M50 bearing steel was produced from 4N-grade electrolytic iron via an advanced purification process. Compared to conventional industrial processes, the steel exhibits significantly enhanced purity: the steel purity was significantly enhanced: [O]=3 ppm and  total impurity content Σ(S+P+O+N+H+Sn+As+Sb+Bi+Pb)=56.8 ppm. In rolling contact fatigue tests at 4.5 GPa Hertzian stress (room temperature), the maximum number of cycles reached 1.8×10⁹.

M50 bearing steel was produced from 4N-grade electrolytic iron via an advanced purification process. Compared to conventional industrial processes, the steel exhibits significantly enhanced purity: the steel purity was significantly enhanced: [O]=3 ppm and  total impurity content Σ(S+P+O+N+H+Sn+As+Sb+Bi+Pb)=56.8 ppm. In rolling contact fatigue tests at 4.5 GPa Hertzian stress (room temperature), the maximum number of cycles reached 1.8×10⁹.

Research and development of solidification deformation coupling homogenization technology: With solidification phase transformation control as the core, supplemented by thermal deformation optimization, the special steel strip like structure is stably compressed from 2-4 levels to ≤ 2 levels, achieving a qualitative leap in tissue uniformity.

Research and development of solidification deformation coupling homogenization technology: With solidification phase transformation control as the core, supplemented by thermal deformation optimization, the special steel strip like structure is stably compressed from 2-4 levels to ≤ 2 levels, achieving a qualitative leap in tissue uniformity.

Continuous casting technology has expanded from cold-work tool flat steel and medium-alloy structural steel to hot-work tool steel. The process is now fully integrated and standardized, achieving a dual leap in efficiency and yield rate.  

High-carbon high-alloy tool and die steels have long been considered unsuitable for continuous casting due to their inherent air-hardening properties, severe segregation, and the excessively rapid cooling rate during casting. These factors often lead to issues such as breakouts, sticking, and billet cracks in the continuous casting process.  This project has developed a new process route for high-carbon high-alloy tool and die steel flat products and bar/wire rods:  90-ton ultra-high-power electric arc furnace → LF furnace → VD furnace → curved continuous casting → hot charging/annealing → single-pass rolling → slow cooling → annealing.  

Through this technological route, approximately 200,000 tons of die steel plates have been produced and applied to date. The product quality fully complies with standards and relevant technical requirements, demonstrating strong market competitiveness. After processing by die steel manufacturers, the rolled plates are primarily used to create molds for cold-forming workpieces. These include cold blanking dies, cold stamping dies, cold drawing dies, coining dies, cold extrusion dies, thread rolling dies, and powder compacting dies. The products are widely used in industries such as home appliances, automotive and motorcycle manufacturing, and electronics, delivering significant economic and social benefits.

Continuous casting technology has expanded from cold-work tool flat steel and medium-alloy structural steel to hot-work tool steel. The process is now fully integrated and standardized, achieving a dual leap in efficiency and yield rate.  

High-carbon high-alloy tool and die steels have long been considered unsuitable for continuous casting due to their inherent air-hardening properties, severe segregation, and the excessively rapid cooling rate during casting. These factors often lead to issues such as breakouts, sticking, and billet cracks in the continuous casting process.  This project has developed a new process route for high-carbon high-alloy tool and die steel flat products and bar/wire rods:  90-ton ultra-high-power electric arc furnace → LF furnace → VD furnace → curved continuous casting → hot charging/annealing → single-pass rolling → slow cooling → annealing.  

Through this technological route, approximately 200,000 tons of die steel plates have been produced and applied to date. The product quality fully complies with standards and relevant technical requirements, demonstrating strong market competitiveness. After processing by die steel manufacturers, the rolled plates are primarily used to create molds for cold-forming workpieces. These include cold blanking dies, cold stamping dies, cold drawing dies, coining dies, cold extrusion dies, thread rolling dies, and powder compacting dies. The products are widely used in industries such as home appliances, automotive and motorcycle manufacturing, and electronics, delivering significant economic and social benefits.

Continuous casting technology has expanded from cold-work tool flat steel and medium-alloy structural steel to hot-work tool steel. The process is now fully integrated and standardized, achieving a dual leap in efficiency and yield rate. 

High-carbon high-alloy tool and die steels have long been considered unsuitable for continuous casting due to their inherent air-hardening properties, severe segregation, and the excessively rapid cooling rate during casting. These factors often lead to issues such as breakouts, sticking, and billet cracks in the continuous casting process.  This project has developed a new process route for high-carbon high-alloy tool and die steel flat products and bar/wire rods:  90-ton ultra-high-power electric arc furnace → LF furnace → VD furnace → curved continuous casting → hot charging/annealing → single-pass rolling → slow cooling → annealing.  

Through this technological route, approximately 200,000 tons of die steel plates have been produced and applied to date. The product quality fully complies with standards and relevant technical requirements, demonstrating strong market competitiveness. After processing by die steel manufacturers, the rolled plates are primarily used to create molds for cold-forming workpieces. These include cold blanking dies, cold stamping dies, cold drawing dies, coining dies, cold extrusion dies, thread rolling dies, and powder compacting dies. The products are widely used in industries such as home appliances, automotive and motorcycle manufacturing, and electronics, delivering significant economic and social benefits.

Although a variety of ultra-high-strength steels have been developed, their industrial applications are still limited to strength levels of 2.0–2.2 GPa. To meet the stringent demands of high-end manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, it is therefore critical to surpass this strength threshold and develop steels in the 2.3–3.0 GPa range, while concurrently addressing the toughness challenge by achieving a fracture toughness of KIC ≥ 70 MPa·m½.

Although a variety of ultra-high-strength steels have been developed, their industrial applications are still limited to strength levels of 2.0–2.2 GPa. To meet the stringent demands of high-end manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, it is therefore critical to surpass this strength threshold and develop steels in the 2.3–3.0 GPa range, while concurrently addressing the toughness challenge by achieving a fracture toughness of KIC ≥ 70 MPa·m½.

Although a variety of ultra-high-strength steels have been developed, their industrial applications are still limited to strength levels of 2.0–2.2 GPa. To meet the stringent demands of high-end manufacturing sectors such as aerospace, it is therefore critical to surpass this strength threshold and develop steels in the 2.3–3.0 GPa range, while concurrently addressing the toughness challenge by achieving a fracture toughness of KIC ≥ 70 MPa·m½.

Rare Earth Microalloyed Non-Quenched and Tempered Steel — Simultaneously enhances machinability and low-temperature toughness.

Rare Earth Heat-Resistant Steel — Significantly improves high-temperature creep resistance.

Rare Earth Special Stainless Steel — Optimizes the hot working window and inhibits the precipitation of sigma phase.

Rare Earth Microalloyed Non-Quenched and Tempered Steel — Simultaneously enhances machinability and low-temperature toughness.

Rare Earth Heat-Resistant Steel — Significantly improves high-temperature creep resistance.

Rare Earth Special Stainless Steel — Optimizes the hot working window and inhibits the precipitation of sigma phase.

Facing high loads and long service cycles, basic components such as gears, fasteners, springs, bearings, and cutting tools are in urgent need of steel materials with "high strength-toughness + ultra-long service life" for support. Only by establishing a new-generation technical system for basic component steels on the basis of high-purity and high-uniformity matrices can we break through the limits. Artificial intelligence is running through the entire R&D chain: from precision design of composition and processes to full-domain optimization of manufacturing processes, the AI-driven "data-model-experiment" closed loop will reshape the development model of steels for basic components. 

Facing high loads and long service cycles, basic components such as gears, fasteners, springs, bearings, and cutting tools are in urgent need of steel materials with "high strength-toughness + ultra-long service life" for support. Only by establishing a new-generation technical system for basic component steels on the basis of high-purity and high-uniformity matrices can we break through the limits. Artificial intelligence is running through the entire R&D chain: from precision design of composition and processes to full-domain optimization of manufacturing processes, the AI-driven "data-model-experiment" closed loop will reshape the development model of steels for basic components. 

A novel knife steel has been developed with twice the toughness and a fourfold improvement in corrosion resistance over conventional grades, while also exhibiting antibacterial functionality. The carbides are fine and uniformly dispersed, with secondary carbides having an average size ≤ 0.5 µm.

The new knife steel exhibits excellent machinability; knives fabricated from it combine high sharpness with edge retention.

In April 2024, the MegaCloud BladesmithingEvent brought together 33 organizations—including research institutes and steelmakers—and individual contributors, showcasing 39 knife-steel materials with the aim of applying high-grade steel at the cutting edge.