Dillinger is continuing its strategic partnership with the Materials Science and Engineering Department at Saarland University and the Steinbeis Research Center for Materials Science (MECS). With this Steel Development 4.0, Dillinger is promoting the university’s research into the microstructure of special steels and is bolstering its position as an innovation driver in heavy plate production.

The steel specialist has supported steel-related joint research projects with almost EUR 2 million since 2015. Dillinger will now continue the research partnership with almost EUR 1 million in funding over the next three years.
As part of the continuation, two scientific projects in the field of steel research will be made possible at the university. The experts at Dillinger are incorporating these two projects as components within the integrated approach of their own microstructurebased materials development. The focus of the scientific work is on the microstructure of the steel as well as its formation and the possibilities for selectively influencing the microstructure. It is the nature of this steel microstructure that determines the subsequent properties of a heavy plate. The aim of this integrated research partnership with the university is to advance the development of Dillinger’s special steels even more quickly and economically. It thus enhances the company’s ability to respond flexibly to customer requirements and to a wide range of applications.

The advanced high-performance plates manufactured by Dillinger are used, for example, in steel construction, mechanical engineering, or in the construction of onshore and offshore wind turbines. Steels used in the offshore wind power sector in particular must withstand extreme operating conditions like storms for decades while still guaranteeing safe operation. With highly advanced manufacturing recipes precisely adapted to the respective application, special steels from Dillinger are able to withstand these continuous stresses long term.

“The research at Saarland University in the subject area of special steels and heavy plate is valuable for us because it supports and accelerates our own research efforts. Dillinger’s fast and flexible research work safeguards and creates our competitive advantages in the highly competitive heavy plate market," explained Chairman of the Dillinger Board of Management Dr. Karl-Ulrich Köhler. “The longstanding research partnership with the MECS and Saarland University also offers the advantage of enabling us to secure our potential young talent for the future here in the region. Numerous materials science and engineering graduates have joined Dillinger in recent years after completing their research there and are making important contributions to the continuous improvement of our steel products.”