POSCO, First Global Steelmaker to Win Three Crowns in New Stainless Steel Technologies

Gold, Silver, and Bronze Awards in New Technology Category at the International Stainless Steel Association Conference

POSCO won three awards in the new technology category at the 27th International Stainless Steel Forum Conference. It is the first global steel company to achieve a triple crown in the new technology category.

Stainless steel cold-rolled coil products produced at POSCO Pohang Steelworks. Photo by POSCO

POSCO announced on the 14th that it swept the gold, silver, and bronze awards in the new technology category at the 27th International Stainless Steel Forum Conference held in Brussels, Belgium, from the 10th to the 12th (local time). Following the gold award in the same category at the 26th conference held last year, this is another remarkable achievement recognizing its outstanding technological capabilities worldwide.

The International Stainless Steel Forum, established in 1996, is a leading global organization representing the stainless steel industry. It was founded to discuss challenges and development directions faced by the stainless steel industry, such as securing raw material competitiveness, developing new demand, and transitioning to eco-friendly processes. Since 2006, it has been recognizing outstanding cases in four categories?new technology, market development, sustainability, and safety?to encourage member companies' efforts in technology development and market expansion.

In the new technology category, four steel companies submitted a total of eight candidates. POSCO swept all three awards with the gold awarded to the large premium home appliance high-strength 430DP (Dual Phase) steel, the silver to the non-magnetic high-strength 316HN (High Nitrogen) steel for mobile devices, and the bronze to the development of a new brazing welding material for stainless steel-copper dissimilar metal joints used in air conditioner refrigerant piping.

The high-strength 430DP steel that won the gold award is a material developed through collaboration between POSCO’s Technical Research Institute and Samsung Electronics. It is a highly innovative steel product that reduces material thickness by 20% compared to existing materials, achieving a 50% increase in strength despite the weight reduction. It has a hard characteristic that can withstand dents and scratches, and is scheduled to be supplied within the year as an exterior material for premium refrigerator doors.

Based on this joint development with Samsung Electronics, POSCO plans to expand technology exchanges for the development of eco-friendly and high-performance steel materials. Both companies expect to contribute to achieving low-carbon and eco-friendly goals by reducing carbon emissions through material lightweighting.

The 316HN steel, which won the silver award, was developed to meet the non-magnetic and high-strength requirements of mobile devices that demand high precision. Recently, mobile devices such as smartphones have been enhanced with various sensors and improved camera performance, making it a challenge to block electromagnetic waves inside the device to prevent camera malfunction. POSCO developed 316HN steel to improve upon existing steel grades that generate magnetism during processing. The 316HN steel is high-strength and has properties that prevent interference between electronic components, making it expected to be widely used in mobile devices with enhanced camera performance and foldable devices.

The bronze award-winning dissimilar metal welding material is a low-cost material that significantly reduces silver content while increasing copper usage compared to existing welding materials, recognized for its technology that reduces costs by more than 80%.

Lee Kyung-jin, head of POSCO’s Stainless Steel Marketing Office, who attended the conference, said, "POSCO’s sweep of the new technology category awards is the result of actively understanding customer and market demands and close collaboration between the Technical Research Institute and steelworks in research and development." He added, "We will continue to strive to lead the global market with POSCO’s stainless steel technology and supply the highest quality products to our customers."

Meanwhile, POSCO has won 13 awards to date, including the gold award in the technology category for the 470FC fuel cell separator plate for hydrogen electric vehicles in 2018, the silver award in the technology category for fuel tanks for plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) and the gold award in the market development category for stainless steel sealed containers in 2020, and the gold award in the technology category for high-performance ferrite steel manufacturing technology for large home appliances in 2022.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.