Steel Mills
U.S. Steel Acquires NanoSteel Company Patents
Written by Sandy Williams
March 8, 2021
U.S. Steel is expanding its advanced high-strength steel offering with the acquisition of the flat rolled sheet patents and trademarks of The NanoSteel Company, Inc. NanoSteel technology is used to produce the most formable high-strength steel currently available.
The patented proprietary alloys, designed and developed by The NanoSteel Company, derive exceptional mechanical properties from their nano-scale microstructure, which creates a unique combination of extreme strength with the enhanced formability normally found only in low-strength mild steels. The NanoSteel grades can be rolled thicker than other high-strength grades and are designed for automotive and heavy industrial applications where higher strength-to-weight ratios are essential, the company claims.
“We are pleased to offer our customers yet another set of advanced high-strength steel grades that move beyond the boundaries of what was previously possible,” said U.S. Steel President and CEO David Burritt. “These products are in line with our Best of Both strategy and complement and expand our already strong offering of advanced high-strength steels like our proprietary 980 XG3TM steel.
“We are already in discussions with customers around the world, looking at new applications where this combination of high formability and high strength was not available on a commercial scale until now,” added Burritt.
The NanoSteel Company was founded in 2002 to develop steel products based on research completed at the U.S. Department of Energy. Steel-based coatings were launched in 2003 followed by expansion into sheet steel technology. The first nanostructured steel that could be produced in sheet form was developed in 2010 and first full scale production of NanoSteel Sheet by a steel producing partner commenced in 2014. By 2018, commercial grade production was delivering material to rail car and automotive companies for qualification testing. Designed primarily for the automotive industry, the sheet technology is also applicable to the railcar, container and automotive aftermarket segments.
The company held more than 100 patents supporting its sheet technology on Oct. 31, 2020, when the company ceased operations.
Sandy Williams
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