Kobelco Technology Review

21 Core Technologies Supporting KOBELCO’s Materiality and Value Creation

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In the 120 years since the founding of the KOBELCO Group in 1905, the company has developed various technologies that meet the needs of society and customers in numerous sectors. In 2014, the Technical Development Group organized these developments into 21 core technologies that have been continuously refined to solve various challenges experienced by individual customers and entire sectors. The KOBELCO Group has three major business segments: materials, machinery, and electric power. The 21 core technologies are derived from the activities of these three segments and encompass manufacturing technologies with shared elements. The scope of application includes not only product development and manufacturing within the KOBELCO Group, but also the resolution of challenges experienced by customers of secondary processing manufacturers. As such, the concept of the 21 core technologies has been widely disseminated in customer-facing materials and has also become a communication tool both within and outside the company (Fig. 1).

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Throughout its diverse business activities spanning materials, machinery, and electric power supply, KOBELCO Group has offered a wide range of technologies, products, and services that contribute to a green society. In pursuit of the challenge of realizing carbon neutrality by 2050, the KOBELCO Group is actively engaged in creating unique CO₂ reduction solutions by leveraging and combining the core technologies it has cultivated over time.

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The KOBELCO Group has been consistently providing materials and key components that support industries in the transportation sector, life sector, and energy infrastructure sector. These core technologies were acquired by Kobe Steel during its early years when it ventured into diverse areas like materials and machinery. They were developed to address a wide range of needs across various fields and are unique to the Kobelco Group. The Group is committed to further enhancing these core technologies, with the aim of supporting the creation of products that are fundamental to our daily lives. This commitment ensures the safety and security of our communities by providing stable energy supplies to local societies. Additionally, the Kobelco Group will contribute to improved safety and productivity within our manufacturing facilities and at its customers’ sites.

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Kobelco Group is dedicated to providing solutions for current and future societal challenges. In pursuit of achieving carbon neutrality, the Group is advancing proposals for materials and solutions that contribute to weight reduction and electrification in the automotive sector. Additionally, to address concerns about maintaining and strengthening Monozukuri (manufacturing) capabilities in the face of Japan’s declining labor force in the future, the Group is also developing welding systems and digitization to complement the skills of workers. These activities are based on a diverse range of core technologies that Kobe Steel has cultivated in its material and machinery businesses and their combination over the years.

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Melting, casting, and welding are essential core technologies that support the art of manufacturing in the Kobelco Group’s diverse materials businesses. Technological development has been promoted, considering the unique characteristics of each field: steel, aluminum, copper, cast & forged steel, titanium, and welding. In recent years, there has been a degradation in the quality of raw materials, leading to rapid demand for the expanded use of recycled materials from the perspective of CO₂ reduction and resource circulation. Numerous technologies are currently being developed with the aim of realizing carbon neutrality in the future. This article introduces the progress and future efforts related to melting, casting, and welding technologies in each materials business.

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The term “inclusions” refers to substances that are generated or mixed into metals during metal manufacturing processes, and their control is an essential factor in determining the material’s properties. Inclusion control technology can be broadly categorized into three types: technology for thoroughly removing inclusions to enhance metal purity, technology for controlling inclusions to render their properties harmless, and technology for controlling the morphology and dispersion of inclusions for utilization. These technologies contribute to ensuring material stability and productivity in manufacturing processes and promote the utilization of by- products by applying them to mineral phase control of the by-products in metal manufacturing processes, thereby contributing to the advancement of by-product resource utilization and the establishment of a green society. This paper provides an overview of the history of the development and future prospects of these technologies, focusing on product lines representative of Kobe Steel.

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Kobe Steel, as a comprehensive manufacturer of metal materials, has been advancing the refinement of metallographic structure control technology as a fundamental technology to enhance the performance of various metal materials, including steel, aluminum alloys, copper alloys, titanium alloys, and welding materials, in order to meet the diverse demands of society. This paper presents examples of the company’s initiatives: the development of ultra-high-strength steel and aluminum alloys for automotive applications as part of its efforts towards weight- reduction solutions that contribute to a sustainable society, and the development of thick steel plates and welding materials, working toward the creation of safe and secure communities. These examples serve to showcase the application of the metallographic structure control technology. Furthermore, the paper discusses the future direction of this technology as an effective response to anticipated significant societal changes.

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In order to achieve a safe and secure society, various challenges exist, such as extending the lifespan of infrastructure, environmental & energy facilities that use metallic materials, and achieving both reduced environmental impact and enhanced safety of automobiles. Addressing these challenges requires overcoming corrosion and hydrogen-embrittlement occurring on material surfaces, and metallic materials with excellent corrosion and hydrogen-embrittlement resistance are highly sought after. Meanwhile, surface treatment technologies that provide functions such as corrosion resistance, wear resistance, and antibacterial properties to material surfaces play a crucial role in responding to diversified and sophisticated needs for metallic materials. This paper introduces the “Metal Surface Control Technology,” which creates highly functional surfaces through the control of metal surface reactions; and discusses examples of initiatives utilizing this technology to ensure a safe and secure society.

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To enhance the performance of expanding electronic devices, maximizing the functionality of electronic materials is crucial. Hence, when developing these materials, it is essential to consider the device manufacturing process and device structure. Kobe Steel has thus been simultaneously advancing the construction of manufacturing processes and device evaluation technology. In the development of oxide semiconductor materials, Kobe Steel has not only conducted electronic evaluations of individual materials, but has also proceeded with the creation and evaluation of thin-film transistors, revealing the correlation between device characteristics and material properties. Furthermore, in the development of recording films for optical disks, Kobe Steel has conducted recorded signal evaluations in conjunction with materials development. This paper explains the essential technologies for developing electronic materials that customers and users can confidently rely on.

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In the pursuit of realizing a safe and secure society and advancing toward a green society through the development of metallic materials, it is essential to achieve higher strength and corrosion resistance by controlling the microstructure. This control has been miniaturized to the atomic scale. Observing microstructure is key to expressing desired properties, and observing and measuring at the atomic level is required. As part of Kobe Steel’s efforts to enable these capabilities, the company has been utilizing techniques such as synchrotron radiation X-ray, three-dimensional atom probes, soft X-ray emission spectroscopy, and energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy using scanning transmission electron microscopes. Furthermore, Kobe Steel is also engaged in microstructure prediction using first-principle calculations. Amidst the significant changes toward achieving carbon neutrality enabled by these technologies, Kobe Steel will strive to support the development of next- generation materials through atomic-level analysis and evaluation technology.

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Measurement technology is the cornerstone of science and manufacturing prowess. At Kobe Steel, a company that supplies a wide range of critical components supporting the world’s infrastructure, measurement technology has evolved through continuous challenges in ensuring stable product supply and quality enhancement. It has become an essential foundational technology that supports the creation of safe and sustainable products, contributing to the company’s unique development. In the future, the company will continue to provide stable supplies of essential components and products that underpin society, meeting the ever-increasing demands for quality, functionality, and performance. This paper also discusses the outlook for measurement technology as Kobe Steel strives to achieve a sustainable society through challenges such as carbon neutrality and manufacturing transformation.

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This paper explains, divided into the fields of structural mechanics and material strength, structural deformation and breakdown evaluation technology. This technology is one of the core technologies that have contributed to ensuring and enhancing the performance, quality, and safety of final products that utilize Kobe Steel’s products and materials. In the field of structural mechanics, examples are introduced that encompass collision evaluation technology and structural optimization technology, aiming to balance weight reduction and collision safety in automobile body structures. Additionally, case studies are presented regarding component proposals that incorporate an environmental impact reduction perspective, with a view toward achieving a carbon-neutral society within the product’s lifecycle (LCA). In the field of material strength, technology for deformation and microstructure prediction, as well as crack prediction, is introduced, utilizing heat treatment simulations that consider metallurgical factors such as phase transformation. Furthermore, case studies of efforts in the field of micromechanics, which bridge the connection between material structure design and mechanical properties, are introduced. This provides a glimpse into the potential for creating new material products with added value and the possibility of transforming manufacturing processes.

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Machinery inevitably generates vibration and noise when in operation, and such vibration and noise must be kept below a certain level to provide high-quality products and services. Since its inauguration, Kobe Steel has been continuously working on developing “machine vibration, noise, and dynamics characteristics control technology” to address these challenges. This contribution extends beyond Kobe Steel’s machinery products to include stable operation in Kobe Steel’s own factories and the resolving of challenges for users of Kobe Steel materials, contributing to the realization of a broader, secure society. This paper provides an overview of the technology, explaining the contributions made to society thus far, and offers a perspective on future to a green society, and ensuring safety and security in community development and manufacturing.

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The thermal and fluid dynamics control technology contributing to a green society, such as CO₂ reduction, has, from its beginning, evolved in various production processes and product development. These technologies involve complex interactions of fluid dynamics, chemical reactions, and heat transfer behaviors. Therefore, using visualization to aid in understanding the internal phenomena and control for process optimization is a not straightforward task. Hence, thermal fluid analysis using computational fluid dynamics (CFD) has been employed. This paper focuses on application examples, centering on the evolution of thermal and fluid dynamics control technology in production processes involving high-temperature reactions such as those in direct reduced iron plants, pulverized coal injection (PCI) in blast furnaces and coal-fired boilers, as well as machinery products like heat pumps, mixers, and vaporizers. Also provided is an explanation of the future prospects for realizing carbon neutrality.

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The KOBELCO Group’s metal materials and industrial machinery have played a significant role in supporting people’s safe and secure lives. The manufacturing process of metal materials typically involves hot processes such as “rolling” and “forging.” These processes shape the materials and enhance their performance and quality. Additionally, high-precision shapes are achieved through “forming” and “machining” processes. This paper explains the core processing technologies that are indispensable in KOBELCO Group’s manufacturing, including “rolling,” “forging,” “forming,” and “machining.” It provides an overview of these core technologies, complemented by descriptions of past technical developments and practical examples. Furthermore, it discusses new initiatives that contribute to the innovation of manufacturing, which is essential for realizing a safer and more secure society of the future.

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The KOBELCO Group’s electric control technology and magnetic property control technology have been nurtured alongside the development of cutting-edge electronics and magnetic materials, such as semiconductors, magnetic materials, and superconductors. These technologies have been instrumental in enhancing competitiveness and promoting the development of new machinery products utilizing these materials. With the backdrop of carbon neutrality, electrification, mainly in the transportation sector, is rapidly accelerating. In response to changing demand, electric and magnetic property control technology has become even more crucial. This paper provides an overview of the KOBELCO Group’s electric control technology and magnetic property control technology, along with introducing various technical topics associated with each area.

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This article reports on the advancement of process control technology that has been supporting the stable operation and efficiency improvement of production facilities, processes, and plant products within the KOBELCO Group to accurately respond to the new needs of customers and changes in products and processes. Specifically, it provides an overview of process control technology, touching upon its historical background and introduces several recent cases. It also discusses the relationship between this technology and KOBELCO Group’s materiality, “Contributing to a green society,” and offers insights into the contributions to a future carbon-neutral society.

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Kobe Steel has developed its unique decision support technology based on Operations Research (OR) to manage quality, cost, and delivery (QCD) in complex manufacturing processes. In recent years, the scope of decision- making in manufacturing has expanded from single factories to interconnected networks of companies within supply chains, extending to considerations beyond QCD, including environmental impact. In such complex business ecosystems, the importance of decision support technology, or OR, as a foundation for creating new value has grown. This paper explains the foundational technologies that constitute decision support technology and their roles in KOBELCO’s manufacturing processes. It also describes the value and possibilities offered by decision support technology through solutions developed for actual manufacturing facilities.

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The steel and metal processing industries, which demand precision manufacturing in harsh, high-temperature environments, have a rich history of actively exploring advanced model-based control, sensing technology, and communication technology. In recent years, the rapid progress in information and communication technology has enabled the learning of extensive performance data and has advanced inference capability. This has paved the way for the practical implementation of data-driven science, contributing to the development of AI systems capable of accumulating both physical and operational knowledge and presenting it to individuals. As a result, these AI mechanisms are now making their way into the manufacturing field. This paper delves into the recent and remarkable transformations in the use of data-driven science and AI application technology at Kobe Steel, shedding light on the collaborative relationship that has evolved between individuals and AI through these applications.

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Kobe Steel designs, manufactures, and sells custom-made, non-general-purpose industrial machinery and plant equipment. These products are typically used in our customers’ manufacturing sites for 25 to 50 years. Even after the sale, Kobe Steel has continued to provide support through various technology consultations and cooperative assistance in all aspects of its customers’ manufacturing endeavors, ranging from equipment inspection and parts replacement to overhauling, under the framework of after-sales services. The servicing technology results from advancing After-Sales Service Business DX within the company. It aims to create a platform that facilitates smooth and efficient communication and collaboration among stakeholders, including customers, using ICT to establish an ecosystem as a new business model.

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In the process of manufacturing steel structures, there are numerous challenges related to welding. Customers expect to obtain welded joints with excellent quality in a reliable and highly efficient manner. Even if the welding processes, robots, and consumables individually excel, they often do not fully address the challenges faced by customers. Kobe Steel’s Welding Business possesses all the essential technologies related to arc welding, including processes, robots, and consumables, providing welding solutions to customers. This article introduces, as examples, the core technologies in each of these areas that constitute welding solutions. It also presents the practical applications of welding solutions as an essential aspect of the materiality of the Welding Business.

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Efforts to reduce greenhouse gases are accelerating worldwide. The steel industry is one of the sectors that emit the greatest amount of carbon dioxide, a type of greenhouse gas, making its decarbonization highly desirable. Currently, the primary method of steel production is through blast furnaces, which rely on coke and coal as the main heat source and reducing agent, resulting in significant carbon dioxide emissions. Kobe Steel, in pursuit of decarbonization, is steadily implementing initiatives to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by lowering the ratio of reductant and incorporating more direct-reduced iron in the blast furnaces. Furthermore, by combining the company’s expertise and fundamental technologies developed through reduced-iron manufacturing, raw material pellet plant operation, and engineering projects, Kobe Steel aims at contributing to the carbon neutrality of the steel industry.

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Since the 1980s, Kobe Steel has been refining adsorption separation technology and catalytic reaction technology and has continued to contribute to a green society and ensure safety and security in community development and manufacturing through the practical application of distinctive gas separation processes in the steel and chemical industries, as well as environmental conservation in thermal power plants. In recent years, as movements towards carbon neutrality and a circular economy have accelerated, it is believed that these technologies, which involve highly separating substances and transforming substances into valuable entities, will become even more important in realizing a sustainable society with a reduced environmental burden while effectively utilizing previously discarded resources. This article introduces the evolution of both technologies and provides examples of their applications while discussing prospects for the future.

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To achieve carbon neutrality, it is essential not only to reduce CO₂ emissions and sequester CO₂, but also to recycle carbon resources such as coal and biomass. The Kobelco Group is actively developing technologies to convert these carbon resources into easily recyclable forms, such as fuel products and functional carbon materials, as well as technologies to safely use them as environmentally friendly products required for a sustainable society. This paper introduces an overview of carbon resource conversion and application technology of these carbon resources and provides application examples. It also discusses the future prospects of technology development aimed at realizing a carbon-neutral society.

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