"An increasing number of application areas in the petrochemical and automotive industries, in aircraft construction, or in the construction of gas turbines are using materials with particularly high resistance to corrosion and heat as well as high-strength high-temperature alloys. These materials include the most varied forms of nickel and titanium alloys of the type we melt and forge here at ThyssenKrupp VDM. With our vacuum induction furnace, the two vacuum electric-arc remelting furnaces, the three existing ESR units and the two new ones now put into operation at Unna, we are optimally positioned to supply the market with materials that meet the steadily increasing requirements," says Christian Dettmer, works manager of ThyssenKrupp VDM's Unna plant.

Remelting improves the purity of metallic materials and produces a homogeneous microstructure. In electroslag remelting, an electrode of the metal alloy to be remelted is slowly consumed from contact with the slag bath. The metal droplets travel through the slag to the bottom of a water-cooled mould where they solidify into a new ingot with an optimized microstructure.

"The slag is heated to a temperature far above the melting point of the alloy used. As the droplets fall off the electrode tip, any non-metallic impurities are separated in the liquid slag," explains Christian Dettmer. On solidification in the mould, a new, purified ingot is formed which can be further processed into sheet, strip, wire or rods.

ThyssenKrupp VDM based in Werdohl is a company of the Inoxum Group and manufactures high-performance materials, including nickel alloys, special stainless steels and zirconium and titanium mill products. ThyssenKrupp VDM has been supplying sheet, plate, rods, ingots, strip and wire for more than 80 years. Its main customers are in the plant engineering, energy production, oil and gas, electrical, electronics, automotive and aerospace sectors. ThyssenKrupp VDM (roughly 1,850 employees) has German production sites in Werdohl, Altena, Unna, Siegen and Essen as well as two plants in the USA. In addition, the company has a global sales and distribution network.The Inoxum Group of ThyssenKrupp AG has companies with plants in Germany, Italy, Mexico, China and the USA employing roughly 11,500 people. On January 31, 2012, ThyssenKrupp AG announced the combination of Inoxum and Outokumpu, a global stainless steel corporation with its headquarters in Finland. The transaction is expected to be completed by the end of 2012.

Contact:
Dr. Monica Soffritti
Inoxum GmbH
Corporate Center Communications & Marketing
Phone: +49 203 48807 221
E-Mail: Monica.Soffritti@thyssenkrupp.com