revolutionary to various defense
and commercial capabilities and
applications. These benefits cannot
yet be fully realized due to the
12 Stainless Steel World October 2023
17-4 PH stainless steel specimens fabricated during Senvol’s AMMP program.
time and high cost of allowables
development.
The high cost stems largely from
the fact that material allowable
development requires an enormous
amount of empirical data to be
generated, at a fixed processing point,
meaning that all of the empirical data
must typically be regenerated from
scratch every time there is a major
change in the process. This results in
an AM process that is not only costly
and time-consuming to implement the
first time, but also in the long-run when
there are inevitably changes to the AM
process.
Hector Sandoval, who reviewed the
AMMP program technical approach
and test results, adds, “It was exciting
to support the AMMP program by
reviewing the technical approach,
test results, and final presentation. It
was great to get a first-hand look at
the potential of leveraging a machine
learning-based approach to help
establish material allowables.”
Qualifying AM processes
Senvol ML software supports the
qualification of AM processes and
was used in the program to develop
statistically substantiated material
properties analogous to material
allowables. Furthermore, it did so
while simultaneously optimizing
data generation requirements.
Important to note is that the software
is flexible and can be applied to
any AM process, any AM machine,
and any AM material. Also of note
is that this project did not develop
true allowables. Due to budget and
programmatic constraints, the project
team had to make several simplifying
decisions.
Senvol President Zach Simkin comments,
“The use of machine learning for AM
process and material development is
very mature. This has been adopted
by industry and is the low-hanging
fruit. The use of machine learning
specifically for material allowables
development, however, is still a work in
progress. I’m pleased that we have now
made two successful demonstrations
of the machine learning approach
to allowables – once in this program
using a metal alloy and comparing to
MMPDS, and once in a prior program
funded by America Makes that used
a polymer material and compared to
CMH-17 – but more research is needed.
The upside is tremendous, and we look
forward to continuing to partner with the
Government and industry to advance
work in this area.”
Dr. William E. Frazier, retired Chief
Scientist for Air Vehicle Engineer at
NAVAIR / The Navy Senior Scientist for
Material Engineering, and currently
President of Pilgrim Consulting LLC,
adds, “Senvol’s machine learning-
enabled approach directly addresses
a major industry challenge: the rapid
and cost-effective development of
additive manufacturing material
property allowables…In my opinion,
the further development of this
technology will have a positive impact
on the cost, schedule, and performance
of both defense and commercial
platforms.”
www.stainless-steel-world.net
SPECIAL STEELS & ALLOYS
Water: the race against time
Of all our planet’s resources, water is arguably the most essential, but it is also the one that
is most under threat. The world’s food supply depends on it: indeed, agriculture accounts for
72% of all freshwater withdrawals. In future, water conservation, recycling, the conversion of
wastewater into drinking water, and desalination all have a part to play in delivering solutions
to a parched world. In each of these solutions, stainless steel plays a role.

By James Chater
Desalination plant in the port of Hamburg, Germany
[ Water Handling ]
Water woes
Water, or the lack of it, impacts our
lives in many ways. It is increasingly
a cause of political conflict and
social unrest – and one that has been
weaponised. The destruction of the
Kakhovka Dam in Ukraine devastated a
whole region and has been described
as an act of ecocide. The decision to
discharge treated wastewater from the
Fukushima Daiichi nuclear power plant
in Japan has worried its neighbours.
The Legionnaire’s bacterium was
found in the water supply of the Bibby
Stockholm barge that was supposed to
house asylum seekers in the UK, while
an outbreak of the same disease in the
Polish city of Rzeszow killed five people.
Eight people were killed when a violent
rainstorm trapped tourists inside a
sewage system in Moscow. Residents
of Jackson, Mississippi, were deprived
of water for weeks after pumps at the
local water treatment plant failed. After
leaving the EU, the UK is allowing its
water companies to pump sewage into
the sea, which has led to protests from
French politicians in the European
Parliament. In Africa, drought is a major
cause of conflict and emigration.
These cases are symptoms of a massive
failure to invest in water infrastructure.
Experts have been warning for years
that water supply is failing to keep pace
with demand in a world where global
Kuryanovo wastewater treatment plant in Moscow, Russia. Photo: A. Savin, WikiCommons.
16 Stainless Steel World October 2023
Types of water
Potable water (drinking water). Water considered safe to drink or use in food
preparation. There are no universal quality standards; each country or region
has regulations determining the maximum permissible concentration of various
substances, including minerals, bacteria, and pesticides.
Fresh water (freshwater) is naturally occurring water containing a low proportion
of dissolved salts (0-500 ppm) or other dissolved solids. It is not always potable
water. It makes up less than 3% of the world’s water resources, and just 1% of that is
readily available. Found in ponds, lakes, rivers, streams, and aquifers.
Brackish water. Salt content of 500-30,000 ppm. Found in estuaries, seas, lakes, and
swamps.
Salt water (saltwater, saline water). Salt content of 30,000-50,000 ppm. Found in
seawater and salt lakes.
Brine (briny water). 50,000 ppm or more. Found in brine pools.
Also used are the terms greywater (domestic wastewater) and blackwater
(domestic wastewater from toilets). The former finds use in non-potable applications
such as toilet flushing and irrigation.
warming and population increases – pattern, which is expected to trigger
especially in urban areas – is taking its extremes of drought and violent storms.
toll. As the FAO writes: It is not only irrigation and agriculture
“Water resources per person have that suffer if water is lacking. Water-
declined 20% in the past decades based nuclear reactors such as PWRs
and water availability and quality and BWRs are especially vulnerable to
are deteriorating fast due to decades drought, and several industries, such
of poor use and management, over as hydrogen and mining, are at risk
extraction of groundwater, pollution because of uncertain water supplies.
and climate change. We risk stretching Water has been called the “Cinderella”
this precious resource to a point of no of climate investment (2). And with
return” (1). good reason: water treatment as a
The recent rise in food prices caused vital human need has been massively
by the war in Ukraine and the strain overlooked compared with energy. In
on grain supplies will be further some countries, fully half of mains water
exacerbated by the El Niño weather is lost to leakage. Despite decades of
www.stainless-steel-world.net
 [ Water Handling ]
discussion, very few homes are fitted
with greywater that could replace
drinking water as a way to flush toilets.

Projects
With investment lagging behind, what
is being done? Some highly ambitious
projects are underway in some of the
world’s most drought-stricken regions. In
April the World Bank approved a loan of
100 million USD to El Salvador to improve
its water infrastructure. Spain will spend
2.2 billion euros to alleviate severe
drought conditions. But it is above all in
India (see box) and China that ambitious
infrastructure projects are underway. In
2022, China upped its water investment Turbocharger used in RO desalination systems. It is a single-stage turbine impeller
by 22%, and plans include new canals, connected to a single-stage pump impeller via a common shaft. The turbine impeller
reservoirs and storage facilities aiming absorbs the hydraulic energy of the concentrate stream and converts it into mechanical
to boost irrigation and stem floods and energy. This energy is then transferred to the pump impeller, which converts the
droughts. However, some of the plans, mechanical energy back to hydraulic energy, providing an additional pressure boost to the
including water diversion, have been feed stream. Photo: Energy Recovery.
criticised, and it is alleged there is too
little emphasis on recycling, desalination,
and reduction in demand. Stainless steel
A number of strategies and technologies Stainless steel is ubiquitous in water and wastewater treatment, varying from
are available, though most of them lower grades such as 304 and 316 to stronger and more corrosion-resistant grades
have yet to be scaled up or applied such as duplex and superduplex. Although other materials were used in the past,
to the degree necessary to alleviate a including wood and carbon steel, stainless is nowadays recommended for its
worsening world crisis. Current projects endurance, hygienic qualities, and corrosion resistance. It is found not only in
and technologies include:
industrial applications but in the home as well, in pipes and in tanks and filters
•• Flood prevention/mitigation. In
for rainwater harvesting and greywater handling. Duplex grades, which can
Mississippi, USD 800 million will be
withstand abrasion and high pressures as well as corrosion, are used frequently in
spent on flood mitigation, coastal
wastewater treatment and desalination.
storm damage protection and supply
chain resilience. The FAO is helping Pipes, pumps, and valves are all likely to be made of stainless steel.
Somalia to mitigate the effects of In thermal desalination, super duplex type 2507 and superaustenitic 254SMO are
flooding due to El Niño. used to handle aerated seawater; other grades used include lean duplex 2101 (de-
•• Rainwater harvesting and greywater aerated seawater/brine) and 316L, preferably with higher Mo content (distilled or
(see box) are two examples of drinking water; non-condensable gases).
technologies that have been
Reverse Osmosis (RO) desalination plants require far less stainless steel. Super
massively overlooked, and which
duplex grade 2507 is used for aerated seawater/brine and 316L for permeate (the
would provide great opportunities
demineralized water produced from the RO process). (https://stainless-steel-
for stainless steel suppliers if they
world.net/high-alloy-stainless-steel-in-seawater-desalination-processes)
were to catch on.

Solutions for water conservation: (1) Rainwater harvesting tank in Rwanda; (2) Rain harvesting filter (photo: Vardhman Envirotech); (3)
Greywater fine mesh 40/43mm basket tank inlet filter made of stainless-steel grade 304, used to remove debris from greywater before it
enters a greywater treatment tank.

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 17

[ Water Handling ]
India
Despite being home to 17% of the
world’s population, India has only 4%
of the world’s freshwater resources. To
meet the demand for water, several
community projects and investments
have been proposed, involving
conservation, rainwater harvesting
(e.g., the “Jal Shakti Abhiyan: Catch
the Rain” programme), government
initiatives, digital interventions, and
stemming groundwater depletion
(3). The “Clean Ganga” Mission aims
to improve and extend wastewater
facilities along the river Ganges and
protect and rejuvenate the vegetation
in the region. Recently WABAG and
Metito signed a contract to build a
desalination plant in South Chennai.
•• Decentralised systems. These include
wetlands, biofiltration, and anaerobic
digestion in off-grid environments
lacking sophisticated sanitation.
•• Wastewater treatment. Correct and
adequate sewage treatment is a
huge part of the solution. These
include separation of wastewater
from drinking water; flood
contamination protection; real-time
monitoring using sensors; and
recycling wastewater as drinking
water. Veolia has committed 1.5
billion USD to improving efficiency
and the scaling up of water re-use
and is working with TotalEnergies
on recycling. California’s Orange
County Groundwater Replenishment
System purifies treated wastewater
to a level that it can be injected into
groundwater aquifers, augmenting
the drinking water supply. It is the
largest such scheme in the world.
Correct and adequate sewage treatment is a huge part of the solution to water shortages.
18 Stainless Steel World October 2023
Butting supplied 192 prefabricated modules and connecting pipelines, mostly in super
duplex, for an RO desalination project south of Tel Aviv, Israel. Photo © BUTTING Gruppe
GmbH & Co. KG.
•• Desalination. This is by far the most
radical technology available to make
wastewater or seawater potable.
Desalination plants are of two kinds,
thermal or reverse osmosis (RO).
RO, being less energy-intensive, is
the preferred technology today. An
example is the Mirfa 2 project in
Abu Dhabi, which uses low-carbon
intensive RO technology supplied
by Veolia. Recently Butting supplied
super duplex piping components to
an RO desalination facility near Tel
Aviv, Israel.
•• Northern Africa and the Middle East
are the regions where most of the
ongoing projects are located. Egypt
has announced its phase 1, in which
no less than 21 plants will be built.
Morocco started operating its first
large plant in Agadir last year and is
planning 12 more between now and
2035. The USA’s state of California,
another parched region, approved the
Doheny Ocean Desalination Project
after rejecting a much larger one.
Spain has roughly 800 desalination
plants, but it is only recently, after
years of drought, that they have been
running at full capacity. The province
of Alicante in south-eastern Spain has
embarked on a capacity expansion
between 2020 and 2027.
•• Smart systems/AI. Smart metering
and monitoring in real time can help
track consumption, identify leaks, and
promote conservation. In 2021 the
UK’s Thames Water launched a “Smart
Metering Project”, but as of 2023 no
new meters have been installed.
Conclusion
There is no shortage of ideas, potential
solutions, and proposals to solve the
water scarcity problem. What is lacking
is a sense of urgency and political will.
References
(1) https://www.fao.org/world-food-
day/about/en
(2) https://www.reuters.com/
sustainability/land-use-
biodiversity/wanted-investors-
prepared-take-plunge-into-
water-tech-2023-07-04/.
(3) https://timesofindia.indiatimes.
com/blogs/voices/making-india-
water-secure-solutions-for-the-
future.
www.stainless-steel-world.net
Scanning Acoustic Microscopy has attracted the interest of design engineers in the semiconductor, aerospace, and energy industries.

Advanced SAM validates integrity of

diffusion bonds
For bond quality testing, Scanning Acoustic Microscopy offers far greater accuracy and
reliability than traditional helium leak testing.

By Del Williams, technical writer

Industries with demanding metal
bonding applications increasingly
rely on diffusion bonding, an essential
joining method for achieving a high-
purity interface between two similar or
dissimilar metals. The process involves
applying high temperature and pressure
to metals mated together in a hot press,
which causes the atoms on solid metallic
surfaces to intersperse and bond.
For similar materials, bond strength
approaches base material. For
dissimilar materials, it is a function of the
intermetallic compounds formed, the
thickness of the intermetallic zone, and
microscopic anomalies, such as voids,
at the interface. To ensure the quality of
the interface, materials engineers must
analyse samples to validate the quality of
the bond. Metrology systems are used to
characterise the interface and provide a
more quantitative analysis.
If either side of a welded or brazed
joined assembly can be pressurised,
a cursory helium leak check may be
used. However, this method is more of
an art than a science because it is highly
dependent on user configuration and
often produces inconsistent results.
Also, the helium lead check cannot
pinpoint the exact location of a leak: it
only provides pass/fail results. Better
technology and methods exist today.
Due to the imprecision of helium leak
testing, experts in diffusion bonding are
choosing to analyse samples through
a much more advanced, data-driven
inspection technique: Scanning Acoustic
Microscopy (SAM).
Scanning Acoustic Microscopy
SAM is a non-invasive, non-destructive
ultrasonic testing method. The testing is
already the industry standard for 100%
inspection of semiconductor components
to identify defects such as voids, cracks,
and the delamination of different layers
within microelectronic devices. The
same rigour of quality testing and failure
analysis is now being applied to validate
the integrity of diffusion bonded metals.
“Unlike helium leak testing, SAM will not
only indicate when there is a defect in
bonding, but also indicate the location
and size. It is essentially the equivalent
of an x-ray inside the part, so it is a much
more comprehensive test method to
ensure quality,” says Hari Polu, President
of OKOS, a Virginia-based manufacturer
of SAM and industrial ultrasonic non-
destructive (NDT) systems. OKOS is a
wholly owned subsidiary of PVA TePla
AG, Germany. It offers both manual
and automated inspection systems for
flat panels, thin plates, circular discs,
sputtering targets, and special alloys.

20 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net


Benefits of diffusion bonding & SAM
Diffusion bonding offers substantial
benefits to various industries, such as
the ability to bond dissimilar metals
and high-value alloys. The technology
also enables advantageous applications
for conformal cooling used in injection
moulding and die casting.
The importance of designing a dissimilar
metal joint often lies in a desire to expose
the correct metal surface to specific
environmental conditions where a single
alloy may not perform as well. Another
reason is to introduce material systems
that are lighter in weight or provide a
level of corrosion resistance that can only
be achieved by “packaging” dissimilar
metals.
Commercial processes of interest are
titanium to iron-nickel alloys, titanium
alloys to stainless steel, copper to steel,
and even some aluminium to metal
applications. The process also enables
coupling between different alloys in the
same material group, such as mild steel,
tool steel, and Al MMC. As a result, this
technology has attracted the interest of
design engineers in the semiconductor,
aerospace, and energy industries.
Diffusion bonding also has tremendous
potential applications for conformal
cooling applications. The concept is to
bond layers in which cooling channel
geometry is optimised to dissipate
heat. Various geometries and various
materials benefit from such an approach.
Depending on the size of the commercial
press, layers can be bonded up to a stack
height of 600mm.
Another application related to conformal
cooling is for plastic injection moulds.
Conformal cooling channels are an
engineered solution to facilitate the
requirement for rapid cooling. Dies are
typically made in 2-layer designs of tool
steel and material such as stainless steel
(STAVAX).
Validating diffusion bonds
For validating the integrity of diffusion
bonds, advanced, phased array Scanning
Acoustic Microscopy works by directing
focused sound from a transducer at a
small point on a target object. The sound
hitting the object is either scattered,
absorbed, reflected, or transmitted.
By detecting the direction of scattered
pulses as well as the “time of flight,” the
presence of a boundary or object can be
determined as well as its distance.
To produce an image, samples are
scanned point by point and line by line.
Scanning modes range from single
www.stainless-steel-world.net
Advanced, phased array Scanning Acoustic Microscopy works by directing focused
sound from a transducer at a small point on a target object. Photo © OKOS
layer views to tray scans and cross-
sections. Multi-layer scans can include
up to 50 independent layers. Depth-
specific information can be extracted
and applied to create two- and three-
dimensional images without the need
for time-consuming tomographic scan
procedures and more costly x-rays.
The images are then analysed to detect
and characterise flaws such as the size
and location of any disbonding at the
interface layer of diffusion bonded
metal parts.
“The level of detection
is far superior to helium
leak detection.”
“OKOS has leveraged the lessons
and the tight specifications from the
semiconductor world and adapted our
SAM scanning systems for various form
factors to provide unique solutions
for metals and alloys in the industrial
markets,” said Polu. “With this type of
testing, we can inspect materials at a
level one to two orders of magnitude
better than helium leak detection to
discover disbonding flaws and defects
[at the interface] as small as 50-microns
that were previously undetected.”
When high throughput is required for
100% inspection, ultra-fast single or dual
gantry scanning systems are utilised
along with 128 sensors for phased array
scanning. Multiple transducers can
also be used to simultaneously scan for
higher throughput.
“In tests with a Fortune 500
multinational company on a sample
of aluminum and steel, the equipment
[ Welding ]
scanned the material in three minutes.
Before, it took them 40 minutes to do
one part,” says Polu.
Software critical
As important as the physical and
mechanical aspects of conducting
a scan, the software is critical to
improving the resolution and analysing
the information to produce detailed
scans. Multi-axis scan options enable
A, B, and C-scans, contour following,
off-line analysis, and virtual rescanning
for metals and alloys, which result in
highly accurate internal and external
inspection for disbonding defects via
the inspection software.
Various software modes can be simple
and user friendly, advanced for detailed
analysis, or automated for production
scanning. An off-line analysis mode is
also available for virtual scanning.
“OKOS decided early on to deliver
a software-driven, ecosystem-based
solution,” said Polu.
Polu estimates that the software-driven
model enables them to drive down the
costs of SAM testing while delivering
the same quality of inspection results.
As a result, this type of equipment
is well within reach of even modest
testing labs, R&D centers, and material
research groups.
“Every company will eventually move
towards this level of diffusion bonding
metal part inspection and quality
control because the level of detection
is far superior to helium leak detection.
The increased accuracy, reliability,
and comprehensiveness as well as
decreased cost and time involved are
driving the change.” concludes Polu.
Stainless Steel World October 2023 21
[ Water Handling ]

Avoiding water woes with stainless

steel service lines
“Climate change is set
to increase pressure
significantly on people’s
access to water and
sanitation unless
governments do more to
prepare key infrastructure
now” – the United
Nations

Text & images by Team Stainless Leakage rate in major cities worldwide © Team Stainless

Water distribution systems worldwide

lose on average a third of their treated
“More than one third material familiar to the beverage world.
Stainless steel tubing for potable water
supply to leakage. Some systems of the European Union distribution was first developed in the
lose well over half. This leakage 1970s, inspired by its widespread use
wastes billions of dollars each year in
will be under “high with hygiene sensitive liquids such as
resources. Worse still, high leakage water stress” by the milk. In 1980, Tokyo began replacing its
makes communities served by the service lines with stainless steel. The
system less resilient to drought and 2070s, according to Tokyo Bureau of Water Works (TBWW)
water scarcity. Approximately 95% of
all leaks occur in the last few meters
the UN.” aimed to use a strong, ductile, hygienic
material that would reduce leakage and
of distribution; in the service lines maintenance needs, even considering
that connect water mains to individual 2021, amounting to more than 1 trillion the city’s near daily earthquakes.
buildings. Although methods for yuan (154 billion USD). The US has In the 1990s, the stainless steel tubes
finding and fixing leaks are improving committed at least 48 billion dollars were improved by adding corrugations
rapidly, many are too small to locate. towards water distribution networks, that allow for bending by hand. This
Therefore, these tiny leaks often with lead service line replacement flexibility reduces the number of
spill wasted water for years on end. a key focus. These policies provide fittings needed for many installations
Identifying and repairing leaks also utilities with long-awaited funds to and also increases resistance to ground
stresses water utilities who may have make major improvements. movement and seismic activity. The
limited resources for many competing product is known as stainless steel
priorities. Stainless steel: from milk to water partially corrugated tubing, or SPCT. By
For areas with growing populations, distribution 2019, 15 years after TBWW completed
drought, or dwindling resources, Some systems have already their system replacement and nearly
leakage can impact whether there’s successfully reduced water loss with a 40 years since they began, leakage
enough water for continuous service. In
2002, Taiwan suffered a severe drought.
Water reserves dipped, resulting in 49
days of intermittent supply. Intermittent
supply not only risks public welfare
and health, but also damages the
water distribution system. In the early
2000s, Taipei’s city system leaked 28%
of its water on average. The utility
determined preventing that water from
leaking could protect the city against
future droughts.
Growing awareness of water scarcity
is driving major investment in new
or improved water infrastructure. In
China, investment in fixed water assets Service lines run underground from the water main (left) under the street to the water
rose by 44% in 2022 compared to meters (right) of individual buildings © Team Stainless

22 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net

 [ Water Handling ]
supply. For areas with services lines
100 80,000 partially exposed above ground, these
316 stainless steel service line, ductile iron main pipe

lines can melt during fire or burst

Ductline iron main pipe 70,000 during freeze. Some plastic tubing, such
80 as PVC, are even outlawed in certain

Number of yearly repair cases

60,000 areas due to their high permeability.
316 stainless steel service line Copper is another popular material
50,000 for service lines in some regions.
60
Generally, copper tubing performs
Number of yearly repair cases 40,000 well and lacks many of the problems
associated with PEX and other plastic
40
30,000
and leakage rate, %

20
0 0
1979
Reduction in leakage (blue) repair cases (green), juxtaposed with replacement rates for
service line (pink) and water mains (grey) © Tokyo Bureau of Water Works.
reduced from 15.4 to 3.6%.
After evaluating the effects of the
drought, the Taipei Water Department
(TWD) trialed stainless steel service
lines, given their superb performance
in Tokyo and other Japanese cities. After
successful testing, the utility began
installing SPCT in 2006 as part of a
20-year leakage reduction project. As
of 2021, with just under 2/3rds of the
system replaced with stainless steel
service lines, leakage has more than
halved to 11.38%. When a more severe
drought overcame Taiwan in 2014,
Taipei had no disruption to service. In
fact, TWD was able to sell surplus water
to their neighboring utility.
20,000
“Over the past three
Leakge rate
years, TWD found an
10,000
average of just
12 leaks per year
1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019
out of nearly 200,000
SPCT lines, an order of
magnitude fewer than
polyethylene (PEX) are affordable, what would be typical
but they have several issues. PEX
is not standardized, and chemical
with competing
compositions differ from manufacturer materials in a well-
to manufacturer and often from
product batch to product batch. This managed utility.”
makes it nearly impossible to forecast
the performance of any given PEX
line. Plastics also are less effective tubing. However, some soils and
for identifying leaks with acoustic waters react with copper and produce
signatures and vibrations. Areas premature pitting, which results in
with contaminated soil like former hard-to-find pinhole leaks. Stainless
industrial sites cannot use PEX because steel offers the best combination
it allows ingress of potentially harmful of strength, ductility, longevity, and
hydrocarbons like gasoline. Herbicides corrosion resistance available for
and biocides can also potentially service lines. Inherent material
migrate through PEX into the water ductility combined with corrugations

What other materials are available 30

for service lines?
Service lines are made from several
25
different materials, including
plastic, copper, galvanized steel, Taipei
and formerly lead. Among these, 20
Leakge rate, %

plastic tubing has enjoyed significant

market growth due to its low upfront Seoul
material cost, jockeying to become 15
the dominant material for system
upgrades worldwide. Plastics for
10
water distribution like high density
Tokyo
polyethylene (HDPE) and cross-linked
5

Tokyo 1979: 67,000 leakage repair cases

(184/day) 0
Tokyo 2019: 6,700 leakage repair cases 1980 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 2015 2019

(18/day)
Total leakage rate in Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei from 1980 to 2019. Each city reduced
90% less resources required.
leakage significantly over time © Team Stainless

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 23

[ Water Handling ]
Strength comparison
Yield strength (annealed)
Type 316 stainless steel 205 MPa
Copper 70 MPa
Plastic (PEX) 19.3 MPa
means the tubing resists earthquakes,
soil settling, traffic movement, and
bursting during freeze. SPCT is nearly
three times as strong as copper and
several times stronger than PEX.
Non-reactive: key for hygiene and
corrosion resistance
A large part of why stainless steel is
so popular in the food, beverage, and
pharmaceutical industries is its relative
inertness. The primary reaction that
occurs is the combination of chromium
from within the stainless steel with
oxygen in the air. This forms a passive
layer on the stainless steel surface that
prevents further reaction with external
media, avoiding corrosion. The result
is a minimally reactive material, safe
for long term contact with a variety of
edible liquids.
Although all stainless steels have an
inert passive layer, different alloys offer
different levels of corrosion resistance.
Tokyo and Taipei both use Type 316
stainless steel for their service lines,
an austenitic alloy that resists corrosion
associated with both chlorinated
municipal waters and most soils. In
10-year buried tests of various kinds of
Type 316 stainless steel tubing resists both interior and exterior chlorides found in water and soil © Team Stainless
24 Stainless Steel World October 2023
Ultimate tensile strength (annealed)
515 MPa
220 MPa
26 MPa
metal tubes, this alloy performed best
at 10 different test sites across Japan,
some with very high chloride and
sulfate concentrations.
“In the (Italian) South,
we put in more than
two liters to get just
under a liter to the
taps.”
– Erasmo D’Angelis, water
infrastructure expert
and former team lead
for hydrogeological
stability at the Italian Prime
Minister’s office.”
The main drawback of Type 316
stainless steel service lines is that they
are always more expensive than plastic
lines and sometimes more expensive
than copper – or so it seems. There
are several reasons why the upfront
material cost is not representative of
Tokyo saves approximately 500 million
USD per year from reduced leakage and
maintenance with stainless steel service
lines.
total cost. First, materials are only a
fraction of the total installation costs,
which include digging trenches
and resurfacing the road. Moreover,
sometimes polyethylene lines have
hidden expenses; for example, some
utilities require a protective outer
tube to avoid puncturing from stray
rocks. Corrugated stainless steel
tubing is fitted similarly to copper or
PEX lines and installation is generally
quicker. Second, the maintenance and
replacement costs of a stainless steel
system are drastically reduced when
compared to competing materials.
Tokyo documented a 90% reduction
in repair cases since 1979, saving an
average of 500 million dollars a year
from reduced leakage and repairs.
SPCT finds new markets
Evidenced by Tokyo, Taipei, and other
cities, SPCT could positively impact
regions suffering from severe water
loss, high maintenance burdens,
seismic activity, and drought. Italy has
both seismically active and drought-
www.stainless-steel-world.net

Corrugations allow SPCT to be coiled to fit the bed of a truck or be
carried over the shoulder © Team Stainless
stricken regions serviced in many cases
by aging, degraded systems. Concern
over water scarcity following years of
low rainfall culminated in calls for the
upgrade of Italy’s water distribution
systems. Therefore, after a few single
tube installation trials, four Italian
utilities are currently evaluating or
planning larger proof of concept trials
with several hundred SPCT connections.
The demand is enough that a supply
chain is developing to supply the
new installations from imports until
the demand is high enough for local
production. Elsewhere, a number
of Chinese and Australian water
authorities are also considering trials.
STAINLESS STEEL
SHEETS AND PLATES
FROM STOCK
anz_stw_03-23_2.indd 5
www.stainless-steel-world.net
[ Water Handling ]
Detail of where the service line connects to the water main. This display
includes a heavy-duty seismic resistant saddle © Team Stainless
Stainless steel for service lines is not
expensive; depending on the location
About Team Stainless
it adds only 10 to 20% to the initial Team Stainless is an informal alliance of the
project cost. Over an anticipated European Ferrous Recovery and Recycling
100-year service life, savings from
reduced maintenance repair cases, Branch, Eurofer, the International Chromium
leakage, and energy usage easily Development Association, the International
afford stainless steel service lines
Molybdenum Association, the International
a lower cost of ownership than
competing materials. SPCT is also Nickel Study Group, the Nickel Institute and
fully recyclable at the end of service. the worldstainless association. Its primary
As governments and organizations
function is to support the stainless steel
reconsider their water efficiency
practices, stainless steel provides an industry by providing accurate and industry
unprecedented opportunity for more leading information about the properties and
resilient and sustainable distribution
sustainable benefits of stainless steel.
systems.
thicknesses from 3 to 150mm
maximum width: 3.000mm
PHONE.: +49 2102 70077-0
maximum length: 12.000mm WEB: WWW.HW-INOX.DE
MAIL: INFO@HW-INOX.DE
09.03.23 13:17
Stainless Steel World October 2023 25
[ Additive Manufacturing ]

The amphibious assault ship USS Bataan (right) is the flagship for the Bataan Amphibious Ready Group. (Photo by Mass
Communication Specialist 1st Class RJ Stratchko/Released).

US Navy installs metal AM on board USS Bataan

The Spanish multinational Meltio -a disruptive wire-laser metal 3D printing technology
manufacturer– together with Phillips Corporation – a global manufacturing solutions leader
based in the US – have worked together to install for the first time on a US Navy ship a
metal 3D printing solution for the onboard manufacture of spare parts and repairs. The
Phillips Additive Hybrid powered by Haas took the laser metal deposition technology of
Meltio and integrated it with the world-renowned Haas CNC vertical machining centers
control mill onboard the USS Bataan ship.

Text by Phillips Corp.

This new project represents a further
step towards demonstrating an
industrially useful application in the
marine sector thanks to the accessible
wire-laser metal 3D printing technology
developed by Meltio. The Hybrid system
provides subtractive and additive
manufacturing. The US Navy is using a
combination of these in this particular
project for the USS Bataan ship.
The Phillips Additive Hybrid system
prints 316L stainless steel, a prevalent
material in US Navy ship systems.
While stainless steel additive
manufacturing onboard naval ships is
new, it also represents an advancement
in providing sailors with industrial-
level manufacturing capabilities to
print individual parts for systems
that previously have not been readily
available without procuring the entire
system at a significantly greater cost.
The equipment, installed under a
joint effort between the Commander,
the Naval Surface Force Atlantic, and
the Naval Sea Systems Command
(NAVSEA) Technology Office, includes
the Phillips Additive Hybrid system,
which integrates a Meltio wire-laser
metal deposition head on a Haas TM-1
computer numerical control mill.
The Haas TM-1 platform has been
proven to operate reliably in an
afloat environment aboard several
aircraft carriers. Integrating the
Meltio deposition head with the Haas
TM-1 provides both an additive and
subtractive manufacturing capability
within the same system – increasing
efficiency and reducing waste when
compared with typical machining.
Spare parts & repairs
Ángel Llavero, CEO of Meltio, says:
“For us, the fact that the US Navy

26 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net

 [ Additive Manufacturing ]
has incorporated Meltio’s wire-laser
metal 3D printing solution and Haas
hybrid equipment thanks to Phillips
Corporation on board the US Navy ship to
manufacture spare parts and repair them
is the consequence of years of effort and
a great vision that we had at Meltio. We
would like to thank Phillips Corporation
for their support in the development of
these hybrid systems under the Haas
brand, which is the consequence of
confirming a technology with enormous
industrial applications in the naval and
marine sector, in defense, and in all those
industrial sectors where it is necessary to
be able to manufacture the part when and
where it is needed. We are sure that this
is the first step in a long way that we will
have in this industrial sector of the navy
with this and other applications”.

Point of need production

The US Navy advanced efforts to
improve self-sufficiency for deployed
ships and their crews and reduce supply
chain lead times by leveraging additive
manufacturing (AM) by permanently
installing the first metal 3D printer
aboard a ship.
Thanks to additive manufacturing, the
engineers will join different materials
to make parts from 3D model data,
usually layer upon layer, as opposed to
subtractive manufacturing and formative
manufacturing methodologies.
Whether creating a quality-of-life
item or a sophisticated machine part,
AM facilitates production at the point
of need when time and operational
availability matter.
“The introduction of additive
manufacturing (AM) into naval
operations supports readiness and self-
sufficiency,” states Rear Adm. Brendan
McLane, commander, Naval Surface
Force Atlantic. “These printers have
the ability to help the Navy overcome
Phillips Additive Hybrid system, which
integrates a Meltio wire-laser metal
deposition head on a Haas TM-1
computer numerical control mil
(Photo by Phillips Corporation).
Kenya Latham, assigned to East Coast Repair, coordinates the on-load of a three-
dimensional printer aboard the Wasp-class amphibious assault ship USS Bataan. This is the
first Naval Sea Systems Command sponsored hybrid system permanently installed on a US
Navy ship and will permit the capability to additive manufacture stainless steel components
locally. (Photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Darren Newell/Released).
both obsolescence issues for ships Phillips Corporation, Hybrid Division.
and systems that have service lives “This is an optimal fit for the US Navy
measured in decades and directly that is seeking to add exceptional
contribute to enhanced operational new Additive capability to their
availability of our systems and ships,” Haas machining centers– all in one
says NAVSEA Chief Engineer Rear machine” Kristaponis added. “They are
Adm. Jason Lloyd. leveraging this exciting new technology
to improve self-sufficiency for deployed
Double benefits ships and their crews.”
The Meltio’s Engine 3D printing
benefits are two fold – it maximises Amphibious assault ship
operational availability and reduces Bataan, a multi-purpose amphibious
the demand on traditional and Navy- assault ship, carries more than 2,500
specific supply chains. Sailors and Marines when fully embarked,
Additionally, NAVSEA engineers and is the fifth ship of the Navy’s Wasp-
installed a second 3D printer to class ships. She was commissioned on
produce polymer (plastic) components September 20, 1997, and is the second U.S.
onboard Bataan. This printer enables Navy warship to bear the name.
the ship’s crew to print any of the NAVSEA is the largest of the Navy’s
NAVSEA-developed 300+ AM Technical six system commands, responsible for
Data Packages that define the required the building, buying, and maintaining
design configuration and procedures of ships, submarines, and systems for
to manufacture a part and ensure it the U.S. Navy. NAVSEA’s Technology
performs properly. Office is leading multiple areas of
“Phillips and Meltio are proud to be research and development in the
a part of Phillips Additive Hybrid evaluation of AM equipment, using
installation aboard the USS Bataan. This data not only from deployed assets but
is the first laser metal deposition (LMD) also from shoreside lab activities, to
additive manufacturing technology gain a critical understanding of how
installed aboard a naval ship” said the equipment will perform under
Brian Kristaponis, General Manager, shipboard conditions.

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 27

[ Corrosion Testing ]
Application of a KorroPad on a stainless steel ring. Source: BAM
Rapid stainless steel corrosion test
The Bundesanstalt für
Materialforschung und
-prüfung (BAM) research
institute has developed a
rapid colour test to detect
corrosion in stainless steels
Text & images by BAM
The corrosion protection of stainless
steel is based on the formation of a
chromium oxide layer which is only a
few atomic layers thick; the so-called
passive layer. Areas with a disturbed or
incompletely formed passive layer are
prone to unwanted corrosion reactions.
As iron ions are dissolved the surface
appearance may be impaired and
damage caused, potentially creating a
safety risk.
Early damage detection
A research team from BAM’s Corrosion
and Corrosion Protection Division has
developed a test that reveals faulty
surfaces in stainless steels.
KorroPad consists of a test pad with
an indicator solution containing an
activator which, by means of a binding
agent, is kept in a gel-like condition.
The pad simulates a moisture film at the
28 Stainless Steel World October 2023
surface of the test object and maintains a
defined corrosion system. The presence
of iron ions turns the KorroPad’s colour
blue, revealing an incomplete passive
layer (Figure 1). The test method is
suitable for most common stainless
steels; for lower-alloyed steels (e.g.
1.4003), the test needs to be adapted.
Application
Three pads, each about the size of a
five-cent coin, are required for each test.
The pads are pressed onto the cleaned
surface and peeled off with a spatula
after 15 minutes. If the passive layer
is faulty, the indicator reacts with the
iron ions in the material during the test,
and blue dots appear on the slightly
yellowish pads. Each dot indicates spots
KorroPad
passive layer
break down
stainless steel
Figure 1. Schematic diagram of KorroPad; signal with disturbed passive layer.
where the protective passive layer has
not formed properly on the steel surface.
The KorroPad method can be used in
the temperature range +5 to +50 °C.
Best comparable results are achieved
at temperature +20 °C ±5. Testing times
are normally 15 minutes but can be
adapted if necessary. The test method
can be employed for optimszation of
surface treatment processes as well as for
incoming and outgoing goods inspection.
Evaluation of results
The KorroPad will not indicate a colour
change on stainless steel surfaces with
a well-formed passive layer. It can be
assumed that the passive layer has been
optimally formed if the test results do
not reveal any corrosion indication.
Fe²+
2e-
Fe
www.stainless-steel-world.net

Blue dots indicate corrosion susceptibility.
Source: BAM, Corrosion and Corrosion
Protection
Single, minimal indications do not
necessarily denote general corrosion
susceptibility but could occur statistically
at technical surfaces. In this case, a
closer look at all three comparative
pads is recommended. If necessary, a
further three pads should be applied
elsewhere and assessed. Numerous,
especially larger indications denote
local disturbances of the passive layer.
In this case, specific actions for surface
improvement should be performed.
The KorroPad test method is a
comparative test, providing indications
of surface requirements for practical use
[ Corrosion Testing ]
Surface requirements
High requirements Medium Low/without Proceeding pitting
requirements requirements corrosion is possible
0,01 % 0,10 % 1,00 % 10,00 %
Figure 2. Exemplary indications after KorroPad testing and resulting in requirements on
the corrosion resistance of surfaces.
(Figure 2). If necessary, the basis, i.e. the problems due to defective material
criterion for a good/bad evaluation, can before further processing.
be adapted for specific problems.
Bundesanstalt für Materialforschung
Easy and uncomplicated und -prüfung (BAM) is a senior
In addition to being quick to carry out,
scientific and technical Federal institute
KorroPad has further advantages: even
with responsibility to the German
non-professionals can apply it due to its
Federal Ministry for Economic Affairs
easy application and simple evaluation,
and Climate Action. The KorroPad
and the test leaves no residues or traces
can be ordered at the BAM Webshop:
on the surface. The KorroPad method
developed by BAM helps prevent safety webshop.bam.de/webshop_en
[ Water Handling ]
Kamihirai Flood Gate: a stainless steel
solution to global climate change
In recent years, climate
change has brought
about more frequent
and intensifying natural
disasters, causing
enormous damage to
people’s lives. Nippon
Steel Stainless Steel
Corporation (NSSC)
contributes to Japan’s
initiatives to enhance
national resilience
as a stainless steel
manufacturer, as
exemplified by the
Kamihirai Flood Gate,
one of Japan’s largest
stainless-steel water gates.
Text & images by NSSC
The original carbon steel Kamihirai
Flood Gate was built in 1970 to prevent
damage from tsunamis. This year,
the flood gate system was upgraded
with retrofitted stainless steel plates
for reinforcement. IHI Construction
Service Co., Ltd. was responsible for the
construction work.
The Kamihirai Flood Gate is an essential
facility of the river levee system that
protects the lives of three million
people in the watershed areas from
flood damage. Since 2015, the Tokyo
metropolitan government has been
working on seismic retrofitting of the
Kamihirai Flood Gate in preparation for
a possible Tokyo inland earthquake.
Downward
Vertical
Large diameter pipe
Φ 900mm
Upward
30 Stainless Steel World October 2023
The water gate under construction.
Stainless solution
The Kamihirai Flood Gate is one of Japan’s
largest water gate systems. This system
consists of water gates with a long span
(30m) supported by a pipe Vierendeel
truss structure (see box), making it the
only such construction in Japan.
The Kamihirai Flood Gate is located
in a dense residential area, making it
particularly difficult to conduct and
coordinate the slide gates’ periodical
re-painting and maintenance work.
Furthermore, considering the worsening
shortage of re-painting and maintenance
workers for steel structures, the Tokyo
metropolitan government decided to
replace the existing carbon-steel slide
gates with all stainless steel while meeting
the latest seismic resistance standards.
It was apparent that making the slide
gates all stainless steel would drastically
solve these problems. However, using
conventional stainless steel, such as
Type of joint Test object Welding
symbol position
Butt welding TF Downward
Fillet welding SF Horizontal
Fillet welding SV Vertical
Butt (pipe) TP all positions
SUS316L, would significantly increase
the weight of the slide gates compared
with the existing ones, posing a concern
about the insufficient strength of the RC
structure supporting the water gates.
For this reason, replacing the Kamihirai
Flood Gate’s existing slide gates with all
stainless-steel slide gates was considered
difficult early in the planning stage.
Use of duplex stainless steel
SUS323L
The retrofitting of the Kamihirai Flood
Gate required high-strength, highly
corrosion-resistant materials to comply
with the latest seismic resistance
standards as a heavy structure and
avoid a weight increase of the slide
gates. Eventually, duplex stainless steel
SUS323L was adopted for the entire slide
gates to satisfy these requirements.
SUS323L is a resource-saving
duplex stainless steel containing
Steel symbol Plate thickness Manufacture
(mm) (Welds tested by IHI)
SUS323L 36 x 36 NSSC
SUS323L 36 x 36 NSSC
SUS323L 36 x 36 NSSC
SUS323L 22 x 22 NSSC
www.stainless-steel-world.net

Equipment overview list
Format
Quantity
Pure span
Hight of the gate
Design water level Outside water
Inside water
Door bed height
Watertight method
Gate body material
Opening and closing
method
Operation method
Lifting height
Opening and closing For main and standby
speed motors
Self-weight lowering
(high speed)
Self-weight lowering
(low speed)
23% chromium, 4% nickel, and
0.15% nitrogen. This stainless steel has
a pitting resistance equivalent number
(PREN) of 27, significantly higher than
that of general-purpose stainless steel.
While SUS323L has high corrosion
resistance equivalent to SUS316L, its
strength is considerably higher. In
addition, SUS323L has a nickel content
one-third that of SUS316L.
In examining the possibility of
adopting duplex stainless steel for this
application, IHI Construction Service
established a penetration welding
technique for large diameter pipes
(1m), confirming that the welding of
duplex stainless steel satisfied the
required corrosion resistance, strength,
toughness, and appearance.
The world’s only stainless steel
pipe-Vierendeel structure
The Kamihirai Flood Gate adopted a
pipe Vierendeel-type structure using
duplex stainless steel for the first time in
the world. However, manufacturing that
structure was extremely difficult. A pipe
Vierendeel structure (also known as a
Rahmen structure) can transmit loads
efficiently through the entire structure.
Implementation status of welding test construction.
www.stainless-steel-world.net
Pipe Vierendeel Structual Steel Roller Gate
4 gates
30.000m
11.100m
A.P.+7.200m (Designed embankment height)
A.P.+2.100m (Operational water level during typhoon alert)
A.P.-3.500m
Double-sided three-way rubber watertight
Duplex stainless steel (ASTM S323-4)
1. Motor, 2.Drum wire rope winch type (With hydraulically
controlled self-weight lowering device)
Machine side, distant and remote
8.900m during operation / 9.700m during maintenance
1.0m / minute
3.3m / minute
1.0m / minute
However, because stress is concentrated
at its rigid nodes, ensuring the welded
joint quality is a significant challenge to
overcome.
Particularly in establishing a penetration
welding technique for large-diameter
pipes made of duplex stainless steel,
there was a need to devise enabling
elemental technologies through a trial-
and-error process, such as looking for
the optimum welding conditions for
duplex stainless steel from scratch.
These efforts successfully found the
specific welding conditions required to
make high-grade weld joints, including
optimisation of the weld groove shape,
selection of the welding filler material,
composition of the shielding gas,
thorough control of the welding heat
input, and required high dimensional
precision down to the millimetre.
Improved safety and convenience
The Kamihirai Flood Gate is located at
the confluence of the Ayase River and
the Nakagawa River, which flow in the
eastern part of Tokyo’s 23 wards. This
location is also known as the hub of river
traffic connecting Tokyo Bay and the
inland areas.
[ Water Handling ]
The retrofitting of the Kamihirai Flood
Gate also involved a significant change
in the slide gate water tightening design
from four-side to three-side. This design
change eliminated the need for steel
members that ensure the upper side water
tightness, improving the seismic capacity
of the gate frameworks and the safety and
convenience of passing ships due to the
increased opening of the slide gates.
The weight of each slide gate before
the retrofitting was 210 tons. After the
retrofitting, the weight of each duplex
stainless steel slide gate remained at 210
tons despite an increase in surface area
of about 22%. In addition, the opening
of each slide gate increased due to the
enlarged water gates, helping improve
the safety of ships passing under them.
Closing message
The achievement of the Kamihirai
Flood Gate Project has demonstrated
that duplex stainless steel is a material
suited for large-scale steel structures
and that it has great potential for
broader structural steel applications. In
addition, duplex stainless steel is now
becoming a standard material used
to construct river structures in Japan.
NSSC feels proud to have contributed
to enhancing Japan’s national resilience
through this project in cooperation with
other concerned parties as one team.
What is the Vierendeel truss?
In the late 19th century, the Belgian engineer
Jules Arthur Vierendeel registered his patent
for a new type of beam which would come
to be known as the Vierendeel truss. The
beam is characterised by the frame’s lack of
diagonal members, something which would
appear to contradict conditions of steadiness
and balance. The application of the Vierendeel
truss system surged in popularity during the
20th century, with it being used both in civil
engineering and architecture.
Elements in Vierendeel trusses are subjected
to bending, axial force and shear, unlike
conventional trusses with diagonal web
members where the members are primarily
designed for axial loads. Vierendeel trusses
are usually more expensive than conventional
trusses and their use is limited to instances
where diagonal web members are either
obtrusive or undesirable.
Vierendeel trusses are moment resisting. Vertical
members near the supports are subject to the
highest moments and therefore require larger
sections to be used than those at mid-span.
Considerable bending moments must be
transferred between the verticals and the chords,
which can result in expensive stiffened details.
Source: Wikipedia
Stainless Steel World October 2023 31
[ Innovation ]
New world record forged shackle
A Dutch company
specialising in the
manufacture of bespoke
forged products has
produced the world’s
largest forged shackle.
Text & images by GN Rope Fittings
GN Rope Fittings, a manufacturer of
ROV, mooring, heavy lifting and rigging
connections to the global oil and gas
and offshore wind industries, has made
L-R: GN Rope Fittings Director Bart
Vossenberg JR,Vera Vossenberg, Head
Administrator, and Bart Vossenberg SR, CEO.
32 Stainless Steel World October 2023
the world’s largest forged shackle,
surpassing its own previous record.
The latest product, built in 14 weeks, is
a bespoke wide-body shackle with the
world’s heaviest load-bearing capacity.
The forged shackle has a working
load limit of 3000 tons (WLL3000T) –
equivalent to lifting 13 Statues of Liberty.
The shackle was manufactured in high-
alloy ASTM A182 F22 modified steel, a
GN Rope Fittings proprietary grade.
For monopile installation
Commissioned by offshore installation
and foundation specialist IQIP, the
shackle will be part of a system for the
monopile installation of offshore wind
turbines. It was forged and produced at
GN Rope Fittings’ sole manufacturing
facility in Nieuwkoop, the Netherlands,
using raw materials from Western
Europe to ensure the highest quality of
craftsmanship.
The company first completed one of the
world’s largest shackles in 2009 when
it manufactured a 1750-ton version,
followed by 2000-ton. It broke the record
again when it produced a 2500-ton
forged shackle in 2016. GN Rope Fittings
is specialised in forged shackles greater
than 1550 ton and up to 4000 ton.
Bespoke solution
For the latest shackle, the bow was
designed to be shorter than the
standard, meaning fewer raw materials.
At the client’s request, the bow was
designed in a D-shape – not the
conventional omega shape. The bow
radius and the jaw opening are larger
than for standard shackles. Additional
features include a shaft for the
installation of the pin.
The shackle was load tested to DNV
lifting standards, followed by a non-
destructive testing inspection. The
company has its own in-house WLL6000T
test bench in the Netherlands, and all
testing was done there.
Demand for large equipment
Bart Vossenberg JR, Director, GN Rope
Fittings, said: “We’re witnessing an
increasing demand in larger capacity
equipment for renewable energy
projects, and we’re grateful for the
opportunity to contribute to the growth
of this industry. We’re confident that our
team’s expertise and capabilities will
continue to drive innovation and deliver
bespoke solutions in renewables.
We’re eager and ready to take on more
challenging projects like this in the
future.”
GN Rope Fittings was founded in 1923
as a manufacturer of small tools, and
today designs and specialises in the
manufacture of forged products for
mooring, heavy lifting, anchor handling
and rigging applications.
www.stainless-steel-world.net
 P E R KU M P U L A N
P E N G E M B A N GA N
S TA I N L E S S S T E E L

PPSSI INDONESIA
I N D O N E S I A S TA I N L E S S S T E E L
D E V E L O P M E N T A S S O C I AT I O N
[ Materials ]

Latest advances in stainless steels characterisation at

the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF)
under grant agreement no. 953219 /
The European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) was EASI-STRESS project);
upgraded in 2021 to an ESRF-Extremely Brilliant Source •• new high-throughput X-ray powder
diffraction system on ID31, enabling
(ESRF-EBS), making it the source of the most intense high- the measurement of thousands of
energy (6 GeV) X-rays in the world. This ‘fourth-generation’ samples in record time (funded by
synchrotron produces an X-ray beam 100 times more the European Commission under
brilliant and coherent than any other source today, allowing grant agreement no. 870313 /
imaging from the micrometre to the nanometer scale Sustainable research at micro and
nano X-ray beamlines).
and providing new opportunities for science applications.
ESRF-EBS has already started to play a major role as a Characterising fatigue crack
partner in various research activities. nucleation and growth in duplex
3D characterisation of metals may
By A.F. Ciuffini, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, France be realised through serial sectioning
Email: andrea.ciuffini@esrf.fr electron backscatter diffraction (EBSD)
experiments. However, as a destructive
The upgrade of the European Synchrotron inherited by the fabrication path in technique, it does not provide the
Radiation Facility ESRF – EBS (Extremely residual stress measurements, achieving possibility to follow the microstructure
Brilliant Source) was completed in 2021. higher precision and measurements evolution quasi in-situ.
It became the first IV-generation high- depth. In X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD), The combined use of X-ray DCT and
energy synchrotron, increasing the the acquisition time for measurements multi-distance PCT allows for the
brilliance and coherence of X-ray beams can be reduced to seconds (1). unique possibility to reconstruct the 3D
by a factor of 100 compared to present- ESRF-EBS has already started to play microstructure of a two-phase material
day synchrotron light sources. The use of a major role as a partner for various while simultaneously determining the
this source provides X-rays much brighter research activities, and the following will crystallographic orientation of each
than the X-rays used in typical industrial present some highlights: grain. Due to the very high resolution
instrumentation. •• combined use of X-ray diffraction achieved, inter-phase grain boundaries
This capability may be exploited in many contrast tomography (DCT) and can also be measured. The non-
practical ways for metallurgy applications. multi-distance phase contrast destructive nature of these techniques
In morphological measurements, tomography (PCT) to characterise allows this characterisation for cyclic
synchrotron-based μCT is drastically fatigue crack nucleation and growth deformation with intermittent hold times.
reducing scan times and, at the same time, in duplex stainless steel AISI 318LN; The investigated metal is a duplex
improving image quality as compared •• in-operando synchrotron X-ray stainless steel AISI 318LN. To ease
to laboratory-based μCT tools. The high diffraction (XRD) study of the friction the experimental investigation, grain
photon flux and the high coherence behaviour of austenitic stainless steel coarsening was carried out by annealing
of X-rays generated by synchrotrons, AISI 321; the material at 1250 °C for 4 hours,
which also enable X-ray synchrotron •• stress relief of the residual stresses followed by cooling down to 1050 °C
nano-tomography allowing the fine of an additive manufactured AISI within 3 hours at a constant cooling rate
characterisation of the microstructure 316L arch structure (funded by the and water quench. The resulting material
in 3D at the nanometer scale, revealing European Union’s Horizon 2020 has a lamellar microstructure with about
crucial information on the microstructure research and innovation programme 50% austenite and 50% ferrite, and the

Figure 1. Reconstruction of austenitic and ferritic grain microstructure and of the fatigue crack.

34 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net


Figure 2. The scheme of the experimental set-up and distribution of the diffraction maxima intensity: (111) reflection of the γ phase;
(110) reflection of the α’ phase; (101) reflection of WC; (111) reflection of ε phase.
mean grain diameter was increased to 33
μm and 46 μm, respectively.
The fatigue sample was realised and
fatigued at a stress amplitude of 400
MPa. The test was stepwise interrupted,
to monitor the short fatigue crack
propagation. By means of the PCT
technique, the crack was examined
non-destructively and represented in 3D.
The fatigue crack initiated at the phase
boundaries between an austenite grain
and a ferrite grain. Clearly, the trans-
crystalline crack propagates roughly
in a half-elliptical shape. However, the
crack propagation rate obviously shows
significant local differences. The crack
growth was decelerated when a crack
tip approached a phase boundary. On
the other hand, an acceleration of crack
propagation was always detected when
the crack overcame the boundary. The
crack has the characteristic zigzag
path that is typical of the propagation
of microstructurally short fatigue
cracks, which propagate along single
slip planes under predominant local
single slip conditions. Changes in the
propagation direction at grain or phase
boundaries are caused by changes in the
crystallographic orientation (Figure 1).
The tomography data were also used to
create realistic 3D finite-element models
of the microstructure. By means of a
crystal plasticity finite-element analysis,
the material behaviour under cyclic
deformation was simulated. The results
were found to be in good agreement with
experimental data on the evolution of
www.stainless-steel-world.net
initial residual stress at the microstructural
level and strongly support the
identification of the critical fatigue crack
nucleation sites. In the duplex stainless
steel investigated, residual stresses, built
up locally due to cyclic deformation,
promote crack nucleation solely in ferrite
grains. Further, the results of this work
clearly demonstrate the significance
of phase and grain boundaries as
microstructural barriers for short fatigue
crack growth, both at the surface and in
the interior of multi-phase alloys (2).
In-operando synchrotron X-ray
diffraction (XRD) study of AISI 321
Austenitic stainless steels (ASSs)
structure, formed due to friction, has
been investigated in many works;
however, most use post-mortem analysis.
The combination of synchrotron
radiation and two-dimensional
detectors allows the recording of high-
quality diffraction patterns with high
spatiotemporal resolution. Applying
such methods provides a possibility to
probe the material state under different
friction conditions and obtain diffraction
patterns directly during the experiment/
operation with a high sampling rate. In
this study, a dry sliding friction test was
carried out in pin-on-disk geometry,
using AISI 321 as the experimental
material. The cemented carbide (WC-
20Co) pin was chosen because of its
high hardness and wear resistance.
The in-operando synchrotron
X-ray diffraction (XRD) showed the
[ Materials ]
decomposition of austenite under
friction at the sample’s surface, which
consists mainly of α’-martensite. It
appears via the intermediate formation
of ε-martensite, which correlates well
with the probability of deformation
stacking fault formation in austenite.
After 45 friction cycles, a sufficiently
thick mechanically-mixed layer
(MML), consisting mainly of the α’
phase, has been generated, and the
γ−ε transformation continues to occur
in the underlying layers, although not
observed in the diffraction patterns
(Figure 2).
During the experiment, it was observed
that the shape of the austenitic phase
peaks changes significantly; however, the
α’-martensite peaks change little. This
is because the newly forming α’ phase
initially contains many crystal lattice
defects inherited during the mechanically-
induced phase transformation.
The friction of AISI 321 steel against the
cemented carbide pin is accompanied
not only by dislocation and precipitation
hardening but also by relaxation
processes that consist of the following
phenomena: deformation-induced γ-( ε, α’)
transformation, dislocation ordering, and
formation of shielded dislocation structures
to recover the violation of the phase
coherence. This phenomenon appears
to lead to a significant increase in wear
resistance of the steel surface.
Finally, it has been observed that the
primary mechanism of wear is the
delamination at the interface of the MML
Stainless Steel World October 2023 35
[ Materials ]
Figure 3. Additively manufactured arch and the comparison of residual stress σzz, σxx and
σyy measured in the sample as-built (AB) and after heat treatment (HT).
with the materials of the underlying
deformed layer (3).
Stress relief of an AM AISI 316L
arch structure
Laboratory-based residual stress
measuring techniques are often
ineffective in assessing the residual
stresses on relatively bulky components
due to the nature of residual stresses
to be assessed and the given material
system. However, synchrotron hard
x-rays, with their higher penetration
depth, can access those areas more
easily, reducing the number of
processing steps (e.g. tooling or
machining) to investigate residual stress
fields. Further, synchrotron hard x-rays
allow the possibility of performing this
test non-destructively.
Under the EASI-STRESS project (funded
by the European Commitssion under
grant agreement no. 953219) an arch
concept was selected to measure residual
stresses in additively manufactured parts
due to its geometry, which lends itself
to establishing a triaxial stress state,
which has been largely absent from
additive manufacturing benchmarks
for residual stresses. The as-built (AB)
sample has been produced by laser-
based powder-bed fusion (L-PBF) in
stainless steel 316L due to its very stable
austenitic microstructure. The specimen
was left attached to its build platform.
The effectiveness of stress-relieving
heat treatment was also examined. The
heat treated (HT) sample was held at
36 Stainless Steel World October 2023
700 °C for 2 hours and then cooled in an
inert atmosphere passively. This thermal
treatment aims to maximise stress
relief whilst preserving the underlying
microstructure.
The residual stress measurements
were performed at ID15A beamline in
x-ray diffraction (XRD) full transmission
geometry, using a synchrotron white beam,
measuring on two planes (XZ and YZ) with
a gauge volume of 0.2 × 3.4 × 0.05 mm.
The raw powder spectrum was used as a
stress-free reference.
The measurements of the AB show a
plain stress along the centerline (σzz≈0),
the magnitudes of the stresses in x and
y direction are similar, featured by high
tensile stresses proximate to the surface,
Figure 4. High-throughput XRPD system installed at beamline ID31.
balanced by compressive stresses at the
arch apex.
The HT condition shows the same trends
observed for the AB condition; however,
the peak in tensile stress has been
strongly reduced by approximately 300
MPa. Those regions with a high initial
deviatoric stress state respond the most
to the relaxation treatment. Further,
while in the AB condition, the stresses
acting in the x and y were approximately
balanced, and there is a subtle
difference of approximately 100 MPa
at the apex of the arch. The x direction
shows higher compression stresses due
to the higher level of constraint since
more material is present by geometry. A
slightly compressive stress, acting along
the z direction, balances the discrepancy
between x and y directions (Figure 3).
Finally, synchrotron XRD in full
transmission geometry appears to be
promising for non-destructively triaxial
residual stress field measurements in
relatively bulky components (4).
High-throughput X-ray powder
diffraction system on ID31
X-ray powder diffraction (XRPD) is one of
the essential techniques for the structural
characterisation of materials. Thanks to
the ESRF’s upgrade, the acquisition time
for XRPD measurements can be reduced
to seconds, compared to one day using
conventional laboratory sources. Thus,
an automated, high-throughput sample
treatment system was necessary to
adapt to faster experiments. Within the
STREAMLINE project (funded by the
European Commission under grant
agreement no. 870313 / Sustainable
research at micro and nano X-ray
beamlines) and in collaboration with
www.stainless-steel-world.net

an industrial partner (BASF), a robotic
sample-changing system has been
developed for high-throughput XRPD
measurements (Figure 4), making it
possible to measure several thousand
samples a day. This fully automated
system allows users to send their
samples in standardised sample holders
and download their pre-treated results
remotely.
The sample holder was designed and
produced to contain 16 samples in small,
individual chambers, each with its own
QR code. Each sample can be moved
inside its chamber when a vibration is
applied to fluidise the powder during data
acquisition. The sample holder is ejected
after the 16 samples are measured
(18 seconds for a 1-second acquisition
time per sample), and the subsequent
samples are loaded. In this way, the system
can fully automatically measure up to 1056
samples within less than one hour. After
collecting the raw data, an automated
azimuthal integration is applied, and
everything is stored in a folder within
a hdf5 file with a name generated
automatically from the sample QR code,
allowing the user to download it remotely
after the experiment. In addition, a mail-in
[ Materials ]
Acknowledgements
The author would like to acknowledge the following: D. Canelo-Yubero
(Helmholtz-Zentrums Hereon)​, P. Staron​(Helmholtz-Zentrums Hereon),
Guilherme Abreu Faria (Helmholtz-Zentrums Hereon),​E. Maawad​(Helmholtz-
Zentrums Hereon), N. Schell (Helmholtz-Zentrums Hereon), M. Roy (University of
Manchester), M. Sánchez Poncela (Arcelor Mittal), J.M. Martínez (Arcelor Mittal),
the ESRF Business Development Office, ESRF Sample Environment group and ESRF
beamline scientists.
References
S. Shin, “New era of synchrotron radiation: fourth generation storage ring”, AAPPS
Bulletin 2021, 31, 21
K. Emurlaev, I. Bataev, I. Ivanov, D. Lazurenko, V. Burov, A. Ruktuev, D. Ivanov,
M. Rosenthal, M. Burghammer, K. Georgarakis and A.M. Jorge Junior, “Friction-
induced phase transformations and evolution of microstructure of austenitic
stainless steel observed by operando synchrotron X-ray diffraction”, Acta
Materialia 2022, 234, 118033
B. Dönges, M. Syha, A.K. Hüsecken, U. Pietsch, W. Ludwig, U. Krupp and H.-J.
Christ, “Cyclic deformation induced residual stress evolution and 3D short fatigue
crack growth investigated by advanced synchrotron tomography techniques”,
Materials 2021, 14, 1562
https://www.easi-stress.eu/
https://www.esrf.fr/home/news/tech-talk/content-news/tech-talk/techtalk13.html
Full reference list available on request.
sample service will be established to send up to 1000 samples per week to be
speed up the experiments even further. analysed for battery research, and a steel
The service is already in demand with company is planning to send 32 samples
industrial users: BASF is planning to per month to analyse slag content (5).
[ Energy Transition ]
Optimised magnets for the energy
transition
The European Innovation
Council is funding research
led by Technical University
Darmstadt to synthesise,
produce and test new alloys
suitable for permanent
magnets and magneto-
caloric applications without
using rare-earth elements
and cobalt.
Text by Max-Planck-Institut für
Eisenforschung GmbH
The European Union is 100%
dependent on foreign suppliers in 14
out of 27 critical raw materials which
are a prerequisite for a successful
transformation to a carbon-neutral
society. At the same time, the energy,
conversion and usage systems
are radically changing to face the
challenges of global warming and
humanity’s ever-increasing need for
energy. The old world, dominated
by oil and coal, must be replaced
by a new and cleaner one, fueled by
increasingly cheap electricity from
sun, wind and water. By the end of
the decade, solar power will be more
affordable than power derived from
conventional fossil fuels. However,
having enough low-cost renewable
energy is only the starting point. A
real transition towards a sustainable
economy is only possible with the
electrification of our infrastructures,
which is highly dependent on
innovative magnetic materials. The
European Innovation Council is now
supporting a European-wide research
project on advanced magnetic
materials coordinated by the
Technical University Darmstadt with
three million euros for three years.
Better magnets independent of
rare-earth elements and cobalt
“The aim of the project is to
synthesise, produce and test new
alloys suitable for permanent magnets
and magneto-caloric applications
without using rare-earth elements
and cobalt. This step is crucial to
38 Stainless Steel World October 2023
The electrification of our infrastructure highly depends on magnetic materials. A
European research project now aims to develop new alloys that rely less on rare-earth
elements and cobalt to reduce economic dependencies and make magnets cheaper and
more sustainable. Copyright: S. Ener, T.You, Max-Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung GmbH
accelerate the electrification of our for Advanced Energy Applications)
infrastructures”, explains Oliver project is supported by the EU’s
Gutfleisch, professor for Functional “Pathfinder Open” funding line,
Materials at the Technical University which aims to identify radically new
Darmstadt and coordinator of the new technologies that have the potential
project. The research team, consisting to create entirely new markets. To
of eight partners from six European this end, visionary and high-risk
countries, proposes a novel magnetic projects are funded at an early
materials concept by applying stage of development. The project
compositionally complex alloys includes the Technical University of
(CCAs). This concept is derived from Darmstadt (Germany), University of
the high-entropy alloys (HEAs) design Seville (Spain), Max-Planck-Institut
strategy, which is a new alloying für Eisenforschung (Germany),
strategy that combines multiple Danube University Krems (Austria),
principal elements in relatively high Chalmers University of Technologies
(often equiatomic) concentrations. (Sweden) and companies from
“The CCA concept does not have a Germany, Italy and Greece. The
strict limitation on the near-equal ratio newly granted project paves the
of the different elements, but provides way for a disruptive change in the
a higher design freedom and enables e-mobility and cooling sectors,
developing sustainable magnets with which currently rely on rare-earth
excellent mechanical properties, elements and cobalt – highly limited
corrosion resistance and shapeability”, elements. New innovative magnets
says Dr Liuliu Han, project leader at the derived from compositionally
Max- Planck-Institut für Eisenforschung, complex alloys will be less costly,
which is project partner, too. lower the negative ecological
footprint and maximise targeted
Compositionally complex alloys properties.
The CoCoMag (Multi-property For more information,
Compositionally Complex Magnets visit www.mpie.de
www.stainless-steel-world.net
 [ Water ]

A large-scale desalination and power plant Dubai.

Water in the Middle East – tackling a chronic shortage

The region’s water demand is heavily
The issue of water scarcity is an ongoing concern in the impacted by several factors. A booming
Middle East. Substantial capital investments in the region are population and steady economic growth
establishing robust infrastructure to ensure a consistent water make the region one of the highest
consumers of water in the world. “There
supply. Essential strategies encompassing conservation, are more than 50 million inhabitants
desalination, and advanced storage mechanisms are pivotal across the GCC today, and the figures
in effectively addressing this challenge. could increase by approximately 14
million by 2050,” said Nidal Abou Zaki,
By Joanne McIntyre, Stainless Steel World Managing Director, Orient Planet Group.
“The water-intensive lifestyle prevalent
According to UNICEF, four billion Emirates is doubling down on its efforts in the Gulf countries, as well as their
people – almost two-thirds of the world’s to both conserve water and increase steady economic progress, will widen
population – experience severe water capacity. While over half of the world’s the demand-supply gap in the future
scarcity for at least one month each total desalination output originates from further.”
year. More than two billion people GCC states, the region’s desalination Some industry estimates put the GCC’s
live in countries where the water capacity will increase by 40% in the next annual water demand at over 50 billion
supply is inadequate. As populations five years. The southern coasts of the Gulf cubic meters by 2030. The combined
grow, the need for sustainable water are dotted with more than 300 desalination desalination capacity of GCC countries is
sources becomes urgent. In the Middle plants – mostly in Saudi Arabia, the UAE, expected to increase dramatically by 40%
East, countries including Iraq, Jordan, Kuwait and Bahrain. from the current 18.18 million m3/day to
Lebanon, Syria, Yemen, Palestine and
several of the Gulf States lack access
to plentiful, clean water. The key is
Stainless steels for water desalination
to increase water conservation and The saline conditions of desalination plants, in combination with the high
desalination while reducing waste and pressures, require strong, corrosion-resistant materials. It is standard to apply
boosting storage capacities. duplex (type 2205) and super duplex (SAF 2507) stainless steel in the most severe
applications, such as the casing and impellors of high-pressure feed pumps,
Conserve, desalinate, store booster pumps or seawater intake pumps. In less severe applications, lean duplex
According to Orient Planet Group (OPG), grades such as 2304 or Outokumpu’s LDX 2101 have been successfully applied. To
the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) trade
avoid over-specifying, NSSC has developed NSSC 2120 (21Cr-2Ni-N), a grade with
bloc comprising Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman,
corrosion resistance similar to type 304 but twice as strong.
Qatar, Saudi Arabia, and the United Arab

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 39

[ Water ]

Hadera in Israel is one of the world’s largest SWRO desalination plants, with a maximum
capacity of 160 million m3/year.

Emergency desalination in Gaza

UNICEF, the European Union, and local partners worked together on the Seawater
Desalination Plant project to provide safe drinking water for 75,000 Palestinians
living in the Gaza Strip. The project was launched in response to the impending
collapse of Gaza’s groundwater aquifer, which is affected by prolonged drought,
seawater intrusion, sewage and fertiliser infiltration. The immediate solution was
Stainless steel tanks provide long-term,
the construction of seawater desalination plants. Three relatively small capacity
maintenance-free, hygienic water
reverse osmosis plants referred to as Short Term Low Volume (STLV) were rapidly
storage. By Oscar Arky, CC BY-SA 3.0,
implemented to provide relief until a large-scale plant could be built.
Wikimedia Creative Commons

over 25 million m3/day within the next
few years. An enormous amount of
power is required for desalination,
and the GCC countries are looking to
renewable energy to help fuel their
water needs.
Advanced water projects in the
region
Saudi Arabia: In 2023, the Kingdom
announced USD14.58 billion of
investments in water projects for
desalination, transmission, strategic
reservoirs, and wastewater treatment.
Seven new Independent Water Plant
desalinisation projects will be built
beginning in 2024.
Four Independent Water Transmission
Pipeline projects are planned to
transport potable water.
The Kingdom also announced ten new
Independent Strategic Water Reservoir
(ISWR) projects and six new wastewater
treatment projects to treat wastewater
for reuse.
In 2022, Saudi Arabia had already
launched sixty water projects worth
USD 9.33 billion. Once completed,
these projects will increase the
desalination capacity from 2.54 million
m3/per day in 2021 to 7.5 million
m3/ per day by 2027.
UAE: The UAE Water Security Strategy
2036 aims to reduce CO2 emissions
associated with water desalination
by 100 million metric tons and
ensure sustainable access to water
during both normal and emergency
conditions. The strategy will reduce
total demand for water, increase water
productivity, reduce water scarcity,
increase the reuse of treated water

In 2022, Israel announced plans to pump excess output from its Hadera desalination plant into the Sea of Galilee, depleted by overuse
and threatened by climate change.

40 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net


The ACCIONA reverse osmosis desalination plant in Qatar has a total daily capacity of 894,000 m3.
and increase national water storage
capacity.
Dubai: Dubai Electricity and Water
Authority (DEWA) is increasing Dubai’s
water storage capacity by 2030 with three
massive reservoirs. “We aim to increase
the storage capacity of Dubai to 1002
MIG compared to the current capacity
Looking for technical
information?
In November 2022, Stainless Steel
World published the technical paper
‘High-alloy stainless steel in seawater
desalination processes’ by Centro
Inox. Access this article in our online
technical archive:
•• Go to www.stainless-steel-world.
net, click on ARTICLES and search
for the title
•• or use this link: bit.ly/44MioB3
•• or scan this QR code:
www.stainless-steel-world.net
of 815 MIG,” said HE Saeed Mohammed
Al Tayer, MD & CEO of DEWA. The
reservoirs add to the Aquifer Storage and
Recovery (ASR) project for desalinated
water. Once completed in 2025, the ASR
project will be the largest in the world.
Jordan: The World Bank reports
that Jordan is one of the most water-
scarce countries in the world. This is
exacerbated by huge water losses:
over 50% of municipal water either
leaks from pipes or is not paid for by
the consumer and is considered non-
revenue water (NRW). The Jordan Water
Sector Efficiency Project addresses
three areas: sustainable reduction of
NRW by rehabilitating water supply
infrastructure, modernising water supply
systems, and engaging customers and
communities. In June 2023, the project
received a USD 200 million loan from the
International Bank for Reconstruction
and Development and a USD 50 million
grant from the Global Concessional
Financing Facility.
Oman: Several major Independent
Water Projects (IWPs) are in the pipeline
for Oman Power and Water Procurement
Company (OPWP), especially in the
Barka region. Barka IWP 2024 is a new
water scheme with a capacity of 100,000
m3/day.
OPWP is also building a new IWP, North
Al Batinah, sized at 150,000 m3/day,
planned for commercial launch in 2026.
Oman’s largest IWP – a 300,000 m3/day
capacity desalination plant - should be
operational by 2025.
[ Water ]
Qatar: The desalination plant at Umm
Al Houl in Doha is part of a large-scale
Integrated Water and Power Project
(IWPP) that produces approximately 2,500
MW of electric power. Designed, built
and operated by ACCIONA, the reverse
osmosis desalination plant has a total daily
capacity of 894,000 m3 (in two phases).
Bahrain: This year, Bahrain successfully
launched the second phase of the
large Al-Dur 2 Independent Water and
Power Project (IWPP), valued at USD 1
billion. The plant generates 1500 MW
of electricity and processes 50 million
gallons of desalinated water daily,
increasing the Kingdom’s daily production
capacity to 5044 MW of electricity and 204
million gallons of desalinated water.
Israel: The country has seven mega-
size desalination plants built or planned
along its single coastline, producing
80% of its potable water. In 2022, Israel
announced plans to pump excess output
from its desalination plants into the Sea
of Galilee, depleted by overuse and
threatened by climate change.
Sources
arabnews.com
unicef.org
climate-laws.org
mediaoffice.ae
omanobserver.om
energy-utilities.com
worldstainless.org
ide-tech.com
Stainless Steel World October 2023 41
[ Design ]

Stainless steel grade 431; the better

choice for propellers
The propeller is a device with a rotating industries. This grade offers superior
Since the Wright Brothers hub and radiating blades set at a pitch corrosion and heat resistance. In terms
first achieved mechanical to form a helical spiral that exerts linear of mechanical properties, grade 431
thrust upon air or water. Propellers offers five times more stress tolerance
flight, humans have work similarly to how a screw works. For than aluminium, meaning that the blades
worked on perfecting aircraft applications, as the blades rotate, can be significantly thinner. In addition,
the propellor. Stainless air accelerates over the front surface, grade 431 propellers are more durable,
steel grade 431 is a causing reduced static pressure ahead with greater tolerances to help reduce
of the blade and resulting in forward drag on the motor, even at very high
highly suitable material thrust. This generates aerodynamic force speeds.
which far outperforms while spin creates a forward direction.
aluminium. Early history of the propeller
Material of manufacturing The first propellers were derived from
Martensitic stainless steel grade AISI a rotating screw design invented by the
By Srikumar Chakraborty, ex, ASP/SAIL, 431 is highly suitable for propellers in ancient Greek scientist Archimedes in
freelance consultant the marine, aerospace and automobile 200 BC. Ancient civilisations used these
to extract water from wells with little
Nominal chemical composition in % & physical properties of stainless grade 431: effort. Propeller technology advanced
rapidly after the Wright Brothers’
C Mn Si P S Cr Ni
breakthrough design in 1903. While the
0.20 max 1.00 max 1.00 max 0.040 max 0.030 max 15.0-17.0 1.25-2.50 Wrights’ propellers were about 82%
Physical properties of stainless grade 431:
efficient, today’s propellers operate at
around 90% efficiency.
Condition Tensile strength (MPa) Yield strength (MPa) Elongation (%) Hardness brinel (BHN) In the aircraft industry, the first
Annealed 860 typical 650 typical 20 typical 285 max propellers were made from wood and
had a fixed pitch, greatly limiting the
H&T 850-1000 635 min 11 min 248-302
aircraft’s performance capabilities.
Aluminium sheet properties: However, in 1929, Wallace Turnbull
patented his design for a variable pitch
285 MPa 190 MPa 12% 78 HB
propeller, which allowed the pilot to

42 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net

 [ Design ]
manually adjust the blade pitch and
maintain better control over the aircraft’s
performance and operational efficiency.
Later, constant-speed propellers with
a variable pitch that automatically
adjusted to maintain a constant
rotational speed were developed. Most
of today’s high-performance propeller
aircraft use constant-speed props
because they offer better performance
and fuel efficiency. Hartzell Propeller
has been at the forefront of aircraft
propeller design and manufacturing
since the early days of aviation.
Aircraft propellers are often made from
aluminium or composite materials and
range from two to six blades. However,
stainless 431 propellers have successfully
and more efficiently replaced these.

Stainless steel 431 vs aluminium

Regarding performance, a stainless steel
propeller functions better and more
efficiently in terms of cost, quality, superior
ductility, maintenance-free and lifecycle
cost than aluminium. Produced by cold
rolling, thin stainless blades create high-
performance propellers with reduced
drag and a stiffer, stronger profile that can
cut through water or air more efficiently.
This drag reduction makes it easier to
reach top speed with better fuel efficiency.

Process metallurgy
AISI 431 is the most important stainless
steel in the martensitic group to manifest
an undesirably strong tendency to form
delta ferrite (if a ferrite-former such as
Cr is high) and/or retained austenite. This
is due to the difficulties in the commercial
practice of observing the extremely close
tolerances necessitated by the chemistry
Stainless steel grade 431 offers five times
more stress tolerance than aluminium.
Stainless Steel grade 431 offers five times more stress tolerance than aluminium.
of the steel. As a result, the microstructure
may not be uniform from heat to heat,
and is too often characterised by
excessive amounts of austenite and/
or the delta ferrite phase conducive
to embrittlement. These objectionable
processing difficulties are perhaps
partially responsible for the production
of grade 431 not appreciably increasing
over the last twenty years. In addition, the
high carbon content in 431 renders the
alloy challenging to weld or hot work.
However, the presence of nickel
(austenite former) at the 1.25-2.5 %
level counteracts the delta ferrite
formation tendency, balancing a
desirable structure and workability.
Excess nickel can lead to undesirable
quantities of retained austenite on
cooling from the austenitic condition. It
should be mentioned that at elevated
temperatures, a completely austenitic
structure is desirable for good
processing characteristics, particularly
forgeability, rollability and weldability.
However, the steel should transform at
least substantially to martensite upon
cooling to about room temperature. To
that end, the sum of the percentages of
nickel and chromium together should
not exceed 21.5% in this grade and
preferably should be less than 21.25%.
It is essential to carry out standard
tests to get the specified values such
as toughness characteristics, including
tensile, yield, elongation, reduction in
area and Charpy V-notch energy values
conducted on steel products. Even for
plate products, it is documented that the
ability to absorb impact energy is usually
significantly higher when measured in
the longitudinal direction as opposed to
the direction transverse to rolling.
Conclusion
Aluminium propeller blades are thicker
than stainless ones and create more
drag at top speed. The physical and
mechanical properties of AISI 431, e.g.
tensile and compressive properties,
impact energy and dynamic fracture
toughness and exhibit an overall
superior performance compared to
other metals.

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 43

[ Surface Hardening ]

Empowering medical device

applications with surface hardening
The nitrocarburizing
process developed by
Expanite enhances
both the hardness and
corrosion resistance of
stainless steel materials -
and not just for individual
alloys. Therefore,
the process is also
recommended for medical
device applications. It
extends the lifespan of
the respective application,
thereby increasing patient
safety and reduces cost.

Text & images by Expanite

Because of its unique properties and

versatility, stainless steel is an essential
material for medical devices and implants
that frequently encounter liquids and
tissue. Its corrosion resistance guarantees
an extended lifespan and prevents the
development of rust or other damage that
could compromise the functionality and
safety of medical products.
For decades, stainless steel has been
extensively used in medical technology
and is offered in a diverse array of alloy
variations in the market. Numerous
companies opt for these materials due to
their corrosion resistance, with particular Stainless steel is an essential material for medical devices such as this knee implants.
emphasis on the austenitic and duplex
variants. Nevertheless, these options are
challenged by their susceptibility to wear layer. Additionally, coatings can develop hardening, a process distinct from
attributed to their relatively low hardness, cracks during significant expansions or coating that relies on diffusion-based
often resulting in issues such as galling. contractions of the underlying material surface hardening. While traditional
Conventional techniques aimed to due to the different thermal expansion methods of surface layer hardening for
increase wear or galling resistance on coefficients of the base material and stainless steels have been available to the
stainless steel components come with coating. Small openings present further industry for some time, they inherently
a drawback – they often result in non- challenges, as the coating process may not possess two primary drawbacks. Firstly,
corroding steels becoming susceptible to be effectively applied depending on the all conventional methods result in a
corrosion post-treatment. Coating methods process used. Bypassing these hurdles has reduction in corrosion resistance. Secondly,
designed to prevent this issue involve the become the core objective of Expanite, the hardness values of stainless steels
application of material, but in numerous the Danish provider of surface hardening typically treated with nitrogen or carbon
cases, they exhibit inconsistencies in terms technologies. experience rapid degradation, resulting
of layer thickness. This inconsistency in a shallow hardening depth of only a few
leads to the accumulation of material on Enhancing stainless performance micrometers. Consequently, the underlying
flat surfaces, while corners and edges Addressing the problems with stainless structure remains quite soft, potentially
experience a reduction in the protective steel involves applying surface layer leading to a fragile shell-like effect.

44 Stainless Steel World October 2023 www.stainless-steel-world.net


Expanite has pioneered an FDA-
compliant process that overcomes these
limitations. In this process, the surface
layer and the underlying material are
profoundly hardened. This specially
developed nitrocarburizing method
is a thermochemical process for steel,
facilitating the diffusion of nitrogen and
carbon into the workpiece’s surface.
This achieves enhanced surface
hardness, improved wear resistance,
and heightened corrosion resistance.
Nitrocarburizing combines the benefits
of both nitriding and carburizing with a
single process.
Protection from wear and corrosion
The stainless steel treatment typically
involves a two-step process. During
the initial phase (high-temperature
procedure), nitrogen is introduced deeply
into the boundary zone. This results in the
material being hardened up to around 1
mm, with hardness levels ranging from
approximately 300 HV for austenitic
materials to 850 HV for martensitic
materials.
In the subsequent stage, referred to
as the low-temperature procedure,
the workpiece is gradually heated to
[ Surface Hardening ]
a maximum of 470°C. This controlled
heating enables the infusion of both
carbon and nitrogen, effectively
reinforcing the boundary layer to a depth
ranging from 5 to 30 µ, achieving hardness
levels between 1100 and 1300 HV.
By combining both process steps, the
fragile eggshell effect is avoided.
“Nitrocarburizing is
a thermochemical
process for steel
facilitating the diffusion
of nitrogen and carbon
into the workpiece’s
surface.”
To test wear resistance, Expanite
conducted tests on several 316L samples
that had undergone its proprietary
hardening process, following ASTM
standard G 98 guidelines. In this test,
a ceramic test body is moved back
and forth on a test specimen under a
constant pressing force of 25 N. After a
sliding distance of 100 m, the resulting
wear volume is qualified. Remarkably,
the sample treated with Super-Expanite
exhibited wear resistance levels 125 times
superior to those of the untreated sample.
While conventional surface hardening
methods aim to enhance surface hardness,
they frequently come at the cost of
compromising corrosion resistance. This
is precisely where our procedure steps
in: Extensive testing has demonstrated
that samples subjected to Expanite´s
hardening process can endure up to
1000 hours in a salt spray fog chamber
without exhibiting subsequent corrosion
indications. In fact, surface hardening can
occasionally elevate corrosion resistance
to levels surpassing those of the untreated
base material.
About Expanite
Expanite is a Danish company specializing
in heat treatment and surface hardening of
stainless steel and titanium. The company has
its head office in Hillerød near Copenhagen
and service centers and licensees in the USA,
Germany, Korea, and China. Expanite’s DNA
is based on sustainable solutions to extend
the life of components made of stainless steel,
titanium, and other high-value alloys. www.
expanite.com
[ Markets ]
UK metals sector optimistic despite
trade, energy & labour challenges
Rising energy prices, the impact of life after the EU and labour shortages continue to be the
main challenges facing the UK metals sector according to a new report released September
13 from the UK Metals Council.
Text & images by UK Metals Council
Nearly a quarter of firms in the UK Metals
Council’s State of the Metals Industry
in the UK 2023/24 survey admitted to
adjusting supply chain strategies or
sourcing alternatives, whilst just under
a third want enhanced Government
support to navigate trade barriers and
custom procedures in the wake of Brexit.
22% of manufacturers are also looking
for improved energy supply contracts
to bring prices down to more affordable
levels, with just 31% of businesses
saying that they have an effective
recruitment strategy in place for filling
the well-documented labour gaps.
There were positive sentiments in the
report, which was officially published
during the opening address at the
UK Metal Expo in Birmingham on
September 13th.
Optimistic about prospects
Despite the widespread challenges,
70% of respondents are optimistic or
very optimistic about future business
46 Stainless Steel World October 2023
prospects, underlining the resilience of
the sector and its ability to innovate.
“We touch metals every day, whether
that is in our homes, in the cars, planes
and trains we travel in, the medical
devices we rely on, as well as tools and
machinery used for their production,”
explained Rachel Eade MBE, Chair of
the UK Metals Council.
“Importantly, it is now recognised that
metals can be infinitely and readily
recycled into new parts, something that
cannot be said for many other materials
in modern life – we need to value “We need to value metals more as we
metals more as we move to a Net Zero move to a Net Zero economy” - Rachel
economy.” Eade MBE, Chair of the UK Metals Council.
“Foundation industries will continue to
play a critical role in the way we all live, of primes, metal producers and those in
and this vital sector needs a voice to the downward supply chain.”
ensure that the Government understands “The issues they are facing span from
the journey we are on.” supply chain disruption because of
She went on to add: “This is why we Brexit to availability of raw materials and
came up with the State of the Metals how they can mitigate the cost of energy
Industry in the UK Report, a unique – a key issue when you consider levels
opportunity for us to canvas the views of consumption in our industry.”
www.stainless-steel-world.net

“Skills and the ability to get new people
into our sector is also a challenge that
is holding many of them back as they
look to support the UK’s desire to move
towards Net Zero.”
Metals supply chain
The UK Metals Council is made up
of 12 trade associations from across
the full spectrum of the metals supply
chain, from primary manufacturing to
recycling.
In total, it represents the interests
and views of over 11,000 companies,
employing directly and indirectly nearly
one million people.
The first ever State of the Metals Industry
in the UK Report was launched to provide
a sector snapshot of the opportunities
and challenges faced by the domestic
metals industry and the prospects for
future growth and sustainability.
All of the findings will be sent to
Government to help it shape future
[ Markets ]
policy and support, whilst the data will
also be available for sector specialists,
companies and academia to use
for intelligence gathering, bids and
lobbying.
Lord Rupert Redesdale, Chair of UK
Metals Expo, noted: “A robust domestic
metals supply chain is pivotal in
realising our objectives, whilst driving
energy-efficient production, nurturing
circular economy practices, and
propelling sustainable advancement.”

Case study:
Phil Rawnson, Managing Director of Andover-based MRT Castings, has seen energy prices
treble over the last eighteen months.
His company exports over 60% of its GBP 8.5m annual sales and the massive rise in costs
makes trading overseas more difficult – especially when other countries aren’t hit with the same
extortionate rises and delivery charges.
“We can’t pass all the increases on to our customers, so there is little doubt our global
competitiveness has been hit. Whilst we have a continual focus on becoming more energy
efficient as we drive towards Net Zero, we could certainly do with a more simplified support
offer from Government.”
“At the last count, there are 26 different support packages to help the move towards
decarbonisation, but as a SME we don’t have the time or resource to uncover which corner of
Whitehall they’re buried in.
“Bureaucracy is too heavy and costly, and this is definitely a barrier for firms to tap into the financial assistance that is out there.”
Brexit has also been a major issue for MRT Castings, which invested in one of the UK’s newest foundries in 2020. Shipments to one of the company’s
largest customers in Ireland used to take less than 24 hours, now thanks to an elongated and costly customs process the same journey is taking between
three to five days.
Phil went on to add: “Our sector is extremely resilient, and we can achieve amazing things when we work together. Just look at what we did during the
Covid-pandemic when we trebled our output – with the help of our supply chain - to support the ventilator effort that saved hundreds of lives.
“We don’t want handouts, just a level playing field.”

Case study: Case study:

Mike Everard, Managing Director of
Sheffield-based iESCO, has seen a significant
surge in enquiries from the metal sector for his
firm’s voltage power optimisation technology.
His company’s ‘powerPerfector’ product
removes the overvoltage that UK mains
electricity supply produces at source, helping
businesses save money on energy bills, reduce
their carbon footprint, and prolong the lifetime
of their equipment.
“The resilience of the metals sector never
ceases to amaze me and we are seeing first-
hand how companies in the supply chain are
being creative in order to reduce their energy
costs.
“Whilst the rises we have seen are not ideal,
I do think a certain amount of pain is required
if we are going to achieve long-term energy
security in the UK.
“It has focused our attention on what is
required to help us reduce our dependence on
carbon power and we now need to see the
Government, hamstrung with the financial
hit of Covid, channel sustained funding into
creating more hydro, nuclear, solar and tidal
power infrastructure.”
Kirsty Davies-Chinnock is quietly pleased
that she negotiated a new fixed energy
contract starting in October. The cost to
Professional Polishing Services (PPS), which
offers bespoke stainless steel and non-ferrous
polishing, will be an additional GBP100,000
per year, an 84% increase on the previous rate.
“I’ve spoken to a lot of MDs I know, and
they’ve been tied into contracts that are
300-400% more than their last ones – that is
unthinkable.
“Even at 84% we are going to have to pass some of the additional costs on to our customers and
we’ll work with them to do this, whilst also implementing the energy efficient measures we can on
our own shopfloor.”
PPS Ltd works with a client base that spans the world, with its efforts seen as far afield as Hong Kong
and Australia. One of its biggest clients used to be in Ireland, but due to the complications of Brexit
annual sales in this territory have reduced from GBP250,000 to just GBP30,000 per year.
“Trading with the European Union is more difficult and some of our customers have chosen to
source elsewhere. We’ve had to react and look at building sales in other existing markets and we
have been successful in winning new work in the US and Saudi Arabia. That’s not as a positive result
of Brexit, we were trading in these areas whilst still in the EU.”
Despite the challenges, Kirsty is optimistic about the future and has a strong pipeline of opportunities.
In fact, she has just secured a GBP250,000 new order to take turnover past the GBP2m mark in what
is currently her firm’s 40th anniversary year.
“We’ll need another person to help with our growth and that’s not always easy in our sector due to
the diminishing labour pool. We’re quite niche, so need to find the right person with the right culture
and then we train them up in what we do.”

www.stainless-steel-world.net Stainless Steel World October 2023 47

 Duplex World
Conference & Expo
6 & 7 November 2024
Rotterdam Ahoy, Netherlands

CONFERENCE - EXHIBITION - NETWORKING

The world’s premier event for the duplex stainless steel
community returns to Rotterdam, an industrial hub for
the oil & gas, (petro) chemical, energy transition and
offshore industries.

Sponsored by: Supported by:

www.stainless-steel-world-duplex.com

Schantz President of Alleima
Tube Division
Alleima has appointed
Carl von Schantz
as President of
Tube division, and
member of the
Group Executive
Management team. Carl von Schantz
Carl von Schantz most recently came
from Atlas Copco, where he held the
position as President of the General
Industry Tools and Assembly Systems
division for the past five years.
Dennis Oates receives Titan
100 Award
Universal Stainless &
Alloy Products, Inc.
has announced that
Dennis M. Oates,
Chairman, President
and CEO, has been
selected as a 2023 Dennis M. Oates
Titan 100. The award is
given for exceptional leadership, vision,
passion, and influence in an executive’s
field.
Mr Oates has held Senior Executive
positions at several Philadelphia
area metals companies including
Lukens Inc., TW Metals and Carpenter
Technology. After joining the
Universal Stainless Board of Directors
in 2007, Oates was named President
and Chief Executive Officer in 2008
and elected Chairman of the Board
in 2010. He also serves as Chairman
of the Board of the Specialty Steel
Industries of North America, the
trade association representing major
specialty steel producing mills. He
is highly regarded for his extensive
knowledge of the global specialty
steel and aerospace markets.
GE Vernova updates
leadership team
GE Vernova has appointed two leaders
to its leadership team. Kenneth
“Ken” Parks will join GE Vernova
as Chief Financial Officer (CFO).
www.stainless-steel-world.net
Community Update
Ken brings 38 years
of comprehensive
financial leadership to
the role. Most recently,
Ken served as CFO
for Owens Corning.
Victor “Vic” Abate Victor Abate
to lead the full
Wind segment across GE Vernova,
which also includes Offshore Wind
and LM Wind Power businesses. Vic
has served as CEO of Onshore Wind
for the last 15 months. He has more
than 30 years of senior leadership
experience and transformation
success at GE. Vic served as CEO of
Gas Power Systems and as GE’s Chief
Technology Officer.
Parnell recognized as Top
Birmingham Woman
O’Neal Steel’s Chief
Operations Officer,
Jodi Parnell, has been
recognized by the
Birmingham Business
Journal as one of the
Jodi Parnell
2023 Top Birmingham
Women. This accolade celebrates
the exemplary achievements and
influential roles of women in the
Birmingham, Alabama, business
community. Each year, the Birmingham
Business Journal pays tribute to women
who not only drive the success of
their respective organizations but
also play a pivotal role in shaping and
enriching their communities. Being
named among such influential figures
is a testament to Jodi’s dedication,
innovative leadership, and the positive
impact she has made within and
beyond the organization.
Cyclife Aquila Nuclear
appoints Corbett MD
Cyclife Aquila
Nuclear has appointed
Drew Corbett as the
Managing Director.
Having served
as Commercial Drew Corbett
Director, Drew brings with him a
wealth of experience and his expertise
in business strategy, coupled with a
deep understanding of its operations
and market dynamics, positions him
perfectly to lead the organisation into
the future.
Höganäs AB appoints Ager
President, CEO
The Board of Directors
has appointed Henrik
Ager as the President
and CEO of Höganäs
AB.
Henrik Ager is
currently the CEO
of Copperstone Henrik Ager
Resources AB. Prior to this, Henrik
spent eight years with Sandvik as the
Business Area President of Sandvik
Mining and Rock Solutions, Division
President of Sandvik Rock tools and
Vice President Strategy of Sandvik
Mining. Before Sandvik, Henrik was a
partner at McKinsey where he spent
16 years.
Tripathy Country Chair of
Shell India
Shell India has
appointed Mansi
Madan Tripathy as the
Country Chair of Shell
India.
As Country Chair of
Shell India, Mansi will Mansi Madan
oversee Shell Group Tripathy
of companies in India, in addition to her
role as Vice President, Shell Lubricants
for Asia Pacific.
Prior to commencement as Country
Chair, Mansi was Vice President of
Shell Lubricants Asia Pacific, and has
held other roles in Shell including
Managing Director of Shell Lubricants
India and Country Marketing Officer.
Mansi joined Shell from Procter &
Gamble in 2012, where she held
several regional and global Director-
level positions.
Stainless Steel World October 2023 49
 Industry Update
Sohar Noble Metals signs Oman deal
SOHAR Port and Freezone in Oman signed a land lease
agreement with Sohar Noble Metals (FZC), for the production
of Vanadium and Niobium metals in SOHAR Freezone. With
a total investment of USD 7M, this project will significantly
enrich the minerals portfolio in SOHAR, enhancing industrial
diversity. Vanadium and Niobium play crucial roles as additives
in the metals industry, enhancing the strength and durability of
various types of metals.
The project, covering an area of 5,000 square meters, will be
designed and constructed to supply the superalloys industries
within the United States and Europe markets with Vanadium
and Niobium ingots.
The project output is expected to attract further investments
from companies reliant on these crucial metals which will
enhance the continuous development of SOHAR Freezone.
Outokumpu partnership with thyssenkrupp
Outokumpu continues the partnership with thyssenkrupp
Materials Processing Europe. The aim is to reduce emissions
from the automotive sector with the world’s first towards-
zero stainless steel. Purem by Eberspaecher will start using
Outokumpu Circle Green supplied by thyssenkrupp Materials
Processing Europe, with up to 92% lower carbon footprint
than the industry average. The collaboration is showing the
direction of supporting the ambitious EU level transition
towards low-emission mobility.
Within the partnership, the Circle Green material will be
supplied to thyssenkrupp Materials Processing Europe by
Outokumpu. The service centre experts will be responsible for
50 Stainless Steel World October 2023
processing the master coil into slit strips and will manage the
just-in-time delivery to Purem by Eberspaecher.
The Green Footprint is one of the company’s sustainability
fields of action with clear goals that include CO2 neutral
production by 2030.
Hendrick buys high-precision leveler
The Hendrick Corporation in Carbondale in the coal belt of
Pennsylvania (USA) has been producing perforated sheets
in various designs. Initially only screens for the separation of
coal, later other markets are added, such as perforated sheets
for medical technology, the automotive industry, water and
air filtration and architecture in a range of materials including
stainless steel grades 304, 316, 430 and more.
The demands on the precision of perforated sheet panels for
cladding exterior walls are high. The highest precision and
evenness are mandatory for leveling these perforated sheets.
Leveling prevents time-consuming manual reworking. The
company purchased a high-precision leveler from Schnutz
designed for perforated metal sheets up to 1600mm wide with
a thickness of 0,5 to 0,3mm. These values depend on the yield
strength (here 300 MPa) and the open cross-section. The speed
can be between 2 and 20 m/min.
ANDRITZ CCP at voestalpine
ANDRITZ has supplied its first
carbon capture plant to the steel
industry. The pilot plant started
operating at voestalpine’s steel
mill in Linz, Austria, in Q2 of
this year. The plant separates
carbon dioxide from the flue
gases resulting from iron-
making using an amine-based
process designed by ANDRITZ.
The captured CO2 is filled into
large industrial gas bottles and
delivered to an Austrian energy
storage company that is investigating new ways of making it
available for re-use in steel production. The plant was ordered
by the K1-MET metallurgical competence center. It helps to
gain experience in plant operation, investigate new absorption
media, and optimize the process.
www.stainless-steel-world.net
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[ Industry Update ]
3 news grades under IS 15997
The Bureau of Indian Standards has recently introduced three
grades—N5, N6, and N7—under the standard IS 15997, meant
exclusively for stainless steel used in utensils and kitchenware
applications. Jindal Stainless is the first to apply for and secure
certification for those grades under the enhanced standard.
The enhancement in the scope of the standard brings in
low Nickel (with Ni <1%) Chromium Manganese grades of
stainless steel within the ambit of BIS specifications. The
addition of these three grades to the standard will help usher
in a new quality regime for stainless steel used in utensils and
kitchenware.
Alleima cold-finishing facility in Zhenjiang
Alleima is increasing its capacity for application tubing
products, such as heat exchanger tubes, through an investment
of approximately SEK 250M in a new cold-finishing facility in
Zhenjiang, China.
The greenfield facility will have more than 10,000 m2
floor space and will be built on the existing Alleima site in
Zhenjiang in China. Operations will ramp up from 2025, adding
cold-finishing capabilities to meet the growing demand for
heat exchangers, composite tubes and other application tubing
products, mainly to the chemical and petrochemical segment
in China. The facility will also have capabilities to produce
hydrogen tubes supporting the build-out of Chinese green
hydrogen infrastructure.
The chemical and petrochemical segment is the targeted
segment in Alleima’s profitable growth strategy. The offering
consists of a premium portfolio of application tubing products
used in chemical plants for production of chemical compounds,
which are expected to grow driven by increased global
consumption.
52 Stainless Steel World October 2023
ANDRITZ contract for Jaguara modernisation
ENGIE Brasil Energia awarded ANDRITZ a contract for
the modernization of the Brazilian Jaguara hydropower
plant. Located in Rifaina, State of Sao Paulo, the 424
MW hydropower plant is an important asset of ENGIE’s
hydro generation fleet. The project is expected to be
completed by the end of 2028. The ANDRITZ scope of
supply includes the modernization of the four Francis
turbine generator units with a capacity of 106 MW each,
governors, the excitation system, the automation system,
and all related auxiliary systems. The contract will be
executed by ANDRITZ Hydro Brazil. The project aims
at the extension of asset lifetime and its performance
improvement.
Vallourec line pipes phases 6 and 8 of Buzios
Vallourec has won two major orders to supply line pipes for
phases 6 and 8 of the Buzios oil field development operated
by Petrobras. These orders are in addition to the contract
for phase 7, representing a total of 48,000 tonnes of line
pipe. Located off the Brazilian coast in the pre-salt Campos
Basin, Buzios accounts for 25% of the Brazilian oil company's
production. The equipment ordered from Vallourec for phases
6, 7 and 8 of the project includes 346 km of subsea line pipe
for the risers and flowlines in the Subsea Umbilicals Risers
and Flowlines (SURF) package. These ultra-premium line pipes
will be mechanically lined pipes (MLPs) with CRA (Corrosion
Resistant Alloy) cladding.
SteelBuy hits 300 transactions
SteelBuy has recorded over 300 transactions and GBP 1m+
sales revenue. Users from across the UK are leveraging the
technology to achieve faster and more efficient deals for
their mild steel, stainless steel, and aluminium, with all the
logistics and invoicing managed through the encrypted
platform. Sellers can post their material with product
specifications, test certificates and price per tonne and
these can be found by potential buyers within seconds. With
listings taking just one minute to complete, it is estimated
that 37 hours can be saved each week in the average
purchasing and sales function. Importantly, all transactions
are anonymised so buyers and sellers do not know who the
other party is. SteelBuy has plans to take its technology into
the European marketplace.
www.stainless-steel-world.net

Suncor 316 stainless steel lashing rings
Suncor Stainless® has launched a new line of heavy-duty
lashing rings designed for demanding tie-down applications.
The new series features bent D-rings that are angled and
extend beyond the surface. This enables the user to attach
lashing fittings to the ring without having to lift the ring first,
which allows one-handed attachment. These new lashing
rings are an expansion of Suncor's standard lashing rings and
D-Ring shape product line series. Rings are forged for strength
and components are made from 316 stainless steel for added
durability in harsh environments.
Tenaris celebrates 3 decades in Hickman
Tenaris is celebrating the 30th anniversary of its welded pipe
mill in Hickman, Arkansas, and the restart of its Blytheville facility.
www.stainless-steel-world.net
[ Industry Update ]
Since producing its first pipe in March 1993, the mill has been
serving the energy industry with high quality welded pipe
products. Tenaris has invested approximately USD 275M in the
Hickman mill since 2006 in a wide range of projects to improve
safety, quality, and process efficiency. The latest part of the
company’s ramp up is the restart of its Hickman North Campus,
the Blytheville facility that formed part of the Ipsco Tubulars
acquisition. The North Campus will support the company’s US
operations by bringing additional heat treatment capacity online.
AMETEK Land relaunches enhanced SPOT+
pyrometer range
AMETEK Land has relaunched the SPOT pyrometer range with
enhanced features and benefits for a wide range of industrial
applications.
The SPOT+ family offers a wide range of temperature
measurements from 50 to 3500°C and a choice of different
wavelengths for applications including metals, glass, cement
and lime kilns and foundries.
A wide range of new communications interfaces makes the
SPOT+ ideal for Industrial Internet of Things (IIoT) factory
automation applications in addition to traditional 4-20 mA
signals.
An integrated video camera provides a visible light process
view alongside infrared temperature measurement, which
allows sighting to be carried out safely and easily.
Stainless Steel World October 2023 53
[ Industry Update ]
POSCO Thainox wins an award
POSCO Thainox, under the
stewardship of President
Shin Hyung-gu, was
bestowed with the Minister
of Natural Resources and
Environment Award at the
‘2023 Environmental Impact
Assessment Monitoring
Awards,’ an event held at
Bangkok’s Asawin Grand
Convention Hotel.
It accredits environmentally conscious companies by
recognizing excellence in environmental management across
various key industries, including manufacturing, energy, and
petrochemicals.
POSCO Thainox earned this distinction by demonstrating
exceptional results in waste-to-resource initiatives, such as
recycling waste from acid pre-treatment processes, achieving
zero landfill through the recycling of neutralized sludge waste,
and repurposing water treatment iron scale.
Equinor chooses Tenaris coated line pipe
Tenaris has been selected by Equinor, in the name of the BM-
C-33 consortium, to supply 83,000 tons of 22 and 24 high-grade
welded line pipe, tubular accessories, and services for the gas
export line of the BMC-33 block, operated by Equinor as part
of a consortium with Repsol Sinopec and Petrobras.
With the start of production expected in 2028, the development
of BM-C-33 will be based on a FPSO (Floating Production
Storage and Offloading) vessel that will process natural gas for
sale without the need for further treatment onshore. Gas will
be exported through a 200km export pipeline connecting the
FPSO vessel to Cabiúnas, in the city of Macaé. The gas volumes
from BM-C-33 can represent up to 15% of the total gas demand
in Brazil.
For this project, Tenaris will leverage its integrated One Line™
pipeline management services, with coating, accessories, and
logistics.
Stalatube launches video series
Stalatube Oy has released the company’s biggest video
series of all time: Stalatube X Pekka feat. Jamie Hyneman. In
this series, Stalatube’s engineer Pekka tests stainless steel
hollow sections with a world-known actor, Professor Mr. Jamie
Hyneman. The series comprises three parts in which Pekka
54 Stainless Steel World October 2023
and Jamie subject various steel grades to practical studies:
pressure testing, roll-over testing, and tensile testing. The
ultimate question is which steel grade emerges as the strongest
and most superior among them all?
The humorous series, featuring the star of the popular Myth
Busters television series, can be viewed on the Stalatube
website.
IperionX to produce titanium plate for testing
IperionX Limited has agreed to an order with Lockheed Martin
(LMT) for the delivery of titanium plate components produced
using IperionX’s US manufactured titanium.
IperionX’s advanced titanium production technologies have
the potential to provide a lower cost and more sustainable US
domestic supply chain for titanium raw materials.
The titanium plate components for Lockheed Martin will be
manufactured with powder metallurgy production methods
and IperionX’s advanced titanium angular powder. To deliver
higher performance and durability, IperionX will also employ
its patented Hydrogen Sintering and Phase Transformation
(HSPT) technologies, a cutting-edge technique to enhance
the microstructure of titanium parts to deliver strength and
fatigue properties that are comparable to wrought titanium
alloys.
Groundbreaking ceremony for voestalpine
greentec
greentec steel is the voestalpine Group’s ambitious and
feasible phased plan for green steel production. In a first step,
one electric arc furnace will be constructed at each of the
Linz and Donawitz sites. Converting to this technology allows
the steel and technology Group to reduce its emissions by
around 30%, representing annual savings of almost 4 million
tons of CO2. The investment volume is around EUR 1.5 billion.
A traditional groundbreaking ceremony marked the start of
construction at the Donawitz site.
Construction of the electric arc furnace (EAF) in Donawitz
starts in 2024, with the EAF scheduled for commissioning
three years later. Once fully operational, the EAF will
produce around 850,000 tons of CO2-reduced steel
annually. In contrast to the former LD (Linz-Donawitz)
process, which uses coal and coke as a reducing agent, the
EAF can be operated without the use of fossil fuels. The
EAF uses scrap, liquid pig iron, and HBI (hot briquetted
iron), with the mix adjusted according to the specific
quality requirements.
www.stainless-steel-world.net

BUTTING major order from Stora Enso
BUTTING Anlagenbau in Schwedt received a major order for the
“O750 Oulu” project from Stora Enso. At the Oulu site in northern
Finland, the former PM6 paper machine is being converted into a
modern, high-performance production line for packaging board.
After completion, the annual production volume is expected to
be around 750,000 tonnes of the high-quality coated primary
fibre board with a white or brown reverse side (FBB, CKB). The
rebuilt plant is expected to start production in early 2025.
For this project, BUTTING in Schwedt received the order for
128 container positions for the BCTMP and BM6 areas. These
include process and storage tanks with volumes of up to 700 m³,
which are manufactured, delivered, and assembled on-site.
In the field of pipeline construction, BUTTING is responsible
for the piping of the pulp preparation system. The total tonnage
for container and pipeline construction currently amounts to
over 1,000 tonnes of stainless steel, including primary and
secondary supports.
STILFOLD signs a partnership with Alstom
STILFOLD has announced a new partnership with Alstom,
which will see the companies explore how STILFOLD’s origami-
inspired manufacturing technology could be used to make
building trains more environmentally sustainable.
STILFOLD’s patented manufacturing technology, dubbed
“industrial origami” involves the use of robotic arms to fold flat
sheet metal over curves to form strong and sustainable new
structures, using minimal component parts. The technology
removes the need for cutting, welding and joining, reducing
material waste, energy consumption and production time while
increasing structural strength. STILFOLD will work with Alstom
www.stainless-steel-world.net
[ Industry Update ]
to explore how its innovative steel bending technology could
improve the structures and components in trains are produced
to significantly reduce the climate impact of the process.
Outokumpu publishes an EPD for ferrochrome
production
Outokumpu is the first ferrochrome manufacturer in the
industry to publish an environmental product declaration (EPD)
for its ferrochrome production. An EPD is a standardized way of
providing data about the environmental impacts of a product.
Currently, Outokumpu’s ferrochrome has a significantly lower
carbon footprint than the industry average. The EPD for
ferrochrome will further support Outokumpu’s commitment to
help its customers in reducing their climate emissions.
Having its own ferrochrome production makes Outokumpu
self-sufficient in the most important raw material of stainless
steel. The Business Area Ferrochrome runs the chrome mine in
Kemi and ferrochrome smelters in Tornio, Finland.
LEADING STOCKHOLDER
IN NICKEL ALLOY PIPING PRODUCTS
Wide range of Nickel Alloys 200/201, 400, 600,
625, 825 and C276 piping products.
½” – 8”
SCH10S – SCH XXS
Stock Expansion: Alloy 400 and Alloy C276 fittings!
If you need a quick delivery on the sizes above,
do not hesitate to contact us.
www.hartbv.nl | sales@hartbv.nl
hart ad 90x131.indd 1 Stainless Steel World October 2023 55
31-01-2022 10:41
[ Industry Update ]
WELTEC BIOPOWER: 3 biogas plants in
Greece
Three Weltec Biogas plants have been built in Greece,
designed together with Tetoros Machinery. Two are located in
the Epirus region, in northwestern Greece: a 1-megawatt plant
in the town of Arta and a 500-kilowatt plant in Ioannina. The
third one, a 250-kilowatt biogas plant project, was realized in
Serres, in central Macedonia. An upgrade of the CHP plant to
750 kilowatts is also being implemented.
Renegade VOLT™ ES 200i MMA/TIG battery
Powered by four DEWALT®
FLEXVOLT® 12 Ah (amp-hour)
batteries, Renegade VOLT™ ES 200i
MMA/TIG battery-powered welding
system offers an MMA output of 10
– 130A and TIG output of 10 –150 on
battery power. Renegade VOLT also
connects to 120V/230V AC mains
power and provides a maximum
welding output of 200A when
connected to 230V mains. Additionally, it has an exclusive AMP
+ Hybrid Mode that supplements mains power with battery
power to mitigate nuisance circuit breaker tripping.
The Renegade VOLT provides the power to weld with up to 33
(E6013) electrodes or TIG weld for up to 45 minutes on a single
charge in standard operating conditions.
Fronius WeldCube Navigator available for TPS/i
With the new Fronius WeldCube Navigator software, there is now
a digital welding sequence plan available for TPS/i. WeldCube
Navigator combines two main functions in one piece of software:
The sequencer uses pictures to guide the user step-by-step
through the work instruction, shows what needs to be done and
how, and automatically selects predefined welding parameters.
It is easy to digitize the required work instruction in the editor.
With a well-thought-out welding sequence plan, companies can
optimize their welding processes in manual series production.
In each case, the best sequence is set as the standard, and the
structured, uniform approach means that employees complete
all steps correctly within the defined tolerances. This not only
ensures high weld quality, but also saves time and costs during
production. WeldCube Navigator enables new welders to
quickly get up and running in production, and existing skilled
workers to easily switch between different workstations.

EWM expands its Picotig series
The new Picotig 220 puls DC from
EWM offers maximum efficiency
for the most challenging welding
tasks. The welding machine
impresses with its robust,
lightweight design, making the
Picotig 220 puls DC the perfect
machine for workshops and
construction sites. The integrated
Power Factor Correction (PFC) ensures an increased power output
while the machine’s high efficiency and standby function help to
save both power and costs. Users can achieve welding currents of
220 A with 40% duty cycle for TIG welding and currents of 190 A
with 35% duty cycle for MMA welding.
Diablo’s Steel Demon™ Cermet blade
Diablo Tools has developed Cermet saw blades designed for
extreme durability, longer life and faster cuts in metals and
stainless steel. The Steel Demon™ Cermet blade features
an innovative design that delivers up to 25× longer life, 50×
cooler cuts and 10× faster cuts versus standard abrasive
cut-off discs. It offers maximum productivity with more cuts
and greater efficiency in cutting mild or stainless steel with
an innovative solution. Diablo’s Cermet blade produces
[ Industry Update ]
large chips versus harmful dust generated by abrasive discs,
ultimately reducing airborne contaminates and leading
the way for a safer job site. Diablo’s Cermet (Ceramic and
Metallic blend) teeth provide high heat tolerances and
increased hardness for superior wear and ultimate cutting
life. Diablo offers a range of Steel Demon™ Cermet blades
for thin, medium, and thick metals and stainless steels
ranging in diameters from 5-3/8" to 14".
Jindal’s special alloy in Chandrayaan-3
Jindal Stainless has developed and supplied a special,
high-strength alloy steel grade that has been used in the
motor casing of India’s ambitious third lunar mission, the
Chandrayaan-3. The specialised grade supplied to the Indian
Space Research Organisation (ISRO) was developed over
three years with the help of an advanced refining process,
bolstering India’s race to space while meeting the stringent
quality standards and specifications of the crucial project.
The heat-resistant material shields the motor from both shocks
and elevated temperatures. Its exceptional properties, which
persist even under the most extreme thermal conditions,
underscore the alloy steel grade’s reliability and suitability for
critical space missions.
Buyers’ Guide
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6Mo
Nippon Yakin Kogyo Co Ltd.
Reach new Sanei Building, 1-5-8 Kyobashi
Chuo-ku,
(continued)
S & N Stainless Pipeline
Products Ltd
We carry extensive stocks in
above grades in both UNS32750
and UNS32760 in sizes from
½” NB through to 24” NB
CLADDING
DAE HWA METAL CO., LTD.
(continued)
Kuze Bellows Kogyosho
Co Ltd
Japan
tel: +81-76-289-2139
fax: +81-76-289-4141 https://kci-world.com/
s-info@kuze.com
www.kuze.com
Manufacture of Seamless
Pipe: Aust.Stainless Steel
Sankyo & Co., Ltd.

customers Tokyo 104-8365 Explosion welded clad metal (TP304L, TP316L..) :

via our Japan
Buyers’Guide tel: +81-3-3273-4618
+Online fax: +81-3-3273-4634
inquiry@nyk.co.jp
www.nyk.co.jp/en/
Ratnamani Metals &
1-13-12, Umezato,
Suginami-Ku
46, Gimhae-daero ~24”NB, 6Mo(S31254):
Tokyo 166-0011
2635beon-gil, ~6”NB, Duplex(S31803):
Japan
Gimhae-si, ~20”NB, S.Duplex(S32750):
tel: +81-3-5929-1981
Gyeongsangnam-do ~20”NB, High Nickel
fax: +81-3-5929-1944
153-10, Samnyeong-ro, Alloy (C22)
sales@sankomj.co.jp
Hwaseo-myeon,
MARUICHI STAINLESS www.sankomj.co.jp/en/

Stainless Steel WORLD Buyers’Guide+Online • october 2023

PRINTED MAGAZINE:
Tubes Ltd.
■ Company details 9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
■ Company logo
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015
■ Application Guide
Gujarat,
India
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
ONLINE: info@ratnamani.com
■ Company profile
Sankyo & Co Ltd
■ Company logo 1-13-12, Umezato, Suginami-Ku
■ Product images Tokyo 166-0011
Japan
tel: +81-3-5929-1981
fax: +81-3-5929-1944
sales@sankomj.co.jp
DIGITAL MAGAZINE: www.sankomj.co.jp/en/
■ Clickable entries
Sverdrup Steel
link direct to your
Strandsvingen 2,
Buyers’Guide
Company Profile 4032 Stavanger
■ Clickable company Norway
logos link direct to tel: +47 51 81 69 00
your website mail@sverdrupsteel.com
PLUS: www.sverdrupsteel.com
Direct link to your
company video S & N Stainless Pipeline
Products Ltd
Unit B4 Fallons Road,
Wardley Industrial Estate
Worsley, Manchester M28 2NY
United Kingdom
tel: +44-161-728-1148
For more informatiion fax: +44-161-351-6689
please contact
Vera Solis sales@snstainless.com
v.solis@kci-world.com www.snstainless.com
We are the leading supplier of
pipe, pipe fittings & flanges
IN UNS31254, DUPLEX and
SUPER DUPLEX stainless steel.
(continued above➚)
Sangju-si, Gyeongsangbuk-do
TUBE CO., LTD. Exporter of Duplex Tube &
South Korea
Tokyo Head Office: Pipe 31803, 32205, 32750,
tel: +82-55-336-1211
9-11, Kitashinagawa 32760
fax:+82-55-336-1216
dhclad@dhclad.co.kr 5-chome, Shinagawa-ku,
Tokyo, 141-8688 Sverdrup Steel
www.dhclad.co.kr
Japan Strandsvingen 2,
tel: +81-3-5739-5051 4032 Stavanger
fax:+81-3-5739-5055 Norway
Inquire-mst@mstube.co.jp tel: +47 51 81 69 00
https://www.mstube.co.jp mail@sverdrupsteel.com
https://www.mstube.co.jp/english/
index.html
www.sverdrupsteel.com
NIPPON STEEL Stainless
Steel Corporation
1-8-2 Marunouchi, S & N Stainless Pipeline
Chiyoda-ku Products Ltd
Duplex Tokyo, 100-0005 Unit B4 Fallons Road,
Japan Wardley Industrial Estate Worsley
Alleima
tel: +81-3-6841-4800 Manchester M28 2NY
811 81 Sandviken
info@stainless.nipponsteel.com United Kingdom
Sweden
http: stainless.nipponsteel.com tel: +44-161-728-1148
+46 26 4260000
fax: +44-161-351-6689
www.alleima.com
Raccortubi Group sales@snstainless.com
Subsidiaries or representatives
Viale De Gasperi 194 www.snstainless.com
in most countries.
I-20010 Marcallo con We are the leading supplier
Casone (Mi) of pipe, pipe fittings &
Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals
Italy flanges IN UNS31254,
No 1899, Zhongxing Road
tel: +39-029-76300-1 DUPLEX and SUPER
Wuxing District,
fax: +39-029-0376337 DUPLEX stainless steel.
Huzhou, Zhejiang
info@raccortubi.com We carry extensive stocks
313028
www.raccortubigroup.com in above grades in both
China
UNS 31803 fittings, pipes UNS32750 and UNS32760
tel:+86-572-253-9999
and flanges to Norsok specs in sizes from ½” NB
fax:+86-572-253-9000
sales@jiuli.com Ratnamani Metals & through to 24” NB
www.jiuli.com Tubes Ltd.
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
Kuze Bellows Kogyosho Co Ltd B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
74-1, Minamichujo Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015
Tsubata-Cho, Gujarat,
Kahoku-Gun India www.steeltrade.it
Ishikawa-Ken 929-0343 tel: +91-79-2960 1200
(continued above➚) info@ratnamani.com

DuplexYOUR
Seminar
LOGO IN& Summit
THE 2014,CONTACT
BUYER’S GUIDE: 24 - 25 october 2014, Stresa, italy
US: BG.SSW@KCI-WORLD.COM

marphil@marphil.eu
Stalatube Oy
Taivalkatu 7,
FIN-15170 Lahti
Finland
tel: +358-3-882-190
fax: +358-3-882-1914
sales@stalatube.com
www.stalatube.com
Stainless Steel Hollow
Sections, Custom Made
Stainless Steel WORLD Buyers’Guide+Online • october 2023
Quality i.e. cut length
service, angular or laser
cutting, perforating, special
profiles, higher strength
materials and special
materials.
TUBACEX GROUP
Tres Cruces 8,
PO Box 22
E-01400 Llodio, Alava
Spain
tel: +34-94-671-9300
fax: +34-94-685-0894
sales@tubacex.es
http://www.tubacex.com
Zhejiang Xintongda Special
Steel Manufacturing Co., Ltd.
No. 209 Ruiyang Road
Songyang Couty Lishui City
Zhejiang Province, 323400
China
tel: +86-577-86862205
fax: +86-577-86635318
info@xtd-ss.com
www.xtd-ss.com
leading manufacturer of
seamless stainless-steel pipe
and tube big stock of 32205
32750 32760
https://www.lastingtitanium.com/
Duplex Seminar & Summit
EVENTS
Duplex World Conference
& Exhibition 2024
6 - 7 November 2024
AHOY Rotterdam,
The Netherlands
Organised By
Duplex World
KCI Publishing B.V
PO Box 825
7400 AV Deventer
The Netherlands
Tel: +31 575 585 270
Conference
Mrs Joanne McIntyre
Conference Organizer
Tel: +31 575 585 298
E-mail:
j.mcintyre@kci-world.com
Exhibition
Mr Jan Dieperink
Exhibition Co-ördinator
Tel: +31 575 585 299
E-mail:
j.dieperink@kci-world.com
Green Steel World
Expo & Conference
14 and 15 May, 2024
If you are interested in
joining our exhibition and
showcase your efforts and
results in the domain of
green steel, please send an
e-mail to:
Mr.Simon Neffelt
tel. +49 2821 71145 44
s.neffelt@kci-world.com
https://greensteelworld.com/
exhibition
Conference
The Green Steel World
Conference will focus on
green steel production and
use.
The Conference unites
researchers, manufacturers,
end-users and suppliers in an
open and focused forum.
It’s the ideal platform to
profile your expertise,
network with industry
peers, and share your
knowledge with the
international steel
community.
(continued above➚)
2014, 24 - 25 october 2014, Stresa, italy
https://stainless-steel-world.net/buyersguide
(continued)
Green Steel World
Expo & Conference
Ms Kiyo Ichikawa
Conference Coordinator
Phone: +31 575 789260
Email: k.ichikawa@kci-world.com
https://greensteelworld.com/
conference
Stainless Steel World Asia
Conference and Expo 2024
September 11th and 12th, 2024.
Singapore EXPO, Hall 2
Street Address:
1 Expo Drive, #02-01,
Singapore 486150
https://stainless-steel-world-
asia.com/
Contact Information
Conference
Ms. Joanne Mclntyre
Conference Manager
Tel: +31 575 585 298
E-mail: sswasia.conf@kci-
world.com
Exhibition Coordinator
Ms. Jie Zhou (Jojo)
Tel: +86 150 2121 5180
E-mail: j.zhou@kci-world.com
www.xtd-ss.com
Stainless Steel World
Conference & Exhibition
Contact Information
Conference
Ms Kiyo Ichikawa
Conference Organizer
tel: +31 575 789 260
k.ichikawa@kci-world.com
Exhibition Co-ordinator
Mr. Jan Dieperink
tel: +31-575-585-299
j.dieperink@kci-world.com
www.stainless-steel-world.net
FITTINGS & FLANGES
Cangzhou Heli Machinery
Co.,Ltd
Jiuhe East Road 11,
(continued above➚)
(continued) (continued)
Cangzhou Heli Machinery Ratnamani Metals &
Co.,Ltd Tubes Ltd.
Cangzhou Economical B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
Development Zone Hebei Vastrapur, Ahmedabad
China 380015
tel: +86-317-3092360/3093308 Gujarat,
fax: +86-317-3092360 India
helisales@czheliltd.com tel: +91-79-2960 1200
www.czheliltd.com info@ratnamani.com
Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals HEAT RESISTANT
No 1899, Zhongxing Road TUBES & PIPES
Wuxing District,
TECNYMAT ACEROS, S.L.
Huzhou, Zhejiang
Pol.Ind. Ugaldeguren 3,
313028
Parcela 17-2
China
ES 48170 Zamudio (Vizcaya)
tel:+86-572-253-9999
Spain
fax:+86-572-253-9000
tel: +34 944710035
sales@jiuli.com
fax:+34944710227
www.jiuli.com
tecnymat@tecnymat.com
www.tecnymat.com
Raccortubi Group
Heat Resistance Materials
Viale De Gasperi 194
Tube & Pipes In Stock
I-20010 Marcallo con
Great Service & Quality
Casone (Mi)
Products Founded In 1978
Italy
tel: +39-029-76300-1
fax: +39-029-0376337 Hollow Bar
info@raccortubi.com
Alleima
www.raccortubigroup.com
811 81 Sandviken
Manufacturer and stockist
Sweden
BWT up to 56”
+46 26 4260000
www.alleima.com
Hafnium
Marphil International
36 Rue De Richelieu 75001 Paris
Ratnamani Metals &
France
Tubes Ltd.
tel: +33142974474
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
fax:+33142962718
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
marphil@marphil.eu
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad
Specialist since 1985 of the
380015
Nickel Alloys,Titanium,
Gujarat,
Zirconium, Tantalum,
India
Hafnium and Niobium
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
info@ratnamani.com
Heat Exchanger Tubes
Alleima
811 81 Sandviken TUBACEX GROUP
Sweden Tres Cruces 8,
+46 26 4260000 PO Box 22
www.alleima.com E-01400 Llodio, Alava
Spain
Ratnamani Metals & tel: +34-94-671-9300
Tubes Ltd. fax: +34-94-685-0894
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’ sales@tubacex.es
(continued above➚) http://www.tubacex.com

HYDRAULIC &
INSTRUMENTATION
TUBING
Alleima
811 81 Sandviken
Sweden
+46 26 4260000
www.alleima.com
Subsidiaries or representatives
in most countries.
MARUICHI STAINLESS
TUBE CO., LTD.
Tokyo Head Office:
9-11, Kitashinagawa
5-chome, Shinagawa-ku,
Tokyo, 141-8688
Japan
tel: +81-3-5739-5051
fax:+81-3-5739-5055
Inquire-mst@mstube.co.jp
https://www.mstube.co.jp
Merinox bv
Kleine Beer 18
2952AS Alblasserdam
The Netherlands
tel:. +31-78-6917800
www.merinox.eu
Europe’s largest stockist for
Seamless instrumentation &
hydraulic tubes OD range 0,3
to 60 mm special SS, Nickel
Alloys, (S)Duplex, Titanium
and Copper.
Ratnamani Metals &
Tubes Ltd.
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015
Gujarat,
India
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
info@ratnamani.com
Sankyo & Co., Ltd.
1-13-12, Umezato,
Suginami-Ku
Tokyo 166-0011
Japan
tel: +81-3-5929-1981
fax: +81-3-5929-1944
(continued above➚)
Duplex Seminar & Summit
(continued)
Sankyo & Co., Ltd.
sales@sankomj.co.jp
www.sankomj.co.jp/en/
Manufacturer &
Exporter of Hydraulic &
Instrumentation
Tubing. 6mm OD - 16mm OD
TP304/L, TP316/L A&P, OD
Polish (320 Grit)
MANUFACTURING
Ecoke
Westthorpe Fields Road,
Killamarsh,
Sheffield S21 1TZ
United Kingdom
tel: + +44 (0)1246 925999
ecoke@cplindustries.co.uk
https://www.ecoke.biz/
METAL
POWDERS
Acnis International
17 Rue des Frères Lumière
69680 Chassieu
France
tel: +33 6 60 33 38 51
fax:+33 4 72 14 55 09
fcarrillon@acnis-titanium.com
www.acnis-titanium.com
stocks and distributes
Titanium, cobalt chromium,
stainless steel, nickel based
alloys for Medical and
Industrial market
Nickel
Alloys
Alleima
811 81 Sandviken
Sweden
+46 26 4260000
www.alleima.com
Tubular products, welding
consumables, bars, billets,
wire & strip steel.
Corrosion Resistant Alloys
4424 W Sam Houston Pkwy
N, Ste. 580, Houston, TX
77041
USA
(continued above➚)
2014, 24 - 25 october 2014, Stresa, italy
https://stainless-steel-world.net/buyersguide
(continued)
Corrosion Resistant Alloys
+1 (713) 827-8600
sales@cralloys.com
www.cralloys.com
CRA is a just-in-time
(JIT) mill providing high-
quality corrosion resistant
alloy pipe and tube.
CRA’s products include
oil country tubular goods
(OCTG), mechanical tube
for downhole equipment,
and schedule pipe and
tube. We specialize in
the non-standard:
expedited deliveries,
custom sizes, lengths,
and specs, and smaller
production runs.
https://www.ecoke.biz/
HARALD PIHL Sweden
tel: +46 8 731 56 00
info@haraldpihl.se
www.haraldpihl.com
ISO 9001 certified since
1997 AS/EN 9120 certified
since 2013
HARALD PIHL Finland
tel: +358 20 749 7040
info@haraldpihl.fi
Q-Metal Denmark
tel: +45 45 86 2622
ab@q-metal.dk
Euracciai s.r.l. Italy
tel: +39 0248 704428
haraldpihl@euracciai.it
HARALD PIHL Germany
tel: +49 2161 57 598-0
info@haraldpihl.de
HARALD PIHL Poland
tel: +48 798 700 388
info@haraldpihl.pl
HARALD PIHL England
tel: +44 1902 833 839
fax: +44 1902 462 001
info@haraldpihl.com
HARALD PIHL Norway www.nipponsteel.com
tel: +47 90 20 40 40
info@haraldpihl.no
HARALD PIHL China (continued)
tel: +86-138 6214 1887 MARUICHI STAINLESS
rex.huang@haraldpihl.com TUBE CO., LTD.
fax:+81-3-5739-5055
HARALD PIHL India
Inquire-mst@mstube.co.jp
tel: +91- 9503 786 577
https://www.mstube.co.jp
vishal.ranjan@haraldpihl.com
HARALD PIHL is Europe’s NIPPON STEEL Corporation
Stainless Steel WORLD Buyers’Guide+Online • october 2023
fastest supplier of Nickel 6-1 Marunouchi,
alloys and Titanium. 2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku
Updated stock list at: Tokyo 100-8071
www.haraldpihl.com Japan
tel: +81-3-6867-5788
fax: +81-3-6867-3569
HART BV www.tubular.nipponsteel.com
Beurtschipper 4
NL-3861 SC Nijkerk
Nippon Yakin Kogyo Co Ltd.
The Netherlands
Sanei Building,
tel: +31-33-245-3848
1-5-8 Kyobashi, Chuo-ku,
sales@hartbv.nl
Tokyo 104-8365
www.hartbv.nl
Japan
Nickel Alloy Stockist
200/201, 400, 600 tel: +81-3-3273-4618
625, 825, C276 fax: +81-3-3273-4634
Seamless and welded inquiry@nyk.co.jp
Piping Products www.nyk.co.jp/en/
Officine Orsi SpA
Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals
Villaggio Francolino
No 1899, Zhongxing Road
I-20080 Carpiano (MI)
Wuxing District,
Italy
Huzhou, Zhejiang
tel: +39-02-9850-951
313028
fax: +39-02-9815-452
China
orsi@officineorsi.com
tel:+86-572-253-9999
www.officineorsi.com
fax:+86-572-253-9000
Manufacturer stockist pipes,
sales@jiuli.com
fittings, high performance
www.jiuli.com
materials nickel alloys,
zirconium titanium
gr.1-2-7-12
MARUICHI STAINLESS
TUBE CO., LTD.
Tokyo Head Office:
9-11, Kitashinagawa
5-chome, Shinagawa-ku,
Tokyo, 141-8688
Japan
tel: +81-3-5739-5051
http://www.czheliltd.com
(continued above➚)
 TUBACEX GROUP
Tres Cruces 8,
PO Box 22
E-01400 Llodio, Alava
Spain
https://stainless-steel-world-asia.com/
tel: +34-94-671-9300
fax: +34-94-685-0894
sales@tubacex.es
http://www.tubacex.com
P.A. Inc.
6626 Gulf Freeway
Nickel Alloy
Houston, TX 77087
Seamless Tubes
USA
tel: +1-713-570-4900 Corrosion Resistant Alloys
fax: +1-713-570-4950 4424 W Sam Houston Pkwy
sales@painc.com N, Ste. 580, Houston, TX 77041
www.painc.com USA
Stainless Steel WORLD Buyers’Guide+Online • october 2023
+1 (713) 827-8600
sales@cralloys.com
www.cralloys.com
Raccortubi Group
CRA is a just-in-time
Viale De Gasperi 194
(JIT) mill providing
I-20010 Marcallo con
high-quality corrosion
Casone (Mi)
resistant alloy pipe and
Italy
tel: +39-02-976300-1 tube. CRA’s products
fax: +39-02-90376337 include oil country
info@raccortubi.com tubular goods (OCTG),
www.raccortubigroup.com mechanical tube for
625 & 825 downhole equipment, and
schedule pipe and tube.
We specialize in the
non-standard: expedited
Stalatube Oy
deliveries, custom sizes,
Taivalkatu 7
lengths, and specs, and
FIN-15170 Lahti
smaller production runs.
Finland
tel: +358-3-882-190
fax: +358-3-882-1914
Jiaxing MT Stainless Steel
sales@stalatube.com
Co., Ltd
www.stalatube.com
No. 501, Changsheng
Stainless Steel Hollow
South Road, Occident
Sections, Custom
Biotechnology Industry Park,
Made Quality i.e. cut
Jiaxing, Zhejiang, China
length service, angular
China
or laser cutting,
tel: +86-573-82717867
perforating, special
fax: + 86-573-82718785
profiles, higher strength
mtsco@mtstainlesssteel.com
materials and special
www.nickelalloyworld.com
materials.
Provide Pipe,Tube,Wire,
Fitting, Flange and Plate of
Nickel Alloys/ Cobalt Alloys
Alloy 625/825/C22/C276
Alloy 600/400/25/188
https://www.nickelalloyworld.com/
Marphil International
36 Rue De Richelieu
(continued above➚)
https://stainless-steel-world.net/buyersguide
(continued)
Marphil International
75001 Paris
France
tel: +33142974474
fax:+33142962718
marphil@marphil.eu
Specialist since 1985
of the Nickel Alloys,
Titanium, Zirconium,
Tantalum, Hafnium and
Niobium
Ratnamani Metals &
Tubes Ltd.
9 Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
th
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad
380015
Gujarat,
India
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
info@ratnamani.com
www.loverebilbao.com
Sankyo & Co Ltd
1-13-12, Umezato,
Suginami-Ku
Tokyo 166-0011
Japan
tel: +81-3-5929-1981
fax: +81-3-5929-1944
sales@sankomj.co.jp
www.sankomj.co.jp/en/
Nickel Alloy
Welded Tubes
Marphil International
36 Rue De Richelieu
75001 Paris
France
tel: +33142974474
fax:+33142962718
marphil@marphil.eu
Specialist since 1985
of the Nickel Alloys,
Titanium, Zirconium,
(continued above➚)
(continued)
Marphil International
Tantalum, Hafnium
and Niobium
NIOBIUM
Marphil International
36 Rue De Richelieu
75001 Paris
France
tel: +33142974474
fax:+33142962718
marphil@marphil.eu
Specialist since 1985
of the Nickel Alloys,
Titanium, Zirconium,
Tantalum, Hafnium and
Niobium
PLATE, SHEETS &
STRIPS
MARCEGAGLIA
via Bresciani, 16
I-46040 Gazoldo degli
Ippoliti (Mantua)
tel: +39-0376-685-1
fax: +39-0376-685-600
info@marcegaglia.com
www.marcegaglia.com
The leading industrial
group worldwide
processing sector
PIPING
PACKAGES
Raccortubi Group
Viale De Gasperi 194
I-20010 Marcallo con
Casone (Mi)
Italy
tel: +39-02-976300-1
fax: +39-02-90376337
info@raccortubi.com
www.raccortubigroup.com
BWF, pipes, flanges in any
grade
STAINLESS STEEL
BARS
LOVERE BILBAO I.
Pol. Ugaldeguren 3 P 20 N 3
E-48170 Zamudio Bizkaia
Spain
(continued above➚)
(continued)
LOVERE BILBAO I.
tel: +34-94-454 5130
fax: +34-94-454 5100
lovere@loverebilbao.com
www.loverebilbao.com
STAINLESS STEEL
PH GRADE
Aerometals & Alloys (Acnis
Group)
60/62 Avenue du Progrès
69680 Chassieu
France
tel: +33 6 60 33 38 51
fax:+33 4 26 49 63 67
fcarrillon@acnis-titanium.com
www.aerometals-alloys.com
Aerometals & Alloys
17-4PH - H1025 / H1150
15-5PH - H1025
In bars and plates
AMS 5659 – AMS 5643…
1.4545 – 1.4542
Stainless Steel
Plates
NIPPON STEEL Stainless
Steel Corporation
1-8-2 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo, 100-0005
Japan
tel: +81-3-6841-4800
info@stainless.nipponsteel.com
http: stainless.nipponsteel.com
STOCKIST/SUPPLIERS/
DISTRIBUTORS
BIBUS METALS Group
Head Office Switzerland
Allmendstrasse 26
8320 Fehraltorf
Switzerland
info@bibusmetals.com
www.bibusmetals.com
Stockist and distributor
for Nickel-based Alloys
and Titanium/Titanium
Alloys Sales organisations
and Service centres in
Switzerland, Germany,
Poland, Hungary, Czech
Republic, UK, Romania,
Austria, Ukraine, Russia,
China, ASEAN/Korea
HARALD PIHL Sweden
tel: +46 8 731 56 00
info@haraldpihl.se
www.haraldpihl.com
ISO 9001 certified since 1997
AS/EN 9120 certified since 2013
HARALD PIHL Finland
tel: +358 20 749 7040
info@haraldpihl.fi
Q-Metal Denmark
tel: +45 45 86 2622
ab@q-metal.dk
Euracciai s.r.l. Italy
tel: +39 0248 704428
haraldpihl@euracciai.it
HARALD PIHL Germany
tel: +49 2161 57 598-0
info@haraldpihl.de
HARALD PIHL Poland
tel: +48 798 700 388
info@haraldpihl.pl
HARALD PIHL England
tel: +44 1902 833 839
fax: +44 1902 462 001
info@haraldpihl.com
HARALD PIHL Norway
tel: +47 90 20 40 40
info@haraldpihl.no
HARALD PIHL China
tel: +86-138 6214 1887
rex.huang@haraldpihl.com
HARALD PIHL India
tel: +91- 9503 786 577
vishal.ranjan@haraldpihl.com
HARALD PIHL is Europe’s
fastest supplier of Nickel
alloys and Titanium.
Updated stock list at:
www.haraldpihl.com
HART BV
Beurtschipper 4
NL-3861 SC Nijkerk
The Netherlands
tel: +31-33-245-3848
sales@hartbv.nl
www.hartbv.nl
Nickel Alloy Stockist 200/201,
400, 600 625, 825, C276
Seamless and welded
Piping Products
Duplex Seminar & Summit
INVEX AB (continued)
Möbelgatan 4 43133 TA Trading (Beijing)
Mölndal Co., Ltd.
Blekegatan 2 652 21 China
Karlstad tel:+86 10 84830821
Sweden fax: 86 10 84830821
tel: +46 31 57 77 90 brandon.liu@tatrd.com
info@invex.se www.tatrd.com
www.invex.se
Bars/Sheets/Plates/Fine Super Duplex
tubes of Titanium,
Alleima
Nickel alloys, special SS
811 81 Sandviken
Corrosion resistant, heat
Sweden
resistant etc.
+46 26 4260000
MODIFICATION FILE JUNE 2018 STAINLESS STEEL WORLD
www.alleima.com www.raccortubigroup.com in above grades in both
Nichelcrom Acciai Inox Subsidiaries
Please move the Logo SpecialUNS
or representatives
SpA inAmericas)
most countries.
Via Trento 96/100 20099 –
Put the logo of Harald Phil on page 5 in the center
Sesto San Giovanni Milano
Italy
tel: +39022479151
info@nichelcrom.com
www.nichelcrom.com
NichelcromLab shows
the infinite possibilities
of stainless steel in
NICKEL ALLOYS
interior design and
Kuze Bellows Kogyosho
lifestyle. Modify
Co Ltd
HARALD PIHL Sweden
74-1, Minamichujo
tel: +46 8 731 56 00
Tsubata-Cho,
info@haraldpihl.se
Paul Meijering Metalen BV Kahoku-Gun
www.haraldpihl.com
Bossekamp 9-13 ISO 9001 certified
Ishikawa-Ken since 1997Sankyo & Co Ltd
929-0343
AS/EN 9120 certified since 1-13-12, Umezato,
NL-5301 LZ Zaltbommel Japan
2013
The Netherlands tel: +81-76-289-2139
tel: +31-418-576-060 HARALD
fax: PIHL Finland
+81-76-289-4141
fax: +31-418-541-215 tel: +358 20 749 7040
s-info@kuze.com
info@haraldpihl.fi
info@paulmeijering.nl www.kuze.com
www.paulmeijering.nl Manufacture of Seamless
Q-Metal Denmark
tel: +45
Pipe: 45 86 2622
Aust.Stainless Steel
ab@q-metal.dk
(TP304L, TP316L..) :
P.A. Inc.
~24”NB, 6Mo(S31254):
Euracciai s.r.l. Italy
6626 Gulf Freeway ~6”NB,
tel: +39Duplex(S31803):
0248 704428
Houston, TX 77087 haraldpihl@euracciai.it
~20”NB, S.Duplex(S32750):
USA
~20”NB, High Nickel
tel: +1-713-570-4900 HARALD PIHL Germany
Alloy (C22)
tel: +49 2161 57 598-0
fax: +1-713-570-4950
info@haraldpihl.de
sales@painc.com
www.painc.com
HARALD PIHL Poland
MARUICHI STAINLESS
tel: +48 798 700 388
TUBE CO., LTD.
Tokyo Head Office:
TA Trading (Beijing) 9-11, Kitashinagawa
Co., Ltd. 5-chome, Shinagawa-ku,
Rm.510, Jinmeng Plaza, Tokyo, 141-8688
No.17, Xiaoying Rd., Japan
Chaoyang, tel: +81-3-5739-5051
Beijing fax:+81-3-5739-5055
(continued above➚) (continued above➚)
2014, 24 - 25 october 2014, Stresa, italy
https://stainless-steel-world.net/buyersguide
(continued)
MARUICHI STAINLESS
TUBE CO., LTD.
Inquire-mst@mstube.co.jp
https://www.mstube.co.jp
http: stainless.nipponsteel.com
Raccortubi Group
Viale De Gasperi 194
I-20010 Marcallo con (continued)
Casone (Mi) S & N Stainless Pipeline
Italy Products Ltd
tel: +39-02-976300-1 DUPLEX and SUPER
fax: +39-02-90376337 DUPLEX stainless steel.
info@raccortubi.com
We carry extensive stocks
32760
Steel - UNS
Stock from32750
page 5 to page
UNS432750
(instead
andofUNS32760
SSW
fittings, pipes and flanges to in sizes from ½” NB
Stainless Steel WORLD Buyers’Guide+Online • october 2023
Norsok specs through to 24” NB
Tantalum
Ratnamani Metals &
Marphil International
Tubes Ltd.
36 Rue De Richelieu
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
75001 Paris
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
France
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad
tel: +33142974474
380015
fax:+33142962718
Gujarat,
marphil@marphil.eu
India
Specialist since 1985
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
of the Nickel Alloys, Titanium,
info@ratnamani.com
Zirconium, Tantalum,
Hafnium and Niobium
Titanium
Suginami-Ku
Tokyo 166-0011 Acnis International
Japan 17 Rue des Frères Lumière
tel: +81-3-5929-1981 69680 Chassieu
fax: +81-3-5929-1944 France
sales@sankomj.co.jp tel: +33 6 60 33 38 51
www.sankomj.co.jp/en/ fax: +33 4 72 14 55 09
fcarrillon@acnis-titanium.com
www.acnis-titanium.com
S & N Stainless Pipeline
Stocks and distributes.
Products Ltd
500 tons in stock Titanium,
Unit B4 Fallons Road,
Special Alloys Stainless
Wardley Industrial Estate
steel, Cobalt chromium,
Worsley, Manchester,
Nickel based alloys
M28 2NY
Cutting service centers
United Kingdom
ISO9001/13485 - EN9120
tel: +44-161-728-1148
fax: +44-161-351-6689
sales@snstainless.com
www.snstainless.com
We are the leading
supplier of pipe, pipe
fittings & flanges IN www.tatrd.com
UNS31 254,
(continued above➚)
 HARALD PIHL Finland
tel: +358 20 749 7040
info@haraldpihl.fi
Q-Metal Denmark
www.acnis-titanium.com
tel: +45 45 86 2622
ab@q-metal.dk
Euracciai s.r.l. Italy
Aerometals & Alloys (Acnis
tel: +39 0248 704428
Group)
haraldpihl@euracciai.it
60/62 Avenue du Progrès
69680 Chassieu
France HARALD PIHL Germany
fcarrillon@acnis-titanium.com tel: +49 2161 57 598-0
tel: +33 6 60 33 38 51 info@haraldpihl.de
fax: +33 4 26 49 63 67
www.aerometals-alloys.com
Stainless Steel WORLD Buyers’Guide+Online • october 2023
HARALD PIHL Poland
Aerometals & Alloys
tel: +48 798 700 388
stocks and distributes
info@haraldpihl.pl
500 tons in stock
Titanium Stainless Steel
Special Alloys HARALD PIHL England
Cutting service center tel: +44 1902 833 839
waterjet, laser, sawing fax: +44 1902 462 001
17-4PH, 15-5PH bars info@haraldpihl.com
ISO9001-EN9120
HARALD PIHL Norway
tel: +47 90 20 40 40
info@haraldpihl.no
Baoji Titanium Industry
Co.,LTD
HARALD PIHL China
No.88, High-Tech Road
tel: +86-138 6214 1887
Baoji City, Shaanxi Province
China rex.huang@haraldpihl.com
tel: +86 917 3382075
HARALD PIHL India
fax: +86 917 3382136
tel: +91- 9503 786 577
sunyuwei@baoti.com
vishal.ranjan@haraldpihl.com
http://www.baoti.com
HARALD PIHL is Europe’s
fastest supplier of Nickel
HARALD PIHL Sweden
alloys and Titanium.
tel: +46 8 731 56 00
Updated stock list at:
info@haraldpihl.se
www.haraldpihl.com
www.haraldpihl.com
ISO 9001 certified since
1997 AS/EN 9120 certified
since 2013 Officine Orsi SpA
Villaggio Francolino
I-20080 Carpiano (MI)
Italy
tel: +39-02-9850-951
fax: +39-02-9815-452
orsi@officineorsi.com
Expo & Conference | 14 – 15 May 2024 www.officineorsi.com
https://greensteelworld.com/exhibition
Manufacturer stockist
pipes,fittings, high
(continued above➚)
Duplex Seminar & Summit 2014, 24 - 25 october 2014, Stresa, italy
https://stainless-steel-world.net/buyersguide
(continued)
Officine Orsi SpA
performance materials
nickel alloys, zirconium
titanium gr.1-2-7-12
Shaanxi Lasting Titanium
Industry Co.,Ltd
1# Zhuquedajie nanduan, Xi’an,
Shaanxi, China 710061
China
tel: +86 29 8965103/ 89651196
fax: +86 29 89651193
karen@lastingtitanium.com
sales@lastingtitanium.com
www.lastingtitanium.com
Leading supplier of
titanium & titanium alloy.
Products include Titanium
Bars, Plates, Pipes, Powder,
Forgings, & Tailor made
machine parts.
www.officineorsi.com
Sincemat Co.,Ltd.
Room 805, No 1 Building,
7866 Humin Road
Shanghai 201102
China
tel: +86-21-52962271
fax: +86-21-52962270
info@sincemat.com
www.sincemat.com
TITANIUM TUBES & PIPES
SEAMLESS
Jiangsu Hongbao Group
Co., Ltd
Daxin Town,
Zhangjiagang City,
Jiangsu Province, 215636
P.R.China
tel: +86-512-58715276,
+86-15895686919
fax: +86-512-58760120
export@hongbao.com
www.weldedsteel-tube.com
Marphil International
36 Rue De Richelieu
75001 Paris
France
tel: +33142974474
fax:+33142962718
marphil@marphil.eu
Specialist since 1985
of the Nickel Alloys,
Titanium, Zirconium,
Tantalum, Hafnium
and Niobium
P.A. Inc.
6626 Gulf Freeway
Houston, TX 77087
USA
tel: +1-713-570-4900
fax: +1-713-570-4950
sales@painc.com
www.painc.com
TITANIUM TUBES &
PIPES WELDED
Marphil International
36 Rue De Richelieu
75001 Paris
France
tel: +33142974474
fax:+33142962718
marphil@marphil.eu
Specialist since 1985
of the Nickel Alloys,
Titanium, Zirconium,
Tantalum, Hafnium
and Niobium
Ratnamani Metals &
Tubes Ltd.
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015
Gujarat,
India
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
info@ratnamani.com
Tubes & Pipes
Alleima
811 81 Sandviken
Sweden
+46 26 4260000
www.alleima.com
(continued above➚)
(continued)
Alleima
Subsidiaries or
representatives in most
countries.
Jiuli Hi-Tech Metals
No 1899, Zhongxing Road
Wuxing District,
Huzhou, Zhejiang
313028
China
tel:+86-572-253-9999
fax:+86-572-253-9000
sales@jiuli.com
www.jiuli.com
MARCEGAGLIA
via Bresciani, 16
I-46040 Gazoldo degli Ippoliti
(Mantua)
tel: +39-0376-685-1
fax: +39-0376-685-600
info@marcegaglia.com
www.marcegaglia.com
The leading industrial
group worldwide processing
sector
Paul Meijering Metalen BV
Bossekamp 9-13
5301 LZ Zaltbommel
The Netherlands
tel: +31-418-576-060
fax: +31-418-541-215
info@paulmeijering.nl
www.paulmeijering.nl
Zhejiang Tsingshan Steel
Pipe Co., Ltd.
Tsingshan Building A,
No. 2666,
Longxiang Road, Longwan
District
Wenzhou City,Zhejiang Province
China
tel: +86-577-866-20-888
fax:+86-577-866-20-871
sales@tsingshan.net
www.tsingshan.net
Tsingshan products are
widely applied to various
industries including
petroleum, petrochemical,
refinery, chemical,
machinery, power,
shipbuilding, paper-making
harmacy and food, etc.
 Tubes & Pipes -
Rectangular
Stalatube Oy
Taivalkatu 7
FIN-15170 Lahti
Finland
tel: +358-3-882-190
fax: +358-3-882-1914
sales@stalatube.com
www.stalatube.com
Stainless Steel Hollow
Sections, Custom Made
Quality i.e. cut length
service, angular or laser
cutting, perforating, special
profiles, higher strength
materials and special
materials.
Tubes & Pipes -
Seamless
Corrosion Resistant Alloys
4424 W Sam Houston Pkwy
N, Ste. 580, Houston, TX
77041
USA
+1 (713) 827-8600
sales@cralloys.com
www.cralloys.com
CRA is a just-in-time
(JIT) mill providing high-
quality corrosion resistant
alloy pipe and tube.
CRA’s products include
oil country tubular goods
(OCTG), mechanical tube
for downhole equipment,
and schedule pipe and
tube. We specialize in the
non-standard: expedited
deliveries, custom sizes,
lengths, and specs, and
smaller production runs.
HART BV
Beurtschipper 4
NL-3861 SC Nijkerk
The Netherlands
tel: +31-33-245-3848
sales@hartbv.nl
www.hartbv.nl
Nickel Alloy Stockist
200/201, 400, 600
625, 825, C276
Seamless and welded
Piping Products
Duplex SeminarHANDY
Kuze Bellows Kogyosho
Co Ltd
74-1, Minamichujo
Tsubata-Cho,
Kahoku-Gun
Ishikawa-Ken 929-0343
Japan
tel: +81-76-289-2139
fax: +81-76-289-4141
s-info@kuze.com
www.kuze.com
Manufacture of Seamless
Pipe: Aust.Stainless Steel
(TP304L, TP316L..) :
~24”NB, 6Mo(S31254):
~6”NB, Duplex(S31803):
~20”NB, S.Duplex(S32750):
~20”NB, High Nickel
Alloy (C22)
MARUICHI STAINLESS
TUBE CO., LTD.
Tokyo Head Office:
9-11, Kitashinagawa
5-chome, Shinagawa-ku,
Tokyo, 141-8688
Japan
tel: +81-3-5739-5051
fax:+81-3-5739-5055
Inquire-mst@mstube.co.jp
https://www.mstube.co.jp
NIPPON STEEL Corporation
6-1 Marunouchi,
2-Chome, Chiyoda-ku
Tokyo 100-8071
Japan
tel: +81-3-6867-5788
fax: +81-3-6867-3569
www.tubular.nipponsteel.com
P.A. Inc.
6626 Gulf Freeway
Houston, TX 77087
USA
tel: +1-713-570-4900
fax: +1-713-570-4950
sales@painc.com
www.painc.com
Raccortubi Group
Viale De Gasperi 194
(continued above➚)
& Summit 2014, 24 - 25 october 2014, Stresa, italy
TUBE CORPORATION www.handytube.com
(continued)
Raccortubi Group
I-20010 Marcallo con
Casone (Mi)
Italy
tel: +39-02-976300-1
fax: +39-02-90376337
info@raccortubi.com
www.raccortubigroup.com
Stockist of pipes and tubes
from 6 mm OD to 406.4 mm
(16”) OD in grades 304/L,
316/L, 321/H, 347/H, 304H,
31803, 32760, 32750,
31254, 904L
Ratnamani Metals &
Tubes Ltd.
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015
Gujarat,
India
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
info@ratnamani.com
www.snstainless.com
Sankyo & Co., Ltd.
1-13-12, Umezato,
Suginami-Ku
Tokyo 166-0011
Japan
tel: +81-3-5929-1981
fax: +81-3-5929-1944
sales@sankomj.co.jp
www.sankomj.co.jp/en/
Exporter of Seamless
Stainless Steel Tube/Pipe 1/2”
- 6” in common grade,
Copper Alloy
Alloy 20, Alloy C276
Alloy 600, Alloy 625
Alloy 800, Alloy 8250
TUBACEX GROUP
Tres Cruces 8,
PO Box 22
(continued above➚)
(continued)
TUBACEX GROUP
E-01400 Llodio, Alava
Spain
tel: +34-94-671-9300
fax: +34-94-685-0894
sales@tubacex.es www.nichelcrom.com
http://www.tubacex.com
(continued)
Tubes & Pipes -
voestalpine Böhler Welding
Welded
Group GmbH
Mill Masters Inc
Germany
39 Mill Masters Dr.
welding@voestalpine.com
United States of America
www.voestalpine.com/welding
tel:1-731-668-5558
Think stainless, weld
fax:1-731-668-2477
stainless, love stainless.
sales@millmasters.com
Böhler Welding is Matchless
Stainless Steel WORLD Buyers’Guide+Online • october 2023
www.millmasters.com
in Stainless
Leading Manufacturer of Tube
Mills for fabricating Welded
Welded Hollow
tubing - Stainless, Inconel,
Sections
Aluminum, Copper & Steel
Thin wall & smaller diameters Stalatube Oy
Taivalkatu 7
FIN-15170 Lahti
Ratnamani Metals &
Finland
Tubes Ltd.
tel: +358-3-882-190
9th Floor, A Wing ‘THE FIRST’
fax: +358-3-882-1914
B/H Keshavbaug Party Plot
sales@stalatube.com
Vastrapur, Ahmedabad 380015
www.stalatube.com
Gujarat,
Stainless Steel Hollow Sections,
India
Custom Made Quality i.e.
tel: +91-79-2960 1200
cut length service, angular
info@ratnamani.com
or laser cutting, perforating,
special profiles, higher strength
Stalatube Oy materials and special materials.
Taivalkatu 7
FIN-15170 Lahti
Zirconium
Finland
Marphil International
tel: +358-3-882-190
36 Rue De Richelieu 75001 Paris
fax: +358-3-882-1914
France
sales@stalatube.com
tel: +33142974474
www.stalatube.com
fax:+33142962718
Stainless Steel Hollow
marphil@marphil.eu
Sections, Custom Made
Specialist since 1985
Quality i.e. cut length service,
of the Nickel Alloys,
angular or laser cutting,
Titanium, Zirconium,
perforating, special profiles,
Tantalum, Hafnium
higher strength materials and
and Niobium
special materials.
WELDING
consumables
Tecnymat
voestalpine Böhler Welding Aceros
Group GmbH STAINLESS STEEL – REFRACTORY – ALLOYS
CASTINGS
Peter-Müller-Strasse 14-14a,
www.tecnymat.com
40468 Düsseldorf,
(continued above➚)
 Stainless Steel World
Application Guide
October 2023

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Acnis International ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

AEROMETALS & ALLOYS – Acnis

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Group

Alleima ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Baoji Titanium Industry Co.,LTD ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

BIBUS METALS Group ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

HARALD PIHL ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

HART BV ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

INVEX AB ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Jiaxing MT Stainless Steel Co., Ltd ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Kuze Bellows Kogyosho Co Ltd ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

LOVERE BILBAO I. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

MARCEGAGLIA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Marphil International ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Merinox B.V. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Mill Masters Inc ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Nichelcrom Acciai Inox SpA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

NIPPON STEEL Corporation ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Officine Orsi SpA ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

P.A. Inc. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Raccortubi Group ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Ratnamani Metals & Tubes Ltd. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

S & N Stainless Pipeline Products Ltd ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Sankyo & Co Ltd ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

SANYO SEIKI CO., LTD. ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Shaanxi Lasting Titanium Industry

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Co.,Ltd

Stalatube Oy ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

Sverdrup Steel ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

TECNYMAT ACEROS, S.L ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

TUBACEX GROUP ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■

voestalpine Böhler Welding

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Group GmbH

Zhejiang Tsingshan Steel

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Pipe Co., Ltd.

Zhejiang Xintongda Special Steel

■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■ ■
Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

For more Buyers’Guide+Online information, please contact Vera Solís, e-mail: bg.ssw@kci-world.com or visit us at www.stainless-steel-world.net
 Lovere Bilbao
Stainless Steels & Super Alloys

Over 25 years experience behind us in the field of Stainless Steel,

Special Steels and Alloys. Always focusing on sustainability,
innovation and quality.

+34 944 545 130 lovere@loverebilbao.com

48170 Zamudio – Bizkaia and 48450 Etxebarri – Bizkaia (Spain)

www.loverebilbao.com